Rebels

BELLARMINE-JEFFERSON HIGH — When a resilient Bellarmine-Jefferson High squad made a strong push late in the game, the Flintridge Prep boys’ basketball team pushed back. One night after fending off an attempted comeback by St. Francis to reach the championship of the 24th Annual Bell-Jeff Holiday Classic, the Rebels made a tough stand against the host Guards Saturday night to secure a 65-56 win and the tournament title. “We played hard, we got up, but then they came back,” said sophomore guard Jonathan Woo, who led Prep with 15 points and nine rebounds.

PASADENA — Six or seven plays into Flintridge Prep’s 14-play game- winning fourth-quarter drive Saturday at Maranatha High, the Bellarmine- Jefferson football team had to know what was coming. Whether it was a quick sweep to the right side by speedy tailback Joel Bryant for a few yards or a bursting run up the middle by Ian Sander or Adam Ross for a couple more, the Rebels kept it simple if not predictable. The Rebels passed just six times in the game, and not once in the final period.

•  WHEN : 1:30 p.m. today. •  WHERE : Maranatha High. •  RECORDS : The Guards are 2-0; the Rebels are 1-0. •  LAST WEEK : Bell-Jeff defeated Mountain View, 42-16; Flintridge Prep defeated Malibu, 10-0. •  OUTLOOK : The nonleague game figures to be a defensive battle between the teams. Last week, the Rebels limited Malibu to just 177 yards of total offense and had two key fourth-down stops to halt drives by the Sharks.

If there is such thing as a complete package on the volleyball court, Dylan Walker may just be the epitome of it. Whatever it is that needs to be done, the Flintridge Prep outside hitter always seems more than capable of the challenge. "It's not just his hitting and passing, it's everything about him," Flintridge Prep Coach Sean Beattie said. "He is very down to earth and complimentary of his teammates." Whether it was a forceful kill, timely block, perfectly executed ace or just picking up his team's intensity, Walker embodied all the aspects of an all-round player and teammate.

COACH OF THE YEAR Flintridge Prep In his 10th season at the helm, he guided the Rebels on a historic playoff run to the Division V semifinals. After the squad started slowly to begin the season, it played its best volleyball of the year down the stretch, before narrowly falling to Salesian, 3-2, a step away from the CIF Finals. FIRST TEAM Reed Bradley, junior setter, Flintridge Prep Named first-team All-Prep League and All-CIF Division V second team after leading the Rebels with 714 assists, while also recording 41 aces and 89 digs and continually moving the ball around to the Rebels feared outside hitting attack.

BURBANK HIGH — Midway through the summer, the Flintridge Prep and Burbank High boys' water polo teams find themselves in very similar situations. Both programs have ushered in first-year coaches, both are retooling after losing a slew of key players from the previous season and both are fine-tuning their play in Division I of the Mid-Valley Summer League. So naturally, when the teams met on Thursday at Burbank High, they took part in a very evenly matched battle. However, it was the Bulldogs who were able to edge out the Rebels, 10-8.

BURBANK HIGH — Whether playing on the football field or the basketball court, it's hard not to notice Robert Linda's athletic abilities. He proved to be a valuable asset to both programs at Burbank High this school year. He emerged as the offensive leader on the football team in 2006 and the senior is currently the Bulldogs' leading scorer in basketball this season. One of the only questions about Linda was would colleges be interested in him as a raw talent with a wealth of potential?

BELL-JEFF VS. FLINTRIDGE PREP   WHEN : 7 p.m. today.     WHERE : Memorial Field (Burroughs High).     RECORDS : The Guards are 1-1; the Rebels are 1-0.     LAST WEEK : Bell-Jeff lost to Santa Clara, 20-0; Flintridge Prep defeated Malibu, 22-0.     OUTLOOK : After playing its first two games on the road, Bell-Jeff gets its first home game in a nonleague matchup with the Rebels from La Cañada Flintridge.

LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE — On May 1, the Flintridge Prep boys' volleyball team hosted and promptly swept La Salle in a nonleague match. When the two met again in the Flintridge Prep gym for Tuesday's CIF Southern Section Division V second-round match, that first match had nothing to with nor resembled in any way the teams' rematch. In fact, the outcome was the complete opposite, as the visiting Lancers swept away the Rebels' season, 25-18, 27-25, 25-22. "We should've done better and they played really well [on May 1]

LONG BEACH ? Halfway through Saturday's CIF Southern Section Division III 100-yard breaststroke final, Flintridge Prep senior Jeff Kang was halfway to a division title. The last half proved to be his undoing, however, as the Rebel standout was bested by Temescal Canyon freshman Bart Kelly by the slimmest of margins, just .69 hundredths of a second at Long Beach's Belmont Plaza. "I knew going in that I had the faster first half," said Kang, whose first half edged Kelly's 28.53-28.