Tag Archives: Xavier Turla

Burroughs Water Polo Players Named to Academic All-American Team

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Burroughs High juniors Xavier Turla and Harrison Zekowski have been named to the 2019-2020 Academic All-American team by USA Water Polo.

Both Turla and Zekowski play for Rose Bowl Water Polo at the club level. They earned the honor because their grade point average exceeded the 3.5 minimum needed to be given the honor.
Burroughs coach Jacob Cook said both have been solid for him in the pool.

“Xavier is a very hard worker. He’s obsessed with the sport,” Cook said.  “It is a big part of his life so it doesn’t surprise me that he got the award for being a hard worker in school.”

Xavier Turla of Burroughs

Cook said Zekowski isn’t the first in his family to play water polo for Burroughs as he has followed in the footsteps of older brother Max.

“Harry came to our camp in eighth grade. He is a very hard worker. He is really like a guy that goes after it,” Cook said.  “He had a really good season on JV last year. I know that he’s taking it very seriously.”

Turla credited time management as his key to success.

“You have to maintain a good balance between academics and sports. As long as you stay on top of everything, you have 24 hours in a day, eight for sleep and you have 16 hours left for you to do everything that you have to do in order to stay balanced,” he said.  “It is a matter of disciplining yourself to manage time and knowing what to do throughout your days and not to stress yourself out too much when you perform your activities.”

Burroughs Harrison Zekowski gets ready to take a shot in practice. (Photo courtesy Harrison Zekowski)

Zekowski said the award helps keep his work ethic moving forward.
“It’s really an honor to be a recipient of this award. It is solid motivation that really reminds me of the hours I put into all of this and from that struggle what I’ve learned and gained,” he said. “I am very excited, honored and ecstatic about this and it really makes me proud of what I’ve accomplished.”

 

Burroughs Water Polo Comes Up Just Short Against St. Francis

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After finishing fourth in the Pacific League, postseason expectations for the Burroughs High boys’ water polo program were not overly encouraging.

But the Indians put together a fine playoff run that included a pair of victories.

(Photo by Ross A Benson)

That came to halt Saturday afternoon as the Indians fell 9-8 to St. Francis High of La Canada Flintridge in the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 5 playoffs.

The game was played at Notre Dame High in Sherman Oaks.

“It’s a rough one, but I’m proud of them and all of their accomplishments this season. They played a great game,” Burroughs coach Jacob Cook said of his players. “This is only the third time Burroughs has come this far, so that is something to be proud of.”

Burroughs (12-9) got off to a slow start as the Golden Knights scored the first three goals of the contest. Jack Wilson, Jason Alietti and Jaren Sin each scored for St. Francis.

Vahagan Sahakyan got Burroughs on the board with 24 seconds left in the first quarter as the Indians took advantage of having a one-man advantage.

The Indians made it 3-2 as Chet Conlan made a long pass to Ryan Jaramillo who put the ball past Golden Knights goalie Vince Ciampa.

Robert Alietti gave St. Francis (29-3) a 4-2 lead on a 5-meter penalty shot.

Xavier Turla got a goal back with 3:43 left in the first half as he put the ball in the lower-left corner.

(Photo by Ross A Benson)

Robert Alietti gave St. Francis a 5-3 advantage, before Sahakyan cut the difference in half with a turn around shot in the right corner.

Robert Alietti scored once again, with 18 seconds left before the end of the half, making it 6-4 going into the intermission.

Burroughs came out strong to start the second half, as Turla snuck a side-armed shot past Ciampa to make it 6-5 with 6:30 left in the third quarter.

The Indians continued the momentum, especially after goalie David Karagezyan saved a 5-meter penalty shot from Jason Alietti.

Less than a minute later, Burroughs tied things as Tobey Ho scored following a pass from Conlan.

But the Alietti brothers came by to score three straight, as Jason had one and Robert had two in pushing the Golden Knights back up to a 9-6 lead.

(Photo by Ross A. Benson)

Burroughs made it 9-7 with 4:44 left as Turla’s shot was deflected and ended up in the back of the Golden Knights’ net.

Sahakyan made it 9-8 with 1:44 left as he put the ball in the lower right corner of the goal.

Burroughs had two more shots in the final minute, but both were blocked by Ciampa.

 

 

Burroughs Boys Water Polo Nips Visiting Marina In CIF Second-Round Match

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By Rick Assad

In front of a loud, raucous and excited throng on the Burroughs High campus Thursday evening, the Indians boys’ water polo team faced Marina in a CIF Southern Section Division V second-round match.

In an emotional CIF second-round match, Xavier Turla exults. (Photo by Ross A. Benson)

What occurred over the next 34 minutes was a true battle royale that included ebbs and flows, but in the end, the Indians edged the Mariners 13-11 after scoring four goals in the second three-minute extra session.

“We got off the opening shot early and we tried to figure them out,” Burroughs coach Jacob Cook said of the back-and-forth tussle. “We kept a two-goal lead for most of the match, but Marina cut the lead to 8-4 and 8-6. But they [Burroughs] were ready to get it done.”

Cook, who has been at the helm for several years and has claimed a CIF title, said the crowd was a factor and helpful in its support.

It was a back-and-forth match that was eventually won by Burroughs 13-11 over Marina. (Photo by Ross A. Benson)

“It was really nice to see the big crowd and Marina had a big crowd there as well,” he noted. “Even our junior varsity team was there and they had face-paint on and cheering us on. It was really exciting. The crowd was big and there was a lot of emotion.”

Sophomore utility Xavier Turla led the scoring march for Burroughs, which will play No. 2 seeded St. Francis (29-3) in a quarterfinal match on Saturday at Notre Dame High in Sherman Oaks with a scheduled 11 a.m. start, with six goals while senior utility Vahagan Sahakyan chipped in with four tallies.

It was Turla’s three goals in the second extra period that sealed the win for the Indians, who are 14-8.  The go-ahead goal by Turla that made it 12-11 came with less than 40 seconds left in the match.

Scoring goals was at a premium when Burroughs hosted Marina in a CIF second-round match. (Photo by Ross A. Benson)

The Indians forged a 1-0 advantage after the first quarter and led 4-2 at the intermission.

Burroughs knocked in four goals in the third period as did Marina (14-14) and the Indians were ahead 8-6 at the end of the third quarter.

The Mariners outscored the Indians 3-1 in the fourth quarter and it was deadlocked at 9-9, requiring the extra six minutes of action.

The extra sessions consist of two three-minute periods and it was Marina which led 10-9 after the first three-minute period, but Burroughs forced the issue and action and claimed the match in dramatic fashion.

Burroughs Boys Water Polo Uses Second Half To Win 20-7 Over Burbank

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By Rick Assad

An offensive tsunami in the second half and a suffocating defense in two of the four quarters were at the crux of the Burroughs High boys’ water polo team routing host Burbank 20-7 in the Pacific League regular-season finale on Wednesday afternoon in front of a jammed-packed audience.

Seven players scored for the Indians (11-6 and 4-2 in league), but none stood taller than senior utility Vahagan Sahakyan, who chimed in with a match-best nine goals, including seven in the second half when Burroughs outscored Burbank 15-2.

Burbank’s Pavel Tantchev, shown in a recent Pacific League match, scored a goal against Burroughs. (Photo by Ross A. Benson)

“We just yelled at them a little bit, stuff they were getting complacent on,” Burroughs coach Jacob Cook said of the second half offensive deluge. We got it together.”

Not too far behind was sophomore utility Xavier Turla, who added six goals for the Indians, who shut out the Bulldogs in the first and fourth quarters.

The Indians led 5-0 heading into the second frame, but the Bulldogs (5-12 and 1-5 in league) dropped in five goals and evened it at 5-5 at the intermission.

Junior utility Ryan Jaramillo’s six-footer with 5:16 left was the first tally of the match before Turla buzzed in one from 10 feet with 2:39 left to make it 2-0.

Turla’s five-footer with 27 seconds left extended the lead to 3-0. When Sahakyan drilled a six-footer with 11 seconds left, the Indians’ cushion was 4-0.

Burroughs slid ahead 5-0 on Sahakyan’s tally and 6:38 left in the second frame. Burbank (2-14 and 1-4 in league) scored the next five goals as junior driver Grigor Gasabian nailed a 10-footer as 6:08 remained.

The Indians were tied 5-5 at the half with the Bulldogs, but exploded for 15 goals in the second half. (Photo by Ross A. Benson)

Sophomore driver Pavel Tantchev scored on a 10-foot laser and 3:50 left and was followed by a 12-footer with 2:24 on the ticker by sophomore driver Jonathan Agazaryan.

Gasabian’s 20-foot tally with 47 seconds left made it 5-4 while Agazaryan 12-footer found the back of the net 28 seconds later that knotted it at 5-5.

“We weren’t responding to their counters,” first-year Burbank coach Mike Lucero said. “We were in the game. They [Burroughs] kept scoring off of every counter.”

How did the Bulldogs rally in the second quarter? “They were moving more and they were running the plays they were supposed to run,” Lucero said.

The Indians came out and scored the first four goals of the third quarter and led 9-5. Sahakyan’s point-blank goal with 6:03 left made it 6-5 and junior utility Alex Lewin’s two-footer with 5:23 showing pushed the advantage to 7-5.

Sahakyan’s point-blank shot with 4:50 remaining saw the Indians dart in front 8-5 and Turla’s three-footer made it a four-goal lead and 3:29 remaining.

The Bulldogs broke the spell when senior driver Kouroush Dolatshani knocked in an eight-footer with 2:42 on the clock as Burbank came within 9-6.

Two goals followed for the Indians as Sahakyan’s 10-footer with 1:36 left made it 10-6 and senior attacker Tobey Ho’s five-footer 27 seconds later extended the lead to 11-6.

Sophomore driver Avo Barsegyan scored from 12 feet for the Bulldogs as 26 seconds remained that made it 11-7, while Sahakyan’s 12-footer five seconds later pushed it to a five-goal lead.

An eight-goal outburst highlighted the fourth quarter as Sahakyan and Turla each scored three goals.

Sahakyan hammered two 10-foot goals including one with 6:18 left that made it 13-7 and one with 5:26 on the clock for a 14-7 lead.

Turla’s six-footer with 4:53 on the timer made it 15-7 and Sahakyan’s eight-footer 17 seconds later expanded the advantage to 16-7.

Turla’s six-footer 39 seconds later extended the Indians’ lead to 10 goals. Senior attacker Chet Conlan’s close-range goal with 2:50 left made it 18-7 and Turla’s point-blank tally with 1:53 on the clock shoved the Indians ahead 19-7.

Junior utility Miguel Martinez capped off the offensive outburst with a six-footer as 41 seconds remained.

Senior Arthur Eldridge and senior David Karagezyan each played exceptional in goal for Burroughs, while Burbank senior net-keeper Sarkis Terpetrossyan was under duress for much of the day.

The next order of business for both schools is the league tournament which begins on Tuesday at Arcadia and concludes on October 31.

Burroughs, Burbank Boys Water Polo Ready For Action

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By Rick Assad

 

There’s a saying that it’s hard getting to the top, but it’s even more difficult staying there.

This axiom doesn’t necessarily apply to the Burroughs High boys’ water polo team because while it hasn’t always been at the very top of the Pacific League standings, the Indians have usually been in the top portion.

Looking at rival Burbank’s boys’ water polo program, the same can’t be said, but then again, matters can and do change.

If practice makes perfect, then the Burbank High boys’ water polo team is headed in the right direction. (Photo by Ross A. Benson)

This season, Burroughs will pay a visit to Burbank’s pool on October 23.

Another important date is the league preliminaries which take place at the Arcadia pool on October 29.

The league finals is at the same site, but will be held October 31.

The CIF Southern Section playoffs will be contested on November 5, 7, 9, 12 and 16.

Coach Jacob Cook has built and sustained an excellent program at Burroughs and this year’s edition should at least contend for the top spot in the league.

“I have high expectations for the season,” Cook said. “We have a talented group this year with a lot of talent and potential. I’m excited to see what we can do.”

Last year the Indians went 13-10 overall and 5-4 in league action, but lost in the CIF first round.

Burroughs, shown in a 2018 match against rival Burbank, look to better its 5-4 record in the Pacific League. (Photo by Ross A. Benson)

The projected starters for Burroughs will be senior goalie Arthur Eldridge, senior attacker Chet Conlan, senior attacker Tobey Ho, senior center Matthew Mucha, senior utility Vahagan Sahakyan, junior utility Ryan Jaramillo and sophomore utility Xavier Turla.

Here are the rest of the Burroughs upperclassmen and they include Jon Paul De Fabry, David Karagezyan, Nathan Magdaleno and Aaron Meza.

The juniors on the team are Fox Melo, Miguel Martinez and Alex Lewin, while sophomore Andrew Chapman and freshman Ryan Rolando are also on the squad.

Mike Lucero is the Burbank Aquatics Director and the first-year coach for the boys’ and girls’ water polo teams.

Lucero has been around and was the assistant swim coach for the Burbank boys’ and girls’ programs the last two years.

Mike Lucero is in his first season as the Burbank boys’ and girls’ water polo coach. (Photo by Ross A. Benson)

In order to compete with the better teams in the league like Hoover, Glendale and Crescenta Valley, Lucero said it’s important to get faster in the water.

“We’re working on having some speed work,” Lucero said. “You need speed to keep up with teams like Crescenta Valley.”

Lucero then added: “I want to see the water polo team be a year-round program and the players stay with their conditioning. I want to see more team unity,” he said.

Lucero also wants to build a program that will be viable and contend. “Some of these club programs, major swim programs, these swimmers are starting at nine, 10, 11,” he said. “Here they’re coming in at 14. And for the first time they’re learning the basics of water polo.”

Burbank is coming off a campaign in which it went 8-10, failed to make the postseason and doesn’t have many seniors, but it does have players familiar with each other.

A four-year starter and a 2018 Burbank graduate, Varuzhan Bilbulyan is the Bulldogs’ assistant water polo coach.

The Indians, shown in a match versus the Bulldogs, have the talent to do well overall and in the Pacific League. (Photo by Ross A. Benson)

“This year we see a lot of young athletes that we have on both varsity and JV contributing a lot of hard work and we see a lot more attentiveness and a bigger drive than in past years to get better and improve themselves,” Bilbulyan said. “We see a very good attitude and very good behavior. Everybody is trying their best and everyone is getting better day by day.”

Bilbuyan went on: “This year’s powerhouses are probably going to be Hoover. They always have a lot of club players,” he said. “Glendale is also going to be good and they have club players. CV’s been good the last couple of years. We can finish in the top five, but our goal is top four so that we’re guaranteed to make the playoffs.”

Seven seniors populate the squad and they include driver Hakop Pilavjyan, driver Sahak Khobiarian, driver Ashot Keshishyan, driver Artush Hovannisyan, driver Edward Bowman, driver Kourosh Dolatshahi and goalie Sarkis Terpetrossyan.

There are four juniors and they are driver Brian Di Mascio, driver Grigor Gasabian, driver Michael Mehserdjian and setter Anthony Sarafian.

Five sophomores are on the team and they include driver Avo Barsegyan, driver Pavel Tantchev, driver Jonathan Agazaryan, setter Robert Kharazyan and goalie Narek Galamdaryan.

Seryozha Soghomonyan is also on the team after being promoted to the varsity at the end of July.

Burroughs Boys Water Polo Wins 19-13 Over Rival Burbank

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By Rick Assad
 

 

In the regular season finale, the Burroughs High boys’ water polo team played with determination and conviction against its rival Burbank and after a comfortable lead through three quarters, held on for a 19-13 win in a Pacific League match on Thursday.

“It was a great game. Very happy with the result. My guys played well today,” Burroughs coach Jacob Cook said. “It was a building year for us. I’m really happy. I think the guys have grown together.”

The Indians played well in the opening half and prevailed 19-13 over the Bulldogs. (Photo by Ross A. Benson)

Both the Indians’ and Bulldogs’ season will continue as they have the league preliminaries and finals next week.

Senior Chase Legoretta dropped in a match-best six goals for the Indians (11-11 and 3-4 in league), who led 4-3 after the first quarter and 10-5 at the half.

Legoretta tallied two goals in the first and second frames and then added solo goals in the third and fourth as the host Indians outscored the Bulldogs 9-8 in the second half.

“We’ve always been competitive against this team,” Legoretta said. “The past four years I’ve played, we’ve always had good games against them. These games could go either way. If felt good to beat this team.”

Legoretta continued: “In the first half we had all our starters in with minimal subs,” he said. “In the second half we wanted to make sure we got the senior players in because this is our last home game.”

Junior Vahagan Sahakyan tacked on four goals for Burroughs while senior Nathan Gault-Crabb added three. Junior Chet Conlan and sophomore Ryan Jaramillo each had two for the Indians.

Legoretta’s 15-footer with 4:26 left began the scoring as Burroughs led 1-0 and Legoretta’s 12-footer with 24 seconds left gave the Indians a 4-3 edge.

Burroughs led 4-3 after the first period and 10-5 at the intermission. (Photo by Ross A. Benson)

Legoretta added back-to-back 10-foot tallies including one with 2:26 on the clock in the second period that made it 8-5 with 1:16 on the ticker that provided a 9-5 edge.

A 12-foot loft by Legoretta and 1:35 on timer in the third period handed the Indians a 14-7 lead and Legoretta’s six-foot blast with 5:09 remaining in the fourth frame supplied Burroughs with a 16-8 cushion.

Senior Sammy Lazaar and freshman Xavier Turla each chipped in with one goal for the Indians.

The Bulldogs (8-9 and 1-6 in league) were paced by freshman utility Johnny Agazaryan, who had five goals while senior driver Varuzhan Bilbulyan finished with three.

When Agazaryan scored from 10 feet and 54 seconds left in the initial frame, Burbank evened it at 3-3.

“We started out exceptionally strong in the first quarter,” Burbank interim coach Zachary Card said. “In the second quarter we kind of fell apart. Burroughs kind of landed some shots. Incredible shots. In the fourth quarter we came back. A lot more players were willing to work for their team.”

An eight-footer by Agazaryan with 5:50 left in the third quarter cut the Burroughs lead to 11-6.

Agazaryan’s five-footer with 3:07 left in the fourth period trimmed the advantage to 17-10 and his 10-footer with 2:45 on the clock drew the Bulldogs to within 18-11.

A five-meter penalty shot with 51 seconds left by Agazaryan closed Burbank’s gap to 19-13.

Senior center offense Gevork Kvryan had two goals, while senior driver Arthur Kadzhikyan, senior driver Clifford Roll and senior center defense Artush Gasparyan all had one goal for Burbank.

Senior David Rosales was in goal for the Indians and junior Jacob Shaw was in the net for the Bulldogs.

Burroughs Boys Water Polo Stymied 20-9 Versus Host Hoover

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By Rick Assad

 

Hoover High’s boys’ water polo team is deep, talented and experienced and these factors presented major problems for visiting Burroughs on Tuesday afternoon in a Pacific League match.

The Tornadoes started off strong and continued in this direction until the fourth quarter when they let up on the gas pedal, but still routed the Indians 20-9 behind a match-high seven goals from senior David Ashkharian and four tallies from junior Jordan Corpuz.

Burroughs played host Hoover in a Pacific League match and lost 20-9. (Photo by Francesca LaFratta)

The Indians did have some highlights including a close-range, back-handed goal by junior Vahagn Sahakyan with 2:09 left in the opening quarter that trimmed Hoover’s lead to 5-1.

When freshman Xavier Turla’s blast from eight feet dented the back of the net with 49.6 seconds left in the initial period, Hoover’s advantage was reduced to 7-2.

Sahakyan’s eight-footer with 1:51 on the clock in the second period allowed the Indians (9-10 and 1-3 in league) to crawl within 16-3 and a five-foot bullet with 24.3 seconds on the ticker from senior Chase Legoretta made it 17-4 at halftime.

“It’s just enduring. You’ve gotta play four quarters and correct their mistakes. They fought their hardest and didn’t give up,” Burroughs coach Jacob Cook said. “Part of it’s inexperience, but there are some mistakes that can be corrected.”

Senior Nathan Gault-Crabb’s point-blank goal with 6:47 on the clock in the third period shaved the edge to 17-5 and a tally by junior Tobey Ho with one second left in the third frame made it 20-6.

Legoretta had a goal from eight feet with 5:07 left in the fourth that enabled the Indians to come within 20-7 and Legoretta added a five-footer with 4:34 on the clock as the Indians drew within 20-8.

When Sahakyan scored from six feet and 1:14 left in the match, Burroughs cut the lead to 20-9.

Ashkharian’s four first-quarter goals and a pair from Corpuz helped Hoover build an 8-2 lead after the first period.

An even bigger nine-goal effort in the second period followed as six players scored for Hoover (15-7 and 6-0 in league) with Ashkarian, senior Hakop Ansuryan and junior Hayk Nazaryan each tallying two.

Hoover coach Kevin Witt called off the dogs in the second half as Ashkharian, Corpuz and senior Armando Honarchian each scored one goal in the third period.

The Tornadoes failed to score in the fourth quarter with many of the starters out of the contest.

Burbank, Burroughs Boys Water Polo Gunning for Playoffs

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By Rick Assad

Thinking big and reaching the CIF Southern Section playoffs are the goals for the Burroughs High and Burbank boys’ water polo teams.

Both are very capable, but there is one key difference and that is the Indians have recently been there, while the Bulldogs haven’t.

Burroughs is coming off a 13-13 campaign and a first-round defeat in the playoffs, but Coach Jacob Cook likes what he sees because many on the team are seniors.

On the negative side, 13 players have graduated including David Arakelyan, the team’s leading scorer.

The seniors include Chase Legorreta, David Rosales, Isaack Dowling, Josh Sanchez, Nathan Gault-Crabb and Ryan Jaramillo.

There are six juniors and they include Chet Conlan, Jon Paul De Fabry, Matthew Mucha, Sammy Lazaar, Tobey Ho and Vahagan Sahakyan while the rest of the team consists of sophomore Orion Hernandez and freshman Xavier Turla.

“We lost 13 seniors from last year,” Cook said. “We have a very young team, but we have a very committed and hard working team. These guys are really committed to bettering themselves and learning to play with each other.”

In order to compensate, Cook said that he will instill hard work and also the basics. “We’re going back to the fundamentals,” he said.

Still the goal is the same. “We want to go as far as we can,” Cook said. “We’re aiming for the top. If we don’t hit it, we don’t hit it, but that’s what we’re aiming for.”

Burroughs has played two matches and is winless. The Indians will open Pacific League play at Crescenta Valley on Sept. 25 and will host Burbank on Oct. 17.

Chances are decent that Burbank, which is 1-1 this season and will begin league action at Pasadena on Sept. 25, will fare better this year than the previous.

“I expect that we will do a lot better than last,” Burbank coach Allyson Young said. “Hopefully in the top four.”

Young said that she is basing the projection on being better prepared and diligent. “This year all of my guys are working hard and want to succeed,” she said. “We’ve got good players for both offense and defense.”

Young then added: “I like that this team is already working hard and wants to continue the hard work. This is a team sport, so they need everyone to be willing to give it their all,” she noted.

Young’s target is also the postseason. “We believe that this year we can make playoffs and that is what we are aiming for,” she said.

In 2017, the Bulldogs defeated Pasadena and Glendale in league play and this year’s leaders are senior Varuzhan Bilbulyan, senior Artush Gasparyan and freshman Johnny Agazaryon.

Young feels confident that these three will play well, along with the rest of the team. “A lot of my other guys are ready to step up and show what they’ve got,” she said.

The rest of the squad includes Eddie Bowman, Aleko Brice, Kourosh Dolatshai, Charlie Thorpe, Sarkis Ter-Petrossian, Pavel Tantchev, Jacob Shaw, Ford Roll, Hakop Pilavjian, Gevork Kvryan, Arthur Kadzhikyan and Avag Issagholian.

Burroughs Boys Water Polo Stymied by La Canada

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By Rick Assad

Getting early matches out of the way are usually a good thing, but not when you’re on the losing end.

The Burroughs High boys’ water polo team fell behind early, cut the deficit in half, managed one goal in the second half and lost to visiting La Canada 14-4 in a nonleague battle on Tuesday afternoon.

Senior Chase Legorreta scored two goals for the Indians, who were without their leading scorer from last season, David Arakelyan, who graduated.

Junior Chet Conlan and freshman Xavier Turla each scored for Burroughs, which trailed 4-2 after the first quarter.

The Indians, who had senior David Rosales in goal, ended the opening half down 9-3 and saw the Spartans pull ahead 11-4 at the end of the third.

Legorreta’s goal from eight feet with 2:22 left in the initial frame shaved the lead to 4-1 and Turla’s five-meter penalty shot with 1:59 remaining trimmed it to 4-2.

“They got to us pretty quickly,” Burroughs coach Jacob Cook said. “Made the adjustments. Made a lot of progress from last game. We’ve been working on some stuff in practice. They played pretty hard till the very end. Baby steps from here.”

A tally from Legorreta from 12 feet with 6:36 showing in the second period slipped past senior goalie Reza Nadaf and lowered La Canada’s edge to 5-3.

When Conlan’s point-blank shot found the back of the net and 6:28 on the clock in the third, La Canada’s advantage was sliced to 9-4.

The Spartans scored the first four goals of the match as sophomore Colin Nicholls (match-best five goals) scored with 6:39 showing on a five-meter penalty toss that made it 1-0.

Nicholls added a five-footer with 4:51 left for a 3-0 edge and a six-footer with 4:32 on the timer that made it 4-0.

“I think that definitely defense wins games,” La Canada coach Gilbert Millanes said. “Obviously you win games by scoring goals. I strongly believe that defense is connected with our counter-attack and our counter-attack is connected to our offense.”

Sophomore Lonnie Blanchard’s 10-footer found the back of the net with 6:06 left for a 2-0 lead.

Senior Vince Wardle’s eight-footer with 6:48 left in the second quarter put the Spartans in front 5-2.

La Canada then scored four straight as senior Robbie Louke (four goals) drilled a 16-footer with 6:15 left that made it 6-3.

Wardle nailed a five-footer with 4:49 on the clock for a 7-3 margin, Nicholls struck on a 15-footer with 3:32 left for an 8-3 lead and Louke capped off the outburst with an eight-footer and 37 seconds left.

The Spartans marched ahead 10-4 with 5:56 left in the third on a 10-footer from junior David Miketta and it became 11-4 on a point-blank goal from Nicholls with 2:24 on the ticker.

Louke added a pair of close-range goals in the final quarter that made it 12-4 with 6:02 left and 14-4 with 40 seconds left.

Sandwiched in between was senior Jack Applebaum’s shot from five feet and 5:01 remaining that made it 13-4.