Dogs Go COLD in CIF Defeat

GIRLS’ WATER POLO: Long drought opens the door for La Cañada as Burbank falls in playoff quarterfinals, 6-2.
By Jeff Tully
Published:Tuesday, February 24, 2009

BURBANK HIGH — When the Burbank High girls’ water polo team scored the first goal of its playoff match with La Cañada, the Bulldogs probably figured there would be a lot more of the same. Unfortunately for Burbank, that wasn’t the case. In fact, the Bulldogs embarked on a monumental drought and weren’t able to tally another goal until midway through the fourth quarter. With the Bulldogs going cold, the Spartans stepped up; playing solid defense and getting key goals in a 6-2 CIF Southern Section Division IV quarterfinal win Saturday for La Cañada at Burbank.

“Our shots were definitely off in this game,” Burbank Coach Carlos Pelayo said. “We had trouble with our shooting for sure.“But that’s indicative of the way La Cañada plays. They play very good defense and that was big for them.”The loss ends the most successful season in Burbank girls’ water polo history.

The Bulldogs (20-10) not only won the Pacific League championship for the first time this season, but they also made it to the CIF quarterfinals for the second consecutive year. Pelayo said his players have a great deal to be proud of this season. “I told them that this one loss shouldn’t overshadow all the other positive things they have accomplished this season,” said Pelayo, whose team was the fifth seed. “I also told them that they shouldn’t hang their heads. They played as hard as they could against La Cañada.

”Burbank received a goal from Alex O’Connor and one from Amnerlynn Ullo. The No. 4-seeded Spartans (26-6) were able to dominate play after falling behind in the match’s opening moments. The team was paced by Berit Kaesler, who tallied a match-high three goals. Teammate Shannon Streeter added two and Riley Kessley had one. Burbank played well on defense to open the match, and when O’Connor scored on a tip-in with 5:55 remaining, the Bulldogs had a positive start. However, what followed was a long dry spell for the Bulldogs. They converted just one of 11 shots in the first half and were just two for 25 in the match.

The Spartans went to work, scoring the next three consecutive goals to take a 3-1 lead after one quarter. The Bulldogs were unable to score in the second and third quarters, as La Cañada took a 5-1 lead into the fourth quarter. The Spartans’ Kaeslar scored at the 4:35 mark in the fourth quarter to give her team a commanding 6-1 lead. Finally, after a scoreless drought of 23:16, Burbank scored its second goal of the match on a five-meter penalty shot by Ullo.

“La Cañada is just one heck of a team, and they gave us a lot of trouble,” Pelayo said.“But I have to give my girls credit for not giving up and not backing down, Even when they went down by [five], they never gave up. They were in there battling to the end.”

Name Park for Cpl Larry Maxam MOH

Cpl Larry L. Maxam

Burbank High School Alumni

Burbank City Council Meeting Agenda:

Regarding another city park, the council unanimously approved a proposal to rename Pacific Park after the city’s only Medal of Honor recipient, fallen Vietnam War veteran Cpl. Leonard “Larry” Maxam.The proposal introduced by fellow Vietnam veteran Mickey DePalo calls for a plaque and flagpole to be installed before Memorial Day and is estimated to cost $25,000.Parks and Recreation Director Chris Daste read Maxam’s medal citation at the meeting, which described how Maxam gave his life while single-handedly holding off an enemy charge with a machine gun for an hour and a half.

I received this comment and rememberance about Larry Maxam from Jim McGillis - BHS 1966

In Memoriam – Larry MaxamIn the ninth grade at John Muir Junior High, the boys took Metal Shop. Inside, the shop class was like a Gulag factory, with dark, grease-stained windows. There were many obscure and dangerous machines placed around the room. In the middle of the shop, there was a gas-fired forge, roaring away at an unsafe temperature. At one end of the shop, there were long, shared workbenches, where we “slaves to the state” fashioned metalwork of questionable quality and value. Our major project for the semester was to use saws, the forge, grinders and buffers to fashion a metal chisel out of steel bar stock. Wearing heavy gloves, we held red-hot metal with huge tongs. Then we hammered the glowing bar against an anvil until an unknown alchemy was to change a slug into metal art. As they say in the commercials, “Don’t try this at home”. With my fear of the forge showing through, my chisel looked like a misshapen metal lollipop.Sitting next to me at my workbench that year was Larry Maxam. Larry was a handsome young man, with sweptback, black hair and a face that was mature beyond his years. At just the time I became a cinch for a failing grade, Larry handed me his perfectly formed chisel. He had ground, beveled and polished it into an object of metallic perfection.“I already got an ‘A’ on this one”, he said to me with a smile. “Go ahead. You can use it”. While my eyes widened in astonishment, I realized that Larry was the hero I had been waiting for. I received an “A” grade for Larry’s chisel. At the end of the semester, I was not sure if he gave the chisel to me or had intended to lend it to me. Secretly, I kept it as a souvenir. Almost twenty years later, I misused the chisel and damaged it beyond repair. Angry with myself for once again misusing Larry’s gift, I tossed it away.I remember saying, “Hi” to Larry at Burbank High. When we met on the stairs, Larry’s unassuming aura of self-confidence almost bowled me over. My complicity in the chisel incident and the fact that I had secretly kept it made me shy. After he passed by without seeing me, I blurted out his name. Larry stopped on the landing of the Main Stairway. Frozen in the north light from the window above, he turned, looked up at me, then smiled. After that, I lost track of Larry Maxam. Two years ago that I learned of his fate.As soon as he was eighteen, Larry dropped out of Burbank High and joined the Marines. At age nineteen, Larry saw military action in Viet Nam. During one major battle, the Viet Cong threatened to overrun Larry’s company position. Despite taking several direct hits from enemy fire, Larry continued to maintain his position and fire a machine gun until reinforcements arrived. Larry Maxam died on the battlefield. Larry Maxam became the only alumnus of a Burbank school to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor, as awarded posthumously by then President Richard M. Nixon.Larry Maxam will always be my hero.-Jim McGillis, BHS Class of '66

History In The Making

The Burbank High girls' water polo team celebrates a win over Crescenta Valley that clinched the Pacific League title. (Roger Wilson/The Leader)

GIRLS’ WATER POLO: Burbank defeats CV, 7-5, to capture program’s first league championship.
By Grant Gordon
Published:February 13, 2009

BURBANK HIGH — Technically speaking, the Burbank High girls’ water polo team clinched its first-ever Pacific League title on Tuesday. It clinched a share, anyway. But it was hardly satisfying. “They knew from Day One this was our goal, not to share a league title, but have one all are own,” said Burbank Coach Carlos Pelayo of his Bulldogs shortly after they had tossed him into the Burbank High pool in celebration of their 7-5 win against Crescenta Valley in the Pacific League Tournament championship match on Thursday.

After an undefeated run through the league’s regular season, Burbank’s defeat of Burroughs on Tuesday in the first round of the league tournament assured it no less than a share of the title. But the Bulldogs defense proved pivotal in making sure the school aquatics program’s first league title would be an outright crown. “It feels amazing because we worked so hard,” Burbank’s Sara Puranan said. “We made history.“Everyone put all their best effort in.

”The title was the first for a Burbank girls’ team since tennis won a championship in 2002, and only the second girls’ crown in 19 years.Indeed history was made, as it was not just Burbank water polo’s first-ever league title,It was an onus on defense that propelled the Crescenta Valley High girls’ water polo team to success all season long and its berth in the championship match of the Pacific League tournament.

But in the rubber match against rival Burbank on Thursday afternoon, it was the Bulldogs defense that proved to be just a bit stronger, as the Falcons fell in their claim to share the league title, losing to Burbank, 7-5. “Hats off to Burbank, they played a really good game, they had a smothering defense,” said Falcons Coach Pete Loporchio. “It’s the old cliché that defense wins championships and they put the clamps down.”The Falcons (18-9, 7-1 in league), the fifth-ranked team in CIF Southern Section Division IV, were held to just one goal in the final 11:15 of the match by the Bulldogs (19-9, 8-0), the division’s No. 7 team. “That’s what we worked on the entire season, if we can play good defense, we can stay in any game,” said Burbank Coach Carlos Pelayo, whose team, which defeated CV in the teams’ league meeting, but later lost at a tournament in Oxnard to the Falcons, recorded the first league title in the school’s aquatics history.

For Pelayo, a Crescenta Valley graduate, and the Bulldogs it was a historic win, but for the Falcons, who would’ve forced a shared league title with a win, it was the end of a string of five straight league titles. While many predicted a changing of the guard with Burbank featuring a senior-laden team and Crescenta Valley featuring no less than nine sophomores at the season’s onset, it did little to lessen the sting for many of the Falcons. Still, Loporchio was plenty happy with the improvement his team showed from the summer to Thursday.“I wouldn’t trade this team for any other team,” said Loporchio, who also got a tremendous effort out of goalie Sophie Munoz, who had 11 saves. “I think we’ve closed the gap, I think our future’s bright and we have another season starting with the playoffs. ”Who, where and when the Falcons play in the upcoming postseason will be releasedon Monday.

On Thursday, just as much as the defense’s umbrella around the Burbank cage paid dividends, so too did the Bulldogs’ ability to draw first blood on offense. The Falcons played from behind from beginning to end and the Bulldogs scored first in all four periods.Just 23 seconds into the match, Burbank’s Alex O’Connor scored and, just seven seconds later, Crescenta Valley’s Kim Fraisse answered to make it 1-1.But the match settled into a defensive battle soon after.

Amberlynn Ullo, one of four players in the match with multiple goals, scored her first with 27 ticks left in the first quarter to give Burbank a 2-1 lead.Ullo and teammate Arpi Khanpapyan each had two goals, while Crescenta Valley’s Olivia Trimis and Christine Cho also notched a pair of scores. Cho scored with 2:30 left in the half and Trimis converted a shot from near mid-pool on an off-balance attempt with only 1:46 remaining in the half. Trimis later gave up a steal to Mary Stepanyan, which led to a one-on-one opportunity, but a hustling Trimis stole the ball back before a shot could be taken right as the buzzer ended the half. Tied at 3 to start the third period, Burbank once again struck first, with Sara Puranan scoring a man-advantage goal.

Down 5-3, Cho scored off a steal right in front of the Burbank cage to cut the Bulldogs’ lead to a goal with 4:15 to go in the third period.Cho later lobbed in a shot that officials said Burbank goalie Sarah Tubert reached before it hit the cage. An almost identical scenario occurred not long after, this time with Corinne Ingalla’s shot deflected in, but getting taken out.Nevertheless, Burbank left notching to chance in the fourth period with Khanpapyan and Stepanyan scoring goals to build their team’s lead to 7-4.Setback or not, Loporchio believes Thursday already has his team in playoff-mode and ready to move past the loss.“[The league tournament] kinda gets us ready,” he said. “This brings out the best in both teams.”

Sherry Anne Valle Entz, 1964 - 2009

Sherry Anne Valle Entz, 1964 – 2009

Sherry Anne Entz died Wednesday, January 7, 2009. She was 44 years old when she passed. A lifetime resident of Burbank, California, Sherry died at UCLA Medical Center in the city of Santa Monica. Her cause of death was due to a short battle with Ovarian Cancer. Sherry was born on September 24, 1964 in Burbank, California to Frank and Martha Valle. She was a 1983 graduate of Burbank High School and had a career in the Fiber Optic industry for over 13 years.


She was married to Harold Hyatt Entz, Jr. on October 11, 1997. Together they were raising their three young children, Emily age 8, Hyatt age 7 and Ryan age 4, until she suddenly became ill. Sherry was a devoted mother and wife; she loved her family and was a good Christian woman who was well known for her loving and generous heart and strong moral character.

Sherry Entz is survived by her husband and friend Hank Entz, her children, Emily, Hyatt and Ryan. Also her parents Frank and Martha Valle, her siblings, Judy Ware, Richard Valle, Steven Valle and her mother and father-in-law, Harold and Esther Entz of Glendale. The services were held at Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church in Glendale, California on January 13, 2009 and were officiated by Reverend Mark A. Weitzel. Her interment was at Forrest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills.

Bulldogs Secure Share Of Title

GIRLS’ WATER POLO: Burbank defeats Burroughs, 14-3, and will play CV for outright league championship.

By Jeff Tully
Burbank Leader
Tuesday, February 10, 2009

BURBANK HIGH — There was no celebrating for the Burbank High girls’ water polo team following a 14-3 victory Tuesday against Burroughs. Although the Bulldogs secured a share of the Pacific League championship with the win in the tournament semifinals, the team has its sights set on a bigger goal. “We want to win the championship outright,” Burbank Coach Carlos Pelayo said. “That has been our goal all season. ”The Bulldogs have never captured a league title in girls’ water polo. Having already secured a share of the championship, it is only the second team title by a Burbank girls’ squad since the tennis team won a crown in 2002 — in the Foothill League. In addition, it is only the second girls’ title in 19 years, as the track and field team brought home a Foothill League championship in 1990. “The girls are well aware that we have one more step until we reach our goal,” Pelayo said. “Winning a share of the league title is nice, but we want to win the tournament and go into the playoffs as the No. 1 team from the league.

”Burbank (18-9, 7-0 in league) will go against Crescenta Valley (18-8, 6-1) at 5 p.m. Thursday in a championship match at Burbank High. The Falcons defeated Pasadena, 15-6, Tuesday in their semifinal contest.In the latest CIF Southern Section Division IV poll, Crescenta Valley is ranked fifth and Burbank is seventh. Last month, Burbank defeated the Falcons, 10-9, in sudden-death overtime. However, in the Oxnard Tournament last month, the Falcons defeated the Bulldogs, 7-3. “In that tournament we didn’t have our starting goalkeeper and we were missing one of our starting field players,” Pelayo said. Burroughs (9-12, 3-4) — which has already qualified for the postseason — will play at 4 p.m. Thursday in a third-place match against Pasadena. Indians Coach Carlos Ponce said he welcomes a rematch with Pasadena, which defeated his squad during the regular season.“I think we have improved since the last time we played Pasadena,” Ponce said. “This is going to be a great opportunity for us.”As been its forte all season, Burbank put on a dominating defensive performance against Burroughs.

The defense shut out the Indians in the first, as the squad took a 7-0 lead.The Bulldogs were paced by Mary Stepanyan, who tallied a match-high five goals.Burroughs received two goals from Ally Syverud and one from Ekle Besvold.In goal for Burbank, Sarah Tubert made five saves.“I thought we played a lot better in the second half,” Ponce said. “I was really happy with that.“But Burbank is a very good team. We are rivals in the pool, but we pull for them in other games. We will be rooting for them on Thursday.”

Lois A. Mitchell Farmer 1918-2009

Lois A. Farmer
May 17, 1918 — Feb. 7, 2009

Lois Alida (Mitchell) Farmer was born May 17, 1918, to John Logan and Alma Alida (Warner) Mitchell in Glendale, Calif. She lived her first seven years at Palmdale, Calif., where her parents owned a pear orchard. She attended the first half of first grade at Palmdale Grammar School.
In 1926, the family moved to Burbank, Calif., and she got her education there. She graduated from Burbank High School in 1936. She attended Sawyer’s School of Business in Los Angeles and worked for a lawyer in Los Angeles until 1938. After a month’s vacation with friends in Arizona, she returned home and worked two seasons at Andrew Jergens. In 1939, she got a job at Arrow Sash and Door Mill in the office, and a friend introduced her to Carlyle Linwood Farmer, whom she married on June 7, 1940. Three children, John Farmer of Springville and Sandra Leon (Mike), both of Springville, and Evelyn Juanita Brubaker of California; seven grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren, are the result of this marriage, and survive her.
She was a member of Magnolia Park Community Church from 1927 to 1947. In August 1940, they moved into a new home at 610 N. Sparks and in August 1946, moved out to 10330 Lorne St., in Sun Valley, Calif. In 1947, they joined St. Michael’s Lutheran Church, where she was church secretary for many years. She was a Girl Scout leader and a Cub Scout den mother.
During World War II, she worked as a Final Inspector for Menasco Manufacturing Co. for 10 months in 1944. She joined Tolecca Parlor No. 279 Native Daughters of the Golden West and was president in 1957-1958. She was inspector of an election precinct from 1950 to 1981. She also served her 21 days on Jury Duty.
In 1974, she was baptized in Jesus’ name at the Norman Pentecostal Church and attended Victory Tabernacle in Burbank, Calif., from 1974 to 1981. In 1981, she and her father moved to Springville, to be near her daughter. She received the Holy Ghost in March 1978 and attended Life Tabernacle in Springville. She received a refilling of the Holy Ghost in September of 1989, where she is still a member.
Lois loved to travel. She had taken Sandra’s six children on a trip when they were 11 years old. She had been in nearly every state in the U.S.A. including Alaska and Hawaii several times, Europe five times, Asia, Africa, and Panama Canal, South Sea Islands and South China Sea, and finally Canada and Mexico. Her last trips were to Spain in 1990 and Blue Danube in 1993. Later, her eye sight became so bad, that she was content to stay home. Her last job was working as a school crossing guard for the Los Angeles Police Department from 1969 to 1978.
Lois, age 90, passed away on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009, at 12:15 a.m. at the Bedford Regional Medical Center, Bedford.
Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2009, at 12:00 noon, at Life Tabernacle in Springville, with Pastor Douglas Kelley officiating. Burial will follow at Springville Christian Cemetery. Friends may call on Tuesday from 9 a.m. until service time at noon at Life Tabernacle.
Arrangements under the direction of Ferguson-Lee Funeral Home, Bedford.

High Speed Car Pursuit Ends In A Crash

A high speed car pursuit of a red car by Burbank police which was being followed by news media on TV ended when the driver lost control and crashed into a parked truck which then rear ended a parked white van in front of the truck. The driver got out and the Burbank police captured him. This was at the corner of Jeffries Ave and Hollywood Way, a half block from my house.

If this had happened 30 miniutes before I could have been hit as I had just got off the Burbank Bus which drops me off at Jeffries and Hollywood Way, as I was returning from the North Hollywood Red Line as I had jury duty in downtown L.A. I ran and grabbed my camera and ran down to the corner and took a few pictures, but the quality is poor.

A Little Closer To A Title?

GIRLS’ WATER POLO: Burbank defeats Burroughs, 18-3, to finish league regular season undefeated.

By Jeff Tully
Published:Saturday, February 7, 2009 Burbank Leader

BURROUGHS HIGH — With a convincing 18-3 victory Wednesday against cross-town rival Burroughs, the Burbank High girls’ water polo team completed a Pacific League sweep of its six league opponents. Accomplishing that feat in any other team sport in the Southern Section would give a team like the Bulldogs a league championship. However, in water polo, things are done a little differently. If Burbank wants to nail down its first-ever crown, it has to win two head-to-head matches against league foes in the Pacific League Tournament, which begins Tuesday at Burbank High.

With a point system in play, teams’ final placement in league play will be factored in with their finish in the league tournament. “We know if we win our last two games, we will win the league championship,” said Burbank Coach Carlos Pelayo, who accomplished half of that goal by defeating the Indians. “If we are able to make it to the final game, we will clinch at least a share of the league championship.

”This is the second time in school history that Burbank (17-9, 6-0 in league) has captured the regular-season league title. In 2007, the squad also went undefeated in the regular season. However, in the first match of the league tournament, the No. 1-seeded Bulldogs were defeated by fourth-seeded Glendale, 9-7. The team went into the playoffs as the second-place team from the league.

Well aware of what happened two seasons ago, Pelayo is trying to make sure this year’s team doesn’t suffer a letdown. “The girls know what happened two years ago, and they realize what could happen,” he said. “But I have changed my coaching a little from previous years so we are ready for the tournament. In years past we would work hard going into the tournament. This year, we will taper off a bit heading in so there isn’t that fatigue factor. ”If everything falls into place for Burbank, it would likely face Crescenta Valley in the tournament championship.

Last month, Burbank defeated the Falcons, 10-9, in sudden-death overtime. In the latest CIF Southern Section Division IV poll, Crescenta Valley is ranked fifth and Burbank is seventh. Burbank isn’t the only team that is headed for the postseason. Despite Wednesday’s loss, Burroughs (9-11, 3-3) can’t finish any lower than fourth in league. The top four teams earn automatic playoff berths.

However, before they hit the playoffs, the Indians must again face the Bulldogs on Tuesday in an opening-round league tournament contest.“We definitely have to make some adjustments against them,” Burroughs Coach Carlos Ponce said. “Burbank is a great team, there’s no doubt about that. But we just didn’t play our best against them I know we can play better.”Burroughs was actually able to stay with Burbank in the early going. When Indian Bianca Dekker lobbed a shot for a goal with 2:51 remaining in the first quarter, Burroughs was able to tie the score at 3.

However, what followed was a monumental dry spell by the Indians. Following the Dekker goal, the Bulldogs defense clamped down and didn’t allow a single score the rest of the match. Burbank went on a scoring binge, tallying the next 15 straight goals.Burbank was paced by Amberlynn Ullo and Alex O’Connor, who scored five goals each. Teammate Mary Stepanyan added four goals. Dekker had two goals for Burroughs and Chloe Thorton added one. Dekker had to leave the match after being majored in the third quarter.

Foundation Vows To Help Fund Fields

Foundation vows to help fund fields


group will give the largest donation yet toward the effort to replace athletic facilities at city high schools.

By Chris Wiebe
Burbank Leader, April 22, 2008

Health Care Foundation has promised $200,000 to a campaign to fill a $1-million budget shortfall to replace athletic fields at Burbank and John Burroughs high schools. The donation from the foundation — a grant-giving group that provides financial assistance to nonprofit organizations — marks the most sizable contribution put toward the fields to date, after the fundraising campaign kicked off in November.

“The health of the community is our business,” said Sunder Ramani, chairman of the grants committee for the foundation. “On any given twilight evening, you’ll see how many citizens in the community are out there using the facilities. It isn’t just a high school field; it is a community field.”

In a show of appreciation for the contribution, school district officials will put a link to the Burbank Health Care Foundation’s website on the Burbank Unified School District’s website, Supt. Greg Bowman said.The foundation owned and operated the former Burbank Community Hospital, until it was sold in 1990 and then used the proceeds from that sale to assist community organizations that cater to health-related needs. Programs at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center, Burbank YMCA and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles have received foundation funds, Ramani said.

Replacing the athletic fields at both schools was propelled into the public eye last year, as school officials and community members complained that the deteriorating, 50-year-fields were in desperate need of repair. During a joint school board-City Council meeting in October, the council pledged $6 million to help the district install synthetic, all-weather tracks at Burroughs and Burbank, but officials anticipated that there would be a shortfall of $1 million. The total cost of the proposed project was put at about $11 million in April, but officials have not nailed down a definitive price tag.

Numerous parents, students, coaches, players and alumni from both schools promised to conduct an independent fundraising to bridge the gap. The campaign received its first boost in March, when the Burbank Education Foundation put $10,000 toward the budget shortfall. The most recent donation brings fundraising totals to date to $243,405, said Jan Britz, assistant superintendent of instructional services.“It helps bring us to the 25% point almost, so that’s a big deal for us,” she said.

In February, school officials set a project timeline, with construction at Burbank High School scheduled to begin Sept. 15, in order to not conflict with the school’s centennial celebration.Construction at Burroughs, which will also include a renovation of the stadium, will begin at the completion of the Burbank project, projected for February 2009. The Burroughs project is targeting an April 2010 completion date.