NOTEBOOK : For Starters, Crescenta Valley Impressive

It was an incredible run that was bound to end.

The Crescenta Valley High girls’ soccer team finished its first season by losing to Louisville, 2-1, in the first round of the Southern Section 3-A Division playoffs.

Last Friday’s loss concluded a season in which the Falcons won 18 consecutive matches as an independent.

“To go this far is pretty amazing,” Coach Judd Bogust said. “We’re looking forward to next year because I’m certain we can be as good or better than we were this season.”

Crescenta Valley loses only two starters off this season’s team. And next season, the Falcons could be part of a restructured Pacific League that may include Muir, Arcadia and Burroughs.

“This season we worked on a lot of basics,” Bogust said. “Next year, we’ll start with the basics, but I don’t think the girls are going to have any trouble catching on to the more advanced stuff.”

Still rolling: La Canada and St. Francis advanced in the boys’ Southern Section soccer playoffs while Hoover completed its inaugural season with an opening-round loss.

La Canada, last year’s 1-A Division runner-up, shut out Glenn, 6-0, in the first round last Friday. Erik Dancses scored two goals for the No. 3-seeded Spartans.

La Canada, the 1989 division champion, advanced to the quarterfinals with a 3-1 win over Frontier League champion Calabasas on Tuesday.

St. Francis continued its late-season hot streak by defeating Santa Maria, 1-0, in a 2-A match. Kevin Caberto scored the only goal for the Golden Knight.

Hoop scoop: La Canada and Ribet Academy are still alive in the boys’ Southern Section basketball playoffs while Glendale, La Canada, Flintridge Sacred Heart and Ribet Academy advanced in the girls’ playoffs.

La Canada defeated Santa Ana Century, 63-33, and Azusa, 57-39, to advance to the quarterfinals in the 3-A Division.

In the 5-A Division, Ribet Academy had no problems in a 90-21 victory over Apple Valley Christian and an even easier time in a 133-17 victory over Highland Hall.

St. Francis, which defeated Santa Paula, 70-64, in a first-round game, was eliminated from the 3-A playoffs when the Golden Knights lost to San Dimas, 74-67.

Glendale lost a first-round 1-AA game to Schurr, 54-51, and Crescenta Valley lost to Valencia, 55-52, in a 2-A game.

The Glendale girls advanced to the second round of the 1-AA playoffs by defeating Santa Ana, 48-38.

La Canada beat San Luis Obispo, 44-41, in overtime, which earned the Spartans a bye into Saturday’s 3-A quarterfinals against Cabrillo.

Flintridge Sacred Heart routed Tehachapi, 84-41, in a 4-AA game and Ribet Academy cruised past Coastal Christian, 88-23, in a 5-A girls’ game.

Crescenta Valley lost to Valencia, 51-38, in an opening-round 2-A game.

Flipped out: An international gymnastics meet, featuring Elite-level participants, will be held March 9-10 at Glendale High.

The Golden State International Club Challenge is being hosted by the Glendale-based Verdugo Gymnastics Club and will include competitors from Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, England, Wales, Canada and the United States.

Race day: The first Norman Chandler Challenge Triathlon will be held Sunday at 8 a.m. at the AAF Rose Bowl Aquatics Center in Pasadena.

The race features a three-mile run, 10-mile bike ride and 400-meter swim.

Information: (818) 564-0330.

Still kicking: Former Washington State kicker Rob Myers, a football, basketball and track standout who graduated from La Canada High in 1986, was the New York-New Jersey Knights first-round selection in Saturday’s World League of American Football draft of punters in Orlando. He was the sixth selection overall.

Myers was released by the Cincinnati Bengals during training camp last season.

Staff writer Steven Herbert contributed to this notebook.