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St. Francis Honors, Celebrates, Says Farewell to Pete Brang
On Sunday, June 7th, the St. Francis High School community said goodbye to Mr. Peter Brang as, after 44 years of dedicated service to our Alma Mater, he has retired. On the occasion of his retirement, we thought that it would be fitting to rename our track in his honor. Thanks Mr. Brang for all you have done for us! God bless!

 

Pete Brang Family Liturgy - June 7, 2015

Welcome Remarks by Mark Heydorff '70

 

Welcome and thank you all for being here on this beautiful morning.

 

We come today as staff members, as faculty, religious, as Board Members, alumni, as parents, students and as friends.

 

And together, we the Family of St. Francis High School, are here to honor, celebrate and to say good bye to a coach, a teacher, a mentor, a Dean of Students and a Friend.

 

To some he is -- and always will be Mr. Brang.

To others he is Pete Brang.

For some ----- he is simply Pete.

 

One may wonder how an Administrator in charge of Discipline is so loved and respected throughout his 44 year career.

 

It was through his leadership, his humility, his friendship, his loyalty and his love. Pete lived those Franciscan values, which has inspired hundreds and hundreds of young men as they journeyed toward becoming Golden Knights.

 

I believe a quote from Ben Franklin best defines Pete's style of connecting with our sons.

 

"Tell me and I forge. Teach me and I may remember. Involve me and I learn."

 

Every day when the sun says good bye to the earth, it leaves a beautiful gift of a sunset. Pete, as you leave this campus and say good bye, please stop and glance over your shoulder. Relish in the beautiful gifts you have bestowed upon the little school on the hill, St Francis High School.

 

Adios and God Bless you Pete Brang.


SFHS Sports Medicine Program Crowned National Champion
Congratulations to the the St. Francis High School Sports Medicine Program - the Alert Services Division National Champions for the 4th year in a row! We would also like to recognize those Golden Knights who earned High School All-American Sports Medicine Student recognition for placing in the top 25 individual scores from the Alert Services Division - 1) Philip Jaeggi-Wong 5) Brandon Hagen 8) Andrew Cesta 9) Keith Williams 11) Harout Markarian T-13) Thomas Lund T-16) Marcos Friedman T-22) Cristian Orneleas. Well done gentlemen! We are proud you and the entire SFHS Sports Medicine Program! GO KNIGHTS!


ESPN's Sports Science Features St. Francis' Friedman Field
Watch as Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown sets a world record on St. Francis High School's Friedman Field! Click on the picture below to link to the video on ESPN.


School Transportation Service Interest Survey
Are you interested in transportation service to and from St. Francis High School for your student? We are pleased to announce that we will be partnering with Mission School Transportation starting in the 2015-16 school year to offer transportation service to a variety of locations. Service routes will depend upon interest from the St. Francis community. Please complete the School Transportation Service Survey if you are interested in participating in this program. More information about route specifics can be found on the SFHS website.

Special Olympics World Games Service Opportunity
Attention St. Francis High School students - Are you searching for a dynamic Franciscan service opportunity this summer? Would you like to complete part of your service hour requirement before school starts? If so, we have a special opportunity just for you! We are organizing a small group of Golden Knights to provide assistance to the athletes who will be visiting Los Angeles as part of the Special Olympics World Games. Our group will be directly interacting with a contingent of athletes in support of Host Town Pasadena from July 21-24,2015. If this once-in-a-lifetime experience interests you, please contact Mr. Burghdorf at (818) 790-0325 ext. 513 or email burghdorfa@sfhs.net for more information. GO KNIGHTS!


Bikes 4 Orphans Brings Transportation to Orphans in Ethiopia
Thanks in large part to the tremendous support and generosity from the St. Francis High School community over this past year, Bikes 4 Orphans was able to deliver 20 new bicycles to a Dominican orphanage in Ethiopia. The bikes will provide the children with a mode of transportation, enabling them to attend school and vocation training. Indeed, small acts of kindness truly do have the potential to make a huge impact on the lives of others!

 
2015 Varsity Football Schedule

September 4              West Covina

 

September 11            Moorpark

 

September 18           @ Monrovia

 

September 25           @ Canyon

 

October 2                  @ Calabasas

 

October 9                  @ Salesian

 

October 15                 Harvard Westlake (Thursday)

 

October 23                 Cathedral

 

October 30                 St. Paul

 

November 6                @ LaSalle

SFHS basketball holds off Hoover to deliver Wolfson first win
By Andrew J. Campa, Glendale News Press

GLENDALE - If there was one definitive advantage for the St. Francis High basketball team as it took the floor to face Hoover in Glendale College Summer Shootout action, it was obvious when the teams lined up.

 

The Golden Knights towered over the Tornadoes and made that benefit pay off in the final seconds, as forward Daniel Scott scored an offensive putback with 8.2 seconds remaining in a come-from-behind 35-34 victory in summer league action Friday evening at Glendale Community College.

 

"That's something we work on every day - rebounding," said new Golden Knights Coach Todd Wolfson, who traveled down from Mission League rival Chaminade to take over the reins at St. Francis. "We start our practice every day with a drill called the 'War Drill,' where we put everybody in the key and it's literally a war, we don't call any fouls. That training paid off today."

Victory No. 1 in the Wolfson era, albeit in summer league hoops, was delivered by Scott, who scored his lone basket when he boarded a missed three-point try from teammate Sean Stephens.

St. Francis' John Stephens throws a pass past
Hoover's Artin Khadourian during a game at GCC
on Friday. The Golden Knights won, 35-34.
(Roger Wilson/Staff Photographer) (June 12, 2015)

 

Scott put back a two-footer to give the Golden Knights their first advantage since 24-23 and erase what had been a Tornadoes' four-point lead with under 25 seconds remaining.

 

"It was nothing really at all," Scott said. "I knew Sean is a really good three-point shooter and I knew that if he didn't make it, the ball would bounce to the other side. It was a corner shot and luckily I jumped and finished it. It was a good win."

 

Hoover didn't get off a shot on its follow-up possession as the running game clock wound down to only a few seconds before a Tornadoes inbound pass was thrown away to end the game.

 

The game's final seconds put a sour note on what was otherwise a gritty effort from the inexperienced Tornadoes.

 

Hoover broke a tie at 30 with two points at the free-throw line from Mont? Iskandaryan with 48.2 seconds left, which was followed up by two more points at the charity stripe from guard Rene Deravanesian, who led his team with 12 points.

 

The Tornadoes were ahead, 34-30, with 26.9 seconds remaining before St. Francis raced downcourt and received a key triple with 22.7 seconds left from Brett Gangi, who finished with 10 points.

 

Hoover then committed a costly turnover that gave St. Francis the ball back with 16 seconds left.

 

Despite the defeat, Hoover Coach Jack Van Patten was generally pleased.

 

"For us, the effort was a lot better than we've had in the summer, so it's definitely something that we can build on," said Van Patten, who lost 12 of 15 players from his roster due to graduation. "It's almost all new guys, so this is good. We've had a rough summer and I'm happy with this effort."

 

St. Francis took an 8-5 lead at the 14:52 mark in the first half on an 18-footer from Cole Kenyon, who was assisted by Stephens.

 

More than six minutes later, Hoover broke a scoreless drought for both teams when Deravanesian drained a pull-up 25-foot three-pointer to tie the game at 8.

 

The Tornadoes eventually took a 15-13 lead at the half thanks to two points from Deravanesian with 29 seconds left.

 

St. Francis rallied in the second half to take a 20-19 lead on a jumper from Joey Walsh.

 

"I like our passion and our composure," Wolfson said. "It's tough to get a gage in the summer, especially since we've only had a couple of days of practice. I like how hard they played. If you can get guys to come out and play hard, the rest comes easier."...(read the full article HERE

All-Area Boys' Golf Team
La Canada Valley Sun - Staff Reports

Congratulations to Stian Lintvedt '17 and Coach Kyle Ostrom '01 for representing the Golden Knights on the All-Area Boys' Golf Team!

 

Stian Lintvedt, Sophomore, St. Francis: Finished tied for second in the Mission League individual finals. Tied for 29th at CIF Southern Section Individual Tournament.

 

COACH OF THE YEAR- Kyle Ostrom, St. Francis: After slow start to season, Golden Knights regrouped to place fourth in competitive Mission League to grab final postseason spot. Led G

olden Knights to fourth-place finish at CIF Southern Section Central Team Divisional...(read the full article HERE

 


Olmedo-Barrera decides to sign with Tampa Bay
By Andrew J. Campa, Glendale News Press

A storybook season for Cal State Fullerton junior David Olmedo-Barrera will include a new chapter.

 

The St. Francis High alumnus said Saturday afternoon that he was foregoing his senior season with the Titans and was planning on flying to Tampa, Fla. on Wednesday with the intent of signing a contract.

 

"I have to take a physical and make sure everything checks out," Olmedo-Barrera, 20, said, "but if everything is OK and the paperwork checks out, I will be signing."

 

The designated hitter was selected by the Rays in the 12th round with the 358th pick on the third and final day of the Major League Baseball First-Year Draft on June 10.

 

Olmedo-Barrera hadn't focused much, or at least admitted to thinking about the draft much, since his Titans had clinched a berth to the College World Series two days prior to being selected.

 

Cal State Fullerton designated hitter David Olmedo-Barrera (back) confirmed that he will skip he's senior season and intends on signing a contract with the Tampa Bay Rays. (AP Photo/Ted Kirk)

 

Fullerton was eliminated by LSU, 5-3, on June 16.

 

"I talked to [Fullerton Coach Rick Vanderhook] and some of the guys on the team and we all think it's a good idea for me to part from Fullerton after the season I had," Olmedo-Barrera said. "Age is everything in the minors and I think it's a good time for me to go."

 

Olmedo-Barrera put together a great season for the Titans (39-25), finishing second on the team in batting average at .325, while hitting 10 of his squad's 20 homers along with 46 runs batted in, 45 runs, nine doubles, six triples and stealing 14 bases.

 

Olmedo-Barrera was named the Big West co-Player of the Year. Olmedo-Barrera was the 13th Titan to claim the honor and later was also placed on the American Baseball Coaches Assn./Rawlings All-West Region team.

 

Perhaps Olmedo-Barrera's biggest regular season effort came April 4, when he went two for two with a grand slam and tied a school record with eight RBI in the Titans' 13-2 conference victory versus Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

 

While Olmedo-Barrera helped Fullerton to a 20th Big West Conference crown, his biggest heroics came in the postseason.

 

In eight playoff games, Olmedo-Barrera was 13 for 32 (.406) with two homers, eight runs, seven RBI, three doubles, one triple, five walks and two stolen bases

 

The La Ca?ada Flintridge resident was named to the Fullerton All-Regional Team and was the hero of the Titans' 4-3 clinching victory over third-seeded host Louisville when he cracked a game-winning homer in the 11th inning to send Fullerton to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. for the first time since 2009.

 

"Besides the crazy environment of Omaha, I had plenty of people asking about the home run," Olmedo-Barrera said. "I had people coming up and asking for my autograph and others who said they were so much happier to see us in the World Series than Louisville. It was a special feeling."

 

Fullerton's run ended with a rain-delayed 4-3 defeat to Vanderbilt on Monday afternoon followed by a 5-3 setback to LSU on Tuesday.

 

The Titans led Vanderbilt, 3-0, through 5 2/3 innings when the game was postponed Sunday evening due to inclement weather and was picked back up at noon on Monday.

 

"You can't really blame the weather," Olmedo-Barrera said. "I'm sure that's what a lot of us thought. To not have [starting pitcher Thomas] Eshleman out there to close it out hurt us, but Vanderbilt still had to get a double in the ninth and still had to get a game-winning two-run homer. We still had our chances."

 

As for the future, Olmedo-Barrera said he's been informed that Tampa will try to transition the left-handed designated hitter into an outfielder.

 

"I've played some outfield in Fullerton and I think they're going to get me working with an outfield coach," Olmedo-Barrera said. "They'll throw me out there and I'll see what I can do."

Olmedo-Barrera said he wasn't giving up on his education, though, and intended on finishing up his kinesiology degree during the offseason.

 

In regards to the draft, this year's selection wasn't the first time Olmedo-Barrera was selected.

In 2012, Olmedo-Barrera was selected by the Oakland A's in the 40th round out of St. Francis High.

 

When asked the big difference between now and then, the wry Olmedo-Barrera was quick to respond.

 

"Twenty eight rounds - that's the biggest difference," Olmedo-Barrera said. "Honestly though, out of high school, I wasn't ready by any means. I was 160 pounds dripping wet and just at 6 feet. I also needed to mature emotionally and mentally.

 

"I was home in cush La Ca?ada and I wasn't ready for the majors, let alone college. Now, I feel like I'm ready for that minor league grind. I'm ready to take my chances."...(read the full article HERE

Dietrich Riley Delivers Inspiring Message to Middle School Grads
For years, people throughout the St. Francis community have known the story of Dietrich Riley: A young man who was raised by a single mother who stressed the importance of education and character. A high School All-American who worked hard to successfully add the word "scholar" in front of athlete and a person who overcame a serious injury.

 

 

On Friday, June 5, 2015 at the St. Jerome Parish in Westchester, Dietrich was able to share his story with Future Christian Leaders. "Accomplishing your dreams comes from trust, vision and work," Dietrich said to the members of the St. Jerome School Graduating Class of 2015, "Don't be afraid to fail."

 

His message was well received and the audience hung on every word. He talked about the discovery of his athletic talents at a young age and how he used them to pursue his goals, "I wasn't following my dreams, I was reaching for my destiny."

 

St. Francis football coach and St. Jerome School 8th grade teacher Gabriel Hallak was very excited to have Dietrich talk to his graduating 8th grade students, "When I was asked to find a graduation speaker who could relate to the students and teach them valuable life lessons, there was really only one person on my list: Dietrich. A lot of students today think that they are going to be in the NFL or NBA and forget about the importance of education and character. It was nice to have Dietrich remind them."

 

After staying late to pose for pictures with graduates and their families, Dietrich reflected on the possibility of influencing so many minds, "This is a blessing and I'm humbled. I'm proud to be a Golden Knight!"

 

SFHS Mountain Bike Team Grateful for Graduate Support
Two SFHS alum have been following our Mountain Bike Team this year. They even purchased SFHS Mountain Bike Team kits. Then, they took a ride! Thank you Jeff Baker and Movses Karapetyan. Ride on. GO KNIGHTS!


Serving Abroad with the Peace Corps
St. Francis grad Julian Vischer '11, pictured below with his parents at his graduation from Villanova earlier this summer, is heading to Benin in Africa with the Peace Corps where he will be teaching finance courses to teenagers and working as a financial advisor. Please keep his safety and success in your prayers.


Provincial Minister Approves Postulants Entry to Novitiate

Two postulants from the Capuchin Franciscans Western America Province, Nikolas Barth (St. Francis graduate from the Class of 2012) and William Cisneros, have been approved by Fr. Harold Snider, OFM Cap, Provincial Minister, to enter the Inter-Provincial Program for Capuchin Franciscan Novices at San Lorenzo Friary. The investiture will take place on Sunday, July 19, 2015.

 

Nikolas Barth was born and raised in Northridge, CA. 'Niko', as he is called, attended Catholic elementary and St. Francis High School in La Ca?ada- Flintridge. Niko says that after much time of prayer and reflection as a Capuchin postulant, "I discovered my vocation."

 

William Cisneros hails from Santa Ana and attended Cal Poly, Pomona. What he read in the life of St. Francis resonated with him. "I had visited the Capuchin Franciscans and the Novitiate. After seeing the sense of community, prayer, being down to earth and enjoying life, it was an easy decision to apply."






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