Falcons Try to Keep Streak Afloat

Crescenta Valley High has had an unsinkable hold on the Royal Invitational swim meet the last few years, and the Falcons will try to retain it during the 20th annual competition today at Rancho Simi Community Park.

Crescenta Valley, making its seventh appearance in the meet, has won the last six boys’ titles. The Crescenta Valley girls won in 1998 and were third last year.

The boys, two-time defending Southern Section Division II champions, are led by James Jenkins, top-seeded in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle.

The girls’ team features juniors Alexis Sheridan in the distance events and Tawne Fishback in the 100 butterfly and 200 individual medley.

“When we lay out our season, Royal is one of the big meets of the year,” Coach Pete Loporchio of Crescenta Valley said. “The kids really like it. It gives them a perspective of who’s out there and how we match up as a team.”

Other top teams in the boys’ meet are Division II runner-up Hart, City Section runner-up El Camino Real, Calabasas, Rio Mesa and host Royal.

The girls’ competition includes 1999 meet winner Granada Hills, El Camino Real, Hart, Rio Mesa, Camarillo, Royal and Westlake.

The meet features varsity and junior varsity competition, and computerized timing and scoring. Swimmers are grouped in competitive heats with others who have attained similar times in their events.

“Everybody’s going to get a race,” Loporchio said. “It makes the kids cognizant of where they really stand when there are 30 or 35 other schools.”

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No seconds this time for Ryan Southwick of Royal High or Kasey Reinhard of Crescenta Valley.

They won the boys’ and girls’ competitions at the Royal High Diving Invitational at Rancho Simi Community Park last weekend, a year after each placed second.

Southwick, a senior who placed fourth in the Southern Section Division I Championships the last two seasons, scored 472.80 points.

Reinhard, 1998 Southern Section Division II champion in 1998 who was third last season, won the girls’ event with 442.55 points.

Joey Castellani of Crescenta Valley finished second at 438.30 and Jesse Ferguson of Royal placed third with 368.15.

Jennifer Miller of Glendale finished second to Reinhard with 422.65 points. She edged Anne Osmun of Peninsula, who had 422.00.

Points count in the Royal Invitational.

Southwick’s victory was worth 20 points and Ferguson’s third counted for 16 points, giving the Royal boys 36 points heading into the competition today.

Reinhard and Cassidy Farweli, who was fifth, gave Crescenta Valley’s girls’ 34 points.