Despite little notoriety, Foothill League divers put on a show

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The crowd’s size hardly spoke to the event’s innate excitement, what with the flipping and twisting and spiraling.

Organizers spiced up the afternoon with a PA announcer and text on the scoreboard that read 2017 Foothill League Dive Finals. But, still, only five judges, a coach, four fans, an athletic director, a swim coach and a lifeguard took in the acrobatic scene Wednesday at Santa Clarita Aquatic Center.

Valencia freshman Caden Moore posted the best score for the boys, a 388.35 for his 11 dives.

The degree of difficulty for his six optional dives was 13.3, both marks meeting the automatic cut-off points for the CIF-Southern Section Division 1 meet next week.

“It’s kind of unique, not many people know about diving,” Moore said. “It’s one of those sports that are very quiet. Not very many people go to them, at least local ones.”

Moore, however, hopes to keep making noise at the Division 1 meet Tuesday at Riverside Aquatics Complex.

So, too, does Alice Yanovsky.

The Valencia diver had the best mark for the girls, a 345.65, with a 10.9 degree of difficulty on optional dives.

The scores weren’t automatic marks for CIF, but she had already qualified in early April at an 11-dive invitational, according to Hart district diving coach Ryan Anderson.

Yanovsky, who finished fourth last season in the CIF-SS Division 1 finals, was competing Wednesday with an injured ankle, Anderson said.

As scores were tallied, Moore wasn’t sure he’d be heading to Riverside.

“Yes, I’m hoping to move on to CIF,” he said. “It’s one of those things, one of those goals of mine.”

It turns out, there was nothing to worry about.

Saugus’ David Castillo posted the second-best boys mark with a 250.3 and an 11.5 degree of difficulty on his six optional dives. Hart’s Luke Heberle recorded a 207.55.

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