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Burbank, Burroughs Swim Teams Fare Well In Pacific League Finals

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By Rick Assad

 

Under favorable weather conditions, the Pacific League swimming finals was held at Burbank High on Thursday and the team standings and individual races went essentially according to form.

Two league records fell as Burroughs sophomore Maya Wilson placed first in the 200 yard freestyle after coming in at 1.51.73.

The old mark was held by Crescenta Valley’s Heather MacDougal, who swam 1.51.76 in 2013.

The other record smashed was by Crescenta Valley freshman Amanda Petersen, who won the 100 breaststroke (1.05.16), breaking MacDougal’s 1.05.23 in 2013.

Petersen was a double winner after also taking the 200 individual medley (2.08.45).

Wilson placed first in the 500 freestyle (4.59.15) and was part of a foursome that took fourth in the 400 freestyle relay (4.03.62) that included senior Marlena Skrabak, senior Bianca Sanchez and junior Aleah Orozco.

Burroughs sophomore Maya Wilson placed first twice and set a Pacific League record in the 200 yard freestyle at 1.51.73. Photo By: Edward Tovmassian

Wilson was on the team that garnered fourth in the 200 medley relay (2.06.71) that included senior Annabelle Morning, Skrabak and sophomore Emmanuella Nathan.

“I went in trying to have no expectations,” Wilson said of her day in the pool. “I was just trying to improve, whether it was my times or my mindset. After I finished, it was a moment of relief.”

Wilson then added: “Working in practice every day. Seeing if I can improve every day. I try to stay in the moment and focus on the now,” she noted. “I focus on how I can improve my race. I’m focusing on CIF and see what I can do. I’m pushing myself to new limits in all my practices or trying to.”

Burbank sophomore David Lee also had a day to remember and was another double winner after taking first place in the 50 freestyle (23.05) and the 100 freestyle (50.17).

“I felt all sorts of emotion and excitement,” Lee said. “I think about the long run. How fast I want to get two years from now and how do I have to train every single day to get to achieve that process. Get to that level. I try to train as hard as I can every single day to get to that level. One hundred perfect effort.”

Lee was a member that included senior Isaac Yang, junior Dorian Andrei and sophomore Ryan Feldman that garnered third place in the 400 freestyle relay (3.28.66) and part of a squad that included freshman Arsen Rostomyan, junior Gevorg Vardanyan and Yang that grabbed fourth place in the 200 freestyle relay (1.36.19).

Burbank sophomore David Lee (second from right) won the 50 and 100 yard freestyle. Photo By: Edward Tovmassian

As far as team standings, the Burroughs girls’ varsity placed third with 196 points while Burbank was fifth (173 points).

The Burbank boys’ varsity took third (248 points) while Burroughs was sixth (157 points).

“We had mostly all best times today,” Burbank coach Cody Parker said of his teams. “Obviously we had David Lee win two individual events and the boys’ 200 individual medley got consideration. So there’s a lot to be proud of as a team.”

Burroughs coach Jacob Cook was pleased with Wilson. “Maya is very impressive,” he noted. “Maya did some incredible stuff. She puts in the work. Her talent is just insane. She’s special. I just told her before the race, to go for it.”

Cook spoke about his teams. “There’s a lot of PR’s today,” he said. “A win for me is not just scores, but it’s to beat individual times.”

The Crescenta Valley girls’ varsity took first with 558 points, Arcadia grabbed second (474), Pasadena was fourth (178), Hoover sixth (153) and Glendale nabbed seventh (139).

In the boys’ varsity, Crescenta Valley was first (571), Arcadia took second (420.5), Hoover was fourth (165.5), Glendale placed fifth (161) and Pasadena took seventh (110).

That’s perfect form in the butterfly. Photo By: Edward Tovmassian

Other strong outings included Burroughs’ junior Reigh Abaoag taking second place in the 100 yard butterfly (52.89) and third in the 100 yard breaststroke (1.01.31).

The Burbank foursome of junior Michelle Morlock, sophomore Simone Bethel, junior Emily Udall and senior Angelica Perez took third in the 200 medley relay (2.04.86).

Udall also placed third in the 500 freestyle (5.46.97), sixth in the 100 butterfly (1.04.99) and was part of a foursome that included sophomore Simone Bethel, sophomore Geneva Bethel and Morlock that finished sixth in the 400 freestyle relay (4.12.83).

In the boys’ 200 medley relay, the team of Rostomyan, Feldman, Andrei and Vardanyan finished third (1.45.87).

Other solid placings included the Burroughs team of junior Isaack Dowling, Abaoag, junior Arshak Berberyan and junior Nathan Gault-Crabb that grabbed fifth in the 200 medley relay (1.50.39).

It takes skill, training and determination to succeed as Burbank and Burroughs demonstrated at the Pacific League Finals. Photo By: Edward Tovmassian

Burroughs freshman Madeline Spangler was seventh in the 200 freestyle (2.15.16) and Burroughs freshman Isabelle Mucha was 10th in the same race (2.19.35).

Feldman finished in fourth place in the 200 freestyle (1.49.82) and sixth in the 100 breaststroke (1.05.12).

Morlock was fourth in the 100 freestyle (59.02) and ninth in the 50 freestyle (27.05).

Gault-Crabb was eighth in the 50 freestyle (24.14), while Andrei was eighth in the 100 butterfly (58.08) and eighth in the 100 freestyle (52.88).

Here’s a Burroughs swimmer giving it her all. Photo By: Edward Tovmassian

Burroughs freshman Nicolai Lazarev nabbed eighth place in the 500 freestyle (5.34.48).

The Burbank team of sophomore Geneva Bethel, Simone Bethel, sophomore Grace Tomasek and sophomore Angelina Chavez finished sixth in the 200 freestyle relay (1.57.59).

Dowling, sophomore Arthur Eldridge, senior Scott Sauve and senior Daniel Marinero took seventh place in the 400 freestyle relay (3.46.92).

Burroughs Girls Water Polo Reaches CIF Division VI Quarterfinals

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By Rick Assad

 

A pound of confidence has gone a really long way for the Burroughs High girls’ water polo team.

It seems after falling to perennial power Crescenta Valley 8-6 on Feb. 8 in the Pacific League championship, this has empowered the Indians to reach the CIF Southern Section Division VI quarterfinals after sideswiping visiting Walnut 13-5 in the second round on Thursday afternoon.

Gwendolyn Turla scored two goals and added four steals in a CIF Southern Section second-round win over Walnut. (Photo by Ross A. Benson)

“That game versus CV just showed the girls that we are a force to be reckoned with,” Burroughs coach Jacob Cook said. “It’s really cool to see their confidence. This is the most confident they’ve been all season. They’re taking it to the next level.”

Behind the overall play of junior utility Aleah Orozco, who had a match-high five goals with four steals and junior attacker Brianna Meneses with three goals, the Indians (12-5) will now play Tustin on Saturday.

“I think honestly, because CV has been a really big rival of ours since forever, that we’ve always come after them and I really think that we came so close to them and that made us more confident,” Orozco said.

Junior Isabella Erickson and sophomore Emmanuella Nathan, the backup, were both outstanding in Thursday’s rout of the Mustangs. (Photo by Ross A. Benson)

Orozco added: “The confidence somehow turned a lightbulb in our head and caused our offense and defense to get better.”

Senior utility Gwendolyn Turla (four steals) along with senior attacker Bianca Sanchez each dropped in two goals while senior attacker Cameron Flores added one goal.

“Nice balance of having a very good defense and then having scorers all around,” Cook said. “Our defense played a really tight press. They were playing in their face. They’re really confident.”

Burroughs, which lost to Crescenta Valley 11-6 in its first league encounter on Jan. 9, sprinted ahead 3-2 in the first quarter.

Turla’s eight-footer with an assist from junior goalie Isabella Erickson made it 1-0 with 6:01 left on the clock.

Orozco’s 12-footer with an assist from Turla evened it at 2-2 with 3:25 left in the period.

The Indians were sharp-shooters against Walnut, which lost 13-5 on Thursday. (Photo by Ross A. Benson)

When Flores found the back of the net on a 10-foot dart with Turla’s assist and 1:34 remaining, the Indians waltzed ahead 3-2.

Burroughs pulled in front 6-3 at halftime after Sanchez unloaded an eight-footer on an assist from Flores with 6:40 on the ticker that made it 4-2.

The Indians’ advantage swelled to 5-2 with 2:33 left in the second period on Turla’s 12-footer with an assist from sophomore goalie Emmanuella Nathan.

When Orozco scored on a five-foot blast with help from Sanchez and five seconds left, the lead ballooned to 6-3.

Sanchez scored on an eight-foot dagger with Turla’s assist that pushed the margin to 7-3 with 6:48 left in the third quarter.

Orozco scored from eight feet with 5:11 on the clock to make it 8-3 and Orozco then added a 10-footer with 4:32 left that made it 9-3 heading into the fourth period.

A tally by Orozco from five feet supplied the Indians a 11-3 edge with 5:51 showing.

Meneses then scored three goals in the fourth period that included a 12-footer with 6:37 left for a 10-3 lead, a 12-footer on an assist from junior attacker Isabel Rosado with 3:18 remaining for a 12-4 edge and an eight-footer on another assist from Rosado with 2:32 left that made it 13-4.

Senior Kaitlin Garrett knocked in three goals for the Mustangs (13-13) and junior Paris Alvarado chipped in with two.

Garrett’s 10-footer with 4:03 left evened it at 1-1 in the initial frame and Garrett’s 10-footer gave Walnut a 2-1 lead with 3:42 left heading into the second quarter.

Garrett’s eight-footer with an assist from Alvarado and 1:24 left before the half cut the Indians’ lead to 5-3.

Alvarado’s five-meter penalty shot with 5:36 left in the match shaved the advantage to 11-4 and Alvarado’s six-footer with 54 seconds showing made it 13-5.

Burroughs Girls Water Polo Pounds Visiting Nipomo 14-3

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By Rick Assad

For the Burroughs High girls’ water polo team on Tuesday night, it was all about in-your-face defense.

So overwhelming and sure was this applied to visiting Nipomo during a CIF Southern Section Division VI first-round playoff game, it helped the Indians prevail 14-3.

The Indians (11-5 and 6-2 for second place in the Pacific League) will now host Walnut on Thursday at 5 p.m. in a second-round encounter.

“I was confident in my girls after the way they played against CV last week,” Burroughs coach Jacob Cook said. “I was confident in their skill. Confident in their ability and they came out and showed that today.”

Four players scored for Burroughs, which snapped a six-game playoff losing streak, as senior utility Gwendolyn Turla and senior attacker Cameron Flores each tallied four goals.

Junior Amy Berberyan is about to take a shot against Nipomo’s Katrina Snyder in a CIF Southern Section Division VI first-round playoff match. (Photo by Ross A. Benson)

“Overall it was a good team effort,” said Turla of the defensive that at times prevented the Titans from even getting off a shot. “Both offense and defense. It really motivates us to try harder.”

The initial goal came with 5:30 left in the first quarter when Turla, with an assist from junior utility Aleah Orozco, unloaded a six-footer.

When Flores dented the back of the net from eight feet and 3:32 remaining in the opening frame, the Indians’ lead became 2-1.

With 57 seconds left in the same stanza, Flores tossed in an eight-footer that made it 3-1.

Burroughs’ first-quarter barrage was capped off with an eight-footer and 21 seconds left from senior setter Bianca Sanchez with an assist from Orozco.

Sanchez’s goal from five feet with 6:16 showing in the second quarter made it 5-1 and with 4:23 left on the clock before halftime, Orozco’s 12-footer with an assist from Turla pushed the lead to 6-1.

For Burroughs, it was all about defense when it faced the visiting Titans, which fell 14-3 on Tuesday. (Photo by Ross A. Benson)

Turla’s goal from eight feet with an assist from Flores made it 7-1 with 3:48 left in the second period.

Twenty-five seconds later, an eight-foot bullet from Sanchez with help from Orozco made it 8-1 and forced Nipomo (13-8 nd 7-2 for third place in the Los Padres League) to ask for time out.

“They were keeping the press tight,” Cook said of his overwhelming defense. “They were going from steals right off the passes from the goalie. They were playing really well and really on top of it.”

Cook also liked that multiple players found the back of the net. “Really balanced scoring,” he said. “That’s always good. We have threats everywhere.”

Burroughs then glided in front 9-1 after Orozco, with an assist from Sanchez, launched an eight-foot dart and 2:07 left before the break.

The Indians’ lead became 10-1 on a 10-foot laser by Orozco with 1:32 left as Turla added an assist.

Burroughs ended the opening half with a 12-footer from Flores that pushed the lead to 11-2 as Orozco tossed in an assist.

The only goal that the Indians scored in the third quarter came with 2:04 left when Flores found the back of the net for a 12-2 cushion.

Turla added a pair of goals in the fourth quarter and they came with 2:31 showing from eight feet that made it 13-2 and a 10-footer with 21 seconds on the clock for a 14-3 edge.

Junior Isabella Erickson and sophomore Emmanuella Nathan were both stellar in goal for the Indians.

For the visiting Titans, Carly Billinger showed the way after tallying two goals with an assist.

Billinger’s goal from 10 feet with 4:26 left in the first quarter evened it at 1-1 and her tally from five feet with 34 seconds left in the match trimmed Burroughs’ lead to 14-3.

Billinger’s assist with 1:10 remaining in the opening half sliced the Indians’ advantage to 10-2.

Burroughs Girls Water Polo Fends Off Stubborn Burbank 12-5

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By Rick Assad

 

A better and more efficient start would have been preferred by the Burroughs High girls’ water polo team when it faced host Burbank.

With 5:40 left in the second quarter of Tuesday’s Pacific League match, it was tied after the Bulldogs scored, but the Indians then rattled off four consecutive tallies that included an 8-1 run and collected a 12-5 victory.

“We made some adjustments here and there,” Burroughs coach Jacob Cook said. “We shut them down from there. It was a good game overall today.”

Burroughs (6-4 and 2-1 in league) held Burbank (4-7 and 0-3 in league) to one goal in the third quarter and none in the fourth period.

Burbank, shown warming up in a recent match, played visiting Burroughs tough early, but fell 12-5. (Photo by Rick Assad)

With 4:10 on the clock in the second period, Burroughs senior utility Gwendolyn Turla scored on an eight-footer that made it 5-4 and with 3:29 remaining the lead swelled to 6-4 on a goal by junior utility Aleah Orozco from close range.

“I think we came in a little bit, maybe overconfident,” Orozco said, “and then we came to the realization that Burbank is a tough team and we need to get it together in order to play against our rival school and I think once that happened and we got in the right mental state, then things started to go our way.”

Orozco said she noticed early that the Bulldogs were aggressive. “I feel like in any type of sport, once it becomes more intense, you try to be more aggressive and they became a lot more aggressive,” she noted, “but we became back equally aggressive.”

The Indians’ lead became 7-4 when Turla scored on a five-footer and with nine seconds left before halftime, a 25-foot floater from senior attacker Cameron Flores pushed the margin to 8-4.

Gwendolyn Turla, with the ball, scored a match-best five goals for the Indians in a Pacific League win over the host Bulldogs. (Photo by © Ross A. Benson)

A goal from 10 feet by Burbank senior utility Lexi Lyneis evened it at 4-4 in the second quarter.

Lyneis collected her initial goal with 1:59 left in the first quarter on a 20-footer that tied it at 3-3.

“We just made a few mistakes that they capitalized on,” Burbank coach Allyson Young said. “We were making mistakes and too close together and they were making the steals.”

It took a while before a goal was scored in the third quarter as Turla found the back of the net on an eight-foot penalty shot that made it 9-4 as 3:19 remained.

With 1:15 left in the same frame it became 10-4 on a five-footer by senior setter Bianca Sanchez, but Burbank, which committed 19 turnovers, sliced it to 10-5 on senior driver Sune Aghakian’s 10-footer with 1:01 left.

In the fourth period it was all Burroughs which pulled ahead 11-5 with 3:52 left on a tally from three-feet by junior attacker Samantha Leano.

Thirty-eight seconds later a goal from five-feet by Sanchez shoved the Indians ahead 12-5.

The Bulldogs marched in front 1-0 on junior utility Patil Minassian’s three-footer with 5:58 showing, but twenty seconds later it was deadlocked at 1-1 on Turla’s 10-footer.

Sanchez’s short-range rocket with 4:56 left made it 2-1, however, the Bulldogs evened it at 2-2 on junior driver Michelle Morlock’s point-blank bullet and 4:06 on the clock.

Turla’s nine-footer with 2:12 left gave the Indians a 3-2 edge and Sanchez’s eight-footer with 1:05 on the ticker capped the period as the Indians led 4-3 heading into the second period.

Burbank junior goalie Suzie Misiryan and Burroughs’ junior goalie Isabella Erickson and sophomore net keeper Emmanuella Nathan all played well.

Burroughs Girls Water Polo Gets Revenge Over San Marino

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By Rick Assad

 

With five minutes and 44 seconds left in the fourth quarter and trailing by a goal, the Burroughs High girls’ water polo team shifted into another gear.

In so doing, the Indians finished with a flourish, tallying four straight goals and walked away with an 11-8 triumph over visiting San Marino in a nonleague clash Thursday afternoon.

Having lost to the Titans 10-9 in overtime in the Burbank Tournament, which was the Indians’ first game of the season, there may have been a little revenge on their minds.

“We already played them and that’s exactly how it went,” Burroughs coach Jacob Cook said of the two close matches. “They [Burroughs] got it together at the end which was good. They got the stops on defense and they played at the end how they should have played the whole game.”

Senior utility Gwendolyn Turla scored four goals for the Indians in an 11-8 nonleague win over San Marino. Photo By: Edward Tovmassian

An eight-foot tally by Burroughs junior attacker Camila Panoza evened it at 8-8 with 4:56 left.

When senior setter Bianca Sanchez put one in from the same distance and 2:47 on the clock, the Indians (4-2) darted ahead 9-8.

Senior utility Gwendolyn Turla, who delivered a team-best 67 goals last season, then found the back of the net on a 12-footer with an assist from junior utility Aleah Orozco with 2:14 remaining to make it 10-8.

Turla’s 14-foot blast with 1:39 left that made it 11-8, forced the Titans (8-2), who placed second in the Burbank tourney and are ranked No. 3 in the CIF Southern Section Division VI, to ask for time out.

Sophomore goalie Emmanuella Nathan blocks a Titan shot. Photo By: Edward Tovmassian

“They did beat us by one and we were shaken up by it because we were really upset,” said Turla, who finished with a co-team high four goals, of the earlier loss to San Marino. “Knowing that we could come back and beat them and have our team build up some stamina and more endurance really helped us beat them. Overall this team played really well and I’m really proud of them.”

When San Marino senior Annette Aledeffa uncorked a six-footer with 5:44 left in the fourth quarter, the Titans seized control 8-7.

The first quarter was knotted at 2-2 on Sanchez’s goal from eight feet with 4:48 left and Sanchez’s bullet with 16 seconds left tied it at 2-2.

San Marino’s goals were knocked in by freshman Isabella Lee from five feet with two minutes showing that evened it at 1-1 and junior Elizabeth Lee’s goal with 26 seconds remaining gave the Titans a 2-1 advantage.

Gwendolyn Turla (#14) and San Marino freshman Isabella Lee fight for position. Photo By: Edward Tovmassian

The Indians outscored the Titans 3-2 in the second frame as Turla’s 10-footer  with 2:11 on the clock pulled the Indians in front 4-3 and Turla’s mid-pool rainbow with one second left supplied Burroughs with a 5-4 edge.

Senior attacker Cameron Flores had a 10-foot tally with 5:10 left in the second period that tied it at 3-3.

San Marino’s scoring in the second stanza fell on the shoulders of Isabella Lee and came with 6:03 left on a six-footer for a 3-2 cushion and a 15-footer with five seconds left on an assist from Aledeffa that leveled it at 4-4.

The Indians and Titans each scored two goals in the third period with Orozco knocking in a 10-footer with an assist from Sanchez that pushed the Indians in front 6-5 with 2:57 left and Sanchez drilling an eight-footer with 1:52 showing to make it 7-5 in favor of the Indians.

Aledeffa’s five-foot laser with 6:15 on the ticker in the fourth quarter tied it at 7-7 and San Marino senior Marika Brunochelli’s goal from eight feet with 1:13 on the clock in the third quarter shaved the lead to 7-6.

Junior Isabella Erickson and sophomore Emmanuella Nathan each saw significant time in goal for the Indians.

Burbank, Burroughs Girls Water Polo Have High Expectations

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By Rick Assad

Expectations are genuinely upbeat for the Burbank High and Burroughs girls’ water polo teams.

“I am very excited for our upcoming season,” Burroughs coach Jacob Cook said. “We have a lot of talented and experienced members returning who are well-rounded and play well together.”

Spearheading the Indians, who went 10-9 overall and 5-3 in the Pacific League with an opening-round setback in the CIF Southern Section playoffs a season ago, is senior utility Gwendolyn Turla.

Senior Gwendolyn Turla led the Indians in scoring with 67 goals. (Photo by Ross A. Benson)

An offensive threat every time Turla had the ball in her hands, she tallied a team-high 67 goals and averaged 3.5 goals per game, with 22 steals and 12 assists.

Four seniors join Turla, who had 140 shots on goal, and they include attacker Cameron Flores, attacker Alice Martinez, setter Bianca Sanchez and attacker Andrea Silva.

Ten juniors will be asked to contribute offensively and play defense and they are attacker Amy Berberyan, attacker Leann Bermudez, attacker Samantha Leano, attacker Madeline Lingad, attacker Brianna Meneses, utility Aleah Orozco, attacker Camilla Panoza, attacker Isabel Rosado, attacker Katie Vlick, goalie Isabella Erickson, and Emmanuella Nathan, a sophomore, will play goalie.

The Indians are 0-1 this season after losing to San Marino 9-8 in the Burbank Tournament and will launch their league campaign on Jan. 9 when they host Crescenta Valley and will visit archrival Burbank on Jan. 16.

Burbank coach Allyson Young also thinks the Bulldogs will have a successful campaign.

Burroughs will face host Burbank on Jan. 16. (Photo by Ross A. Benson)

“I expect to have a better season than last season because I have a lot of returners,” said Young, whose team went 6-18 overall and didn’t make the playoffs after finishing fifth in the league.

Young will have six returners and they include senior driver Sune Aghakian, who tossed in a team-best 49 goals and senior utility Lexi Lyneis, who had 38 tallies.

The others are senior driver Tara Goodwin, junior utility Patil Minassian, junior driver Camila Salas and junior driver Michelle Morlock.

Young said that she is counting on this group of veterans to help the other players who have less experience.

“I think they can be good leaders because they understand what it takes to play on the varsity level,” Young said.

The Bulldogs, who are 3-1 after defeating host La Salle 16-3, losing to host San Marino 6-5, then knocking off Louisville 9-7 and Torrance 8-3 in the Burbank Tournament, commence league play on Jan. 9 against Pasadena.

The remainder of the squad includes senior driver Valentina Abadjian, senior driver Angelica Perez, senior driver Melissa De La Cruz, junior goalie Suzie Misiryan, sophomore driver Sera Saahbazian, sophomore driver Sophia Brice and sophomore driver Michelle Mirzoyan.