Despite cold and rainy weather, Holy Family of South Pasadena and Beatitudes of La Mirada battled it out Nov. 20 for the Catholic Youth Organization flag football championship at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks.

In the end, Holy Family continued its impressive playoff run, defeating Beatitudes 20-12 to capture its first-ever CYO flag football title. The rain had an impact on Beatitudes’ formidable passing attack, and Holy Family took advantage with a solid ground game and stellar play overall. 

In the third place game, top-seeded American Martyrs of Manhattan Beach defeated third-seeded St. Rita of Sierra Madre in a tightly contested battle, 21-18.

The championship round concluded the tournament that saw 64 teams competing. More than 160 local Catholic middle schools compete in 16 leagues to earn the right to qualify for the championship rounds that began Nov. 5.

In girls volleyball, the 2011 CYO championships ended Nov. 6 at St. Mary's Academy in Inglewood as the Final Four teams competed for the championship.

The title match saw upstart Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Pasadena) take on perennial CYO powerhouse American Martyrs. Assumption, the fifth seed coming in, knocked off top seed Corpus Christi of Pacific Palisades in the semi-finals, becoming the first team from the San Gabriel Valley to advance to a CYO final game since 2009.

But American Martyrs, which had eliminated St. Lawrence Martyr of Redondo Beach in the semis, demonstrated exceptional volleyball skills and claimed their fifth consecutive CYO Championship in two games. 

In an “all-beach cities” third place match, Corpus Christi rallied after dropping the first set and defeated St. Lawrence Martyr. 

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