C.V. ENDS GLENDALE'S WILD HOPES C.V. 24, GLENDALE 14.

Byline: Dave Shelburne Staff Writer

GLENDALE - There were plenty of what-might-have-been's on both sidelines Friday night, when host Glendale and Crescenta Valley met in a Pacific League game that would eliminate one from wild-card playoff consideration.

Crescenta Valley, the No. 2 passing team in the area, had to contend with game-long rain and a kicking game plan that went awry big time, one week after being knocked out of contention for a fourth consecutive league title.

It was as frustrating for Glendale, which entered the game without injured quarterback Joseph Hanna, then lost star defender Narek Gharibyan to another injury on the first play from scrimmage.

But while misfortune came down on both teams, Crescenta Valley quarterback Aaron McGuinness proved to be a magnificent mudder, thriving in the rain to produce 325 total yards and two touchdowns as the Falcons kept their postseason hopes alive with a 24-14 victory over the Dynamiters.

Crescenta Valley coach Alan Eberhart called it one of the best games McGuinness has turned in from a leadership standpoint. The 5-foot-11 senior rushed for 130 yards on 15 carries, scoring on a 38-yard run, and passed for 195 yards, completing 15 of 26 pass attempts and throwing an 18-yard touchdown strike to Nigel Orozco (6 catches for 122 yards and a 32-yard field goal).

``We made some mistakes,'' said Eberhart, whose team committed three turnovers and had another four fumbles that weren't lost. ``But we were able to overcome them, which we haven't been able to do in recent weeks.''

Two mistakes that don't show in the statistics came when the Falcons (5-4, 2-2) wisely tried to avoid kicking to Glendale game-breaker Phi Le, who has more than 1,500 all-purpose yards this season and has twice returned kickoffs for touchdowns. Le touched only the opening kickoff, but his kick-return teammate, Sargis Khodabakhshyan, produced runbacks of 59 and 79 yards - the latter for a touchdown that kept the Dynamiters within 14-7 at halftime.

But Glendale (3-6, 0-4), which added a late score on a 13-yard run by Le, couldn't capitalize on Crescenta Valley turnovers and never led despite staying close throughout the game.