Individuals making their move

La Cañada has proven to be a powerhouse for baseball, softball, volleyball and now football. No matter what sport is being played at any time of the year, there are sure to be talented standouts out there on the city's fields.

This year was no exception. Records were set, expectations were realized and playoff runs were made in the 2009-10 La Cañada sports season.

Many athletes hung up their high-school jerseys to don the uniform of NCAA Division I universities.

Here are the top-10 male high-school athletes of the year in La Cañada, as voted on by the sports editors and writers of the La Cañada Valley Sun and Glendale News-Press.

1 Dietrich Riley, St. Francis, football and basketball, senior — For the past four years, Riley blessed St. Francis with his athletic prowess. He played both sides of the ball and multiple positions for the Golden Knights as a safety, linebacker, running back and receiver. He even lined up at quarterback at times. Every time fans came out to Friedman Field on Friday night they were treated to a show.

Riley accumulated 1,300 yards, 15 touchdowns, more than 60 tackles and led his team to a 9-3 record and the second round of the CIF Southern Section Western Division playoffs in his final year as a Golden Knight. He leaves St. Francis as a three-time All-Area Football Player of the Year and an Under Armour All-American with plenty of All-CIF and All-Mission League accolades to boot.

He is now at UCLA playing football, and Bruin bloggers have plenty to be excited about with Riley. His versatility made him an impact player on offense and defense for St. Francis, and his raw talent could make him a solid contributor as a true-freshman safety for the Bruins.

2 Justin Posthuma, St. Francis football, basketball and track and field, senior — There is no such thing as an offseason for Posthuma, a three-sport athlete. Most of his praise was earned while playing quarterback for St. Francis. He played through an injured left hand in the last four games of his senior season and there wasn't much of a drop off.

Posthuma's arm led the Golden Knights to a second-place finish in the competitive Mission League and a playoff berth, as they finished the season 9-3 overall and made it to the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Western Division playoffs.

A dual threat at quarterback, Posthuma did it with his arm and his legs, passing for 2,115 yards and rushing for 787 yards in 109 attempts. Posthuma completed 55% of his passes, 19 of them for touchdowns. He was good for 14 more touchdowns on the ground. Posthuma was picked as the Mission League's co-Offensive Player of the Year and earned a spot on the All-Area first team.

3 Alex Campbell, La Cañada, swimmer, senior — He was a force to be reckoned with in the water. Campbell's ability to swim multiple events and place high in all of them made him a pillar of the Spartan squad over the past few years.

At the CIF Southern Section Division II Championships, Campbell swam the 100-yard freestyle, 200 freestyle relay, 100 backstroke and 400 freestyle relay. Campbell wanted to do more than merely swim — he wanted to win. He stood on a few different podiums at the end of the day at CIF after finishing first in the 100 freestyle (46.22) and never placing lower than fourth.

Campbell's time of 24.36 seconds in the 50 freestyle and 46.22 in 100 freestyle were area bests this year.

The Spartans' loss is UC Santa Barbara's gain, as Campbell is going on to swim for the Gauchos.

"He's leaving a hole because he swam so many different events for us; it hurts losing him," LCHS Coach Art Lopez said. "Alex will be sorely missed."

4 Anton Arboleda, La Cañada, golf, senior — Arboleda's resume filled out his senior year, as he completed the season as the Glendora High School Invitational champion, Rio Hondo League champion, the league's Most Valuable Golfer and the All-Area Golfer of the Year.

After most golfers had hung up their spikes for the year in June, Arboleda was still in the hunt to qualify for the CIF State Championship. He placed 17th out of 123 players in the CIF Southern California Golf Assn. High School Championship, missing the cut for the state championship by two strokes.

He went out in style though, sinking his last shot of his high-school career from 120 yards out with a nine iron. His 18-hole scoring average of 69 last year was a team best.

During Arboleda's four-year high-school career, the Spartans put together a 59-7 overall record.