By Ed Piper, Jr.
It was "deja vu all over again" Tuesday evening, Nov. 29, for Coach Darice Carnaje's La Jolla basketball players as they opened their new season at home against South Bay power Bonita Vista and received the same treatment at the hands of the Lady Barons as they did last winter.
Though this was a tournament game in the Matador Invitational, Carnaje doesn't always set up these early-season encounters by chance--last year she had an early game against a strong team and commented she wanted a "wake-up" call for her girls.
Tiny Shyla Latone, all 5'3" of her, shot the eyes out of the basket from long range and helped bury the less-experienced Vikings 31-8 after one quarter, 46-14 by halftime before a modest mid-week crowd on a cold night. The final was 70-37.
La Jolla's Rebecca Saul, a hard-working junior, led the response to the Barons' full-court press facing an uphill battle.
After the opening tip, the Vikings won the ball out of bounds. Bonita Vista immediately stole the ball from Saul off the press and scored.
Another Baron steal saw the ball go out of bounds. But with one minute gone, Coach Tristan Lamb's pressers scored another bucket. Carnaje called timeout, down 4-0.
The deficit went to 10-0, as the Vikings' Petra Eaton missed two free throws and Sina Anae missed a shot. Eaton grabbed a rebound, as La Jolla continued working hard despite the intense pressure.
Finally, Anae scored her team's first points of the new season on a runner with 4:33 left in the first quarter. The LJHS scoreboard said 10-2.
Anae scored again, but meanwhile at the other end of the court Latone was heating up, bombing a three at 15-4, another one at 18-4, and the rout was on.
Sina scored two more baskets, including one on which she got fouled but didn't get the call. She looked at the referee, and this time she had reason. Sometimes players bark just to bark.
Saul had an assist on Anae's next basket with 1:46 to play.
Shortly, play had to be stopped when a metal piece used to anchor the volleyball stanchions to the gym floor came loose. Referees called time, and Carnaje showed versatility in resolving the safety issue by placing the anchor back in place and out of players' way.
Latone, wearing her trademark long ponytail that often makes reading the giant "23" on the back of her jersey difficult to read, used the pause to recharge and reload for two more threes. A favorite spot is on the right baseline.
At this time, Bishop's coach Marlon Wells and his star all-state player, Destiny Littleton, walked into the La Jolla gym. They probably were scouting Bonita Vista. They stayed for one quarter and left at halftime with the contest decided.
But Carnaje's troops continued to play hard in the second quarter. She uses every occasion to teach skills and raise her players' basketball I.Q.
Saul dribbled through the press and kept under control to make a layup to bring the score to 37-10 midway through the second period.
Latone was flawless at the free throw line, hitting a pair with 2:41 left in the half.
Anae scored, then scored again off a nice assist from Eaton to close the half.
The Vikings play their second game in the Matador Invitational Wednesday evening, Nov. 30, at Serra.
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
LJ b soccer 4, Steele Canyon 2
Senior Lukas Keeling controls the ball in
early action during his return to La Jolla
High soccer. The left-footer scored two goals
in the Vikings' season opener.
(Photo by Ed Piper, Jr.)
By Ed Piper, Jr.
La Jolla's boys soccer team--the defending CIF Division 4 champs--opened its season at Steele Canyon with a sharply-played 4-2 decision on a night where temperatures hung in the 50's Tues., Nov. 29.
Senior Andrew Estrella opened scoring with a straight-on boot from in front of the goal in the 21st minute of play.
Lukas Keeling, who wasn't part of the Viking victory march last year in the playoffs, nonetheless marked his return by netting the next goal three minutes later, a left-footer from the left side.
The former U.S. Academy member, after bouncing a shot off the left post, then drove another shot true into the right side of the goal to put head coach Marcos Gonzales' squad in the lead, 3-0, in the last minute of the opening half.
Newcomer Luis Goehler, who resides near Berlin, Germany, and is visiting for a year, added the fourth La Jolla goal with nine minutes left in the non-league encounter.
"I thought we were really good" for the first game of the season, said Keeling immediately after the win. "Good link-up--good passing.
"We saw each other well."
The deft lefthander, moving smoothly from his forward position, calmly distributed the ball to Estrella and others, and provided the confidence his experience and level of play make possible.
Assistant coach Victor Zendejas agreed that Keeling's play lifted that of his teammates. "We could be a really good team," said the enthusiastic coach, who was part of the Vikings' CIF championship last year. He began to point out newcomers who he expects to contribute.
LJ FB: Postseason
By Ed Piper, Jr.
Matt Morrison, head coach of the La Jolla football team, accepted congratulations on his team's season Mon., Nov. 28, by responding: "I wish we had been practicing Thanksgiving week" (for the CIF Division 3 semifinals).
Morrison's first Viking team made it to the quarterfinals of the playoffs, dropping a decision to powerhouse Bishop's, which later earned a place in the finals with an undefeated record.
Morrison mentioned that league coaches will meet Thurs., Dec. 1, to make all-league selections. Names that immediately come to mind for La Jolla, which had a winning season for the first time in a while, include David McColl, a bruising running back and linebacker, and his backfield mate Alex Dockery, a quick runner who also played in the defensive backfield.
Usually a coach has the right in these meetings to put up the name of a senior or two for honorable mention out of respect for that player's faithfulness to the program, though he might not be one of the top stars talent-wise.
Matt Morrison, head coach of the La Jolla football team, accepted congratulations on his team's season Mon., Nov. 28, by responding: "I wish we had been practicing Thanksgiving week" (for the CIF Division 3 semifinals).
Morrison's first Viking team made it to the quarterfinals of the playoffs, dropping a decision to powerhouse Bishop's, which later earned a place in the finals with an undefeated record.
Morrison mentioned that league coaches will meet Thurs., Dec. 1, to make all-league selections. Names that immediately come to mind for La Jolla, which had a winning season for the first time in a while, include David McColl, a bruising running back and linebacker, and his backfield mate Alex Dockery, a quick runner who also played in the defensive backfield.
Usually a coach has the right in these meetings to put up the name of a senior or two for honorable mention out of respect for that player's faithfulness to the program, though he might not be one of the top stars talent-wise.
Monday, November 28, 2016
LJ g soccer: New coach
By Ed Piper, Jr.
Valerie Strocco, the new La Jolla High girls soccer head coach, said she has only been on the job for about three weeks. She has one week more to get her varsity ready for its season opener at Santana next Mon., Dec. 5.
Strocco is listed as a middle school teacher at Stella Maris Academy, instructing students in math, social studies, and language arts.
On the San Diego Fusion website, the former USDHS Don is listed as a four-year starter during her college career at USD, playing right halfback. She attended USD on a full-ride athletic scholarship, according to the website.
Strocco has coached for five or more years at La Jolla Country Day School on the varsity, junior varsity, and middle school soccer teams.
During practice Mon., Nov. 28, she greeted a reporter with a smile as she ran the Viking girls through their paces in a late afternoon practice on the softball field on campus. The new turf on the football field apparently is being protected at this point from overuse.
Kristin "Jonesy" Jones, long-time Viking girls soccer coach who also is executive associate coach of the USD mens team, abruptly stepped down from her coaching position at the high school a month ago, according to sources.
Valerie Strocco, the new La Jolla High girls soccer head coach, said she has only been on the job for about three weeks. She has one week more to get her varsity ready for its season opener at Santana next Mon., Dec. 5.
Strocco is listed as a middle school teacher at Stella Maris Academy, instructing students in math, social studies, and language arts.
On the San Diego Fusion website, the former USDHS Don is listed as a four-year starter during her college career at USD, playing right halfback. She attended USD on a full-ride athletic scholarship, according to the website.
Strocco has coached for five or more years at La Jolla Country Day School on the varsity, junior varsity, and middle school soccer teams.
During practice Mon., Nov. 28, she greeted a reporter with a smile as she ran the Viking girls through their paces in a late afternoon practice on the softball field on campus. The new turf on the football field apparently is being protected at this point from overuse.
Kristin "Jonesy" Jones, long-time Viking girls soccer coach who also is executive associate coach of the USD mens team, abruptly stepped down from her coaching position at the high school a month ago, according to sources.
LJ winter sports: Opening week
By Ed Piper, Jr.
Opening week for La Jolla's winter sports teams from Nov. 28 to Dec. 3 sees the Vikings' boys soccer team, the girls water polo team, and the boys and girls basketball teams in action.
Head coach Marcos Gonzales' boys soccer team defends its CIF Division IV title beginning Tues., Nov. 29, at Steele Canyon in a 5 p.m. game. The Vikings soccer players will get their touches on the newly-installed turf at home for the first time in competition next Tues., Dec. 8. against visiting Castle Park.
Meanwhile, Coach Darice Carnaje's girls basketball team will open up Tuesday evening, Nov. 29, at 7 p.m. in the Big Gym against Bonita Vista in the Matador Classic. Carnaje, the second-year coach, was an All-CIF performer in basketball and tennis during her days as a prep athlete at Mount Miguel, which is hosting the tournament.
Coach Paul Baranowski's boys basketball team opens its season Friday night, Dec. 2, at Hilltop High against host Hilltop in the feature game of the evening at 7:30 p.m. The Vikings have high hopes, with a bundle of talent to accompany four-year starter Reed Farley, who is a commit to Harvard.
The Vike girls soccer team, under new coach Valerie Strocco, an alumna of USDHS, doesn't open action until next week: a 4:15 p.m. match Mon., Dec. 5, at Santana. But Strocco, in her first year at LJHS, can look forward to her team's double-digit number of home games this season.
An added advantage both Gonzales' and Strocco's soccer teams will enjoy this season is the facilities newly constructed right next to the playing field. The boys locker room sits right off the midfield line. Matt Bridges' training room and strength coach Ryan Lennard's weight room are situated adjacent, with Lennard's weights toward the south end of the turf field.
It has already become a wonderful gathering place for students and athletes at the school, as exhibited during a recent girls field hockey playoff game when members of the football team were able to cheer on Lisa Griffiths' Vikes as they mingled on the walkway in front of the weight room, where they had been working out.
The geographical layout of the new facilities can only engender school spirit and pride in respective and overall school programs.
Opening week for La Jolla's winter sports teams from Nov. 28 to Dec. 3 sees the Vikings' boys soccer team, the girls water polo team, and the boys and girls basketball teams in action.
Head coach Marcos Gonzales' boys soccer team defends its CIF Division IV title beginning Tues., Nov. 29, at Steele Canyon in a 5 p.m. game. The Vikings soccer players will get their touches on the newly-installed turf at home for the first time in competition next Tues., Dec. 8. against visiting Castle Park.
Meanwhile, Coach Darice Carnaje's girls basketball team will open up Tuesday evening, Nov. 29, at 7 p.m. in the Big Gym against Bonita Vista in the Matador Classic. Carnaje, the second-year coach, was an All-CIF performer in basketball and tennis during her days as a prep athlete at Mount Miguel, which is hosting the tournament.
Coach Paul Baranowski's boys basketball team opens its season Friday night, Dec. 2, at Hilltop High against host Hilltop in the feature game of the evening at 7:30 p.m. The Vikings have high hopes, with a bundle of talent to accompany four-year starter Reed Farley, who is a commit to Harvard.
The Vike girls soccer team, under new coach Valerie Strocco, an alumna of USDHS, doesn't open action until next week: a 4:15 p.m. match Mon., Dec. 5, at Santana. But Strocco, in her first year at LJHS, can look forward to her team's double-digit number of home games this season.
An added advantage both Gonzales' and Strocco's soccer teams will enjoy this season is the facilities newly constructed right next to the playing field. The boys locker room sits right off the midfield line. Matt Bridges' training room and strength coach Ryan Lennard's weight room are situated adjacent, with Lennard's weights toward the south end of the turf field.
It has already become a wonderful gathering place for students and athletes at the school, as exhibited during a recent girls field hockey playoff game when members of the football team were able to cheer on Lisa Griffiths' Vikes as they mingled on the walkway in front of the weight room, where they had been working out.
The geographical layout of the new facilities can only engender school spirit and pride in respective and overall school programs.
LJ boys soccer: Homing pattern
By Ed Piper, Jr.
The 2016-17 schedule for La Jolla's boys soccer team newly posted by Coach Marcos Gonzales over the Thanksgiving break bears out the pattern seen in girls soccer as well: The Vikings are going to play a lot of home games this season, because construction on the Edwards Field complex finally allows it.
Last year Gonzales' squad made like wandering waifs following the tune blown by the Pied Piper, playing every game on the road. It was exciting in some ways, but taxing--in gas and travel time--in others.
Adversity bred toughness, and the voyaging Vikes came away with the CIF Division IV title. The spectacular win in the playoffs was La Jolla's semifinal victory at Serra in the penalty phase, after regulation and after overtime. Goalie Tai Nguyen, who just enjoyed his first season kicking a football for Matt Morrison's team, stopped the seventh penalty kick for the win.
Nguyen, bigger and stronger, with another year of maturity under his belt, returns in goal this year. Meanwhile, the Vikings play 10 of their 16 regular season games at home, on the new surface at Edwards.
In the Western League, Gonzales' contingent will face four opponents: University City, Henry, Lincoln, and San Diego High. Leagues are now configured according to power rankings of recent past performance, with the goal that they will be updated every two years.
La Jolla doesn't open league play against the Centurions until Tuesday, Jan. 17, the day after the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday.
Some familiar non-league opponents from last year include King-Chavez and Clairemont. King-Chavez played host to the Vikings during the Christmas break in 2015, so several starters were missing and junior varsity players filled their spots. The game was played on an uneven field off-campus near downtown, lit by mobile floodlights powered by generators.
The result was as could be expected: The Vikes got their heads handed to them, as a talented King-Chavez squad, powered by cumbia music booming from the sidelines, waxed the visitors by a decisive score.
Clairemont, however, took it on the chin on its home field as La Jolla's offense was too quick and too agile for the Chieftains.
This time around, both opponents will travel to La Jolla, as home-and-away agreements give Gonzales the home game this season.
The Viking soccer program has benefitted greatly from the continuity Gonzales has provided over the last three years. Prior to that, La Jolla saw a new coach every year or every other year. The players were talented, but they needed to learn and operate under one system, and to keep it that way for successive seasons.
The 2016-17 schedule for La Jolla's boys soccer team newly posted by Coach Marcos Gonzales over the Thanksgiving break bears out the pattern seen in girls soccer as well: The Vikings are going to play a lot of home games this season, because construction on the Edwards Field complex finally allows it.
Last year Gonzales' squad made like wandering waifs following the tune blown by the Pied Piper, playing every game on the road. It was exciting in some ways, but taxing--in gas and travel time--in others.
Adversity bred toughness, and the voyaging Vikes came away with the CIF Division IV title. The spectacular win in the playoffs was La Jolla's semifinal victory at Serra in the penalty phase, after regulation and after overtime. Goalie Tai Nguyen, who just enjoyed his first season kicking a football for Matt Morrison's team, stopped the seventh penalty kick for the win.
Nguyen, bigger and stronger, with another year of maturity under his belt, returns in goal this year. Meanwhile, the Vikings play 10 of their 16 regular season games at home, on the new surface at Edwards.
In the Western League, Gonzales' contingent will face four opponents: University City, Henry, Lincoln, and San Diego High. Leagues are now configured according to power rankings of recent past performance, with the goal that they will be updated every two years.
La Jolla doesn't open league play against the Centurions until Tuesday, Jan. 17, the day after the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday.
Some familiar non-league opponents from last year include King-Chavez and Clairemont. King-Chavez played host to the Vikings during the Christmas break in 2015, so several starters were missing and junior varsity players filled their spots. The game was played on an uneven field off-campus near downtown, lit by mobile floodlights powered by generators.
The result was as could be expected: The Vikes got their heads handed to them, as a talented King-Chavez squad, powered by cumbia music booming from the sidelines, waxed the visitors by a decisive score.
Clairemont, however, took it on the chin on its home field as La Jolla's offense was too quick and too agile for the Chieftains.
This time around, both opponents will travel to La Jolla, as home-and-away agreements give Gonzales the home game this season.
The Viking soccer program has benefitted greatly from the continuity Gonzales has provided over the last three years. Prior to that, La Jolla saw a new coach every year or every other year. The players were talented, but they needed to learn and operate under one system, and to keep it that way for successive seasons.
Sunday, November 27, 2016
Highlights and lowlights of an (aging) photographer
By Ed Piper, Jr.
I'm looking forward to Tuesday, Nov. 29, the opening game of the La Jolla girls basketball season at home. I'll have the same pleasure Friday, Dec. 2, with the Viking boys team's first game, which happens to be at the tournament at Hilltop High.
I love the "pure" art of being able to take photos of these young student athletes with my camera equipment. An advantage of the court sports, at least basketball, is that I can position myself in one spot for a while and enjoy taking shots without putting the burden on my aging back of moving my heavy camera, lens, and monopod around.
So, I embark on the winter sports season with mixed feelings. It has been impressed upon me very weightily--by the pain in my lower back--that I have to continue to limit my photography during La Jolla football games.
If you watched me at all the last two seasons and took stock of my location during games, you noticed that I shut off the shutter either after one quarter, partway into the second quarter, or at the latest halftime of football games.
I had to. Otherwise, I would pay a heavy price of back spasms not only that night, but increasingly the next day and Sunday, making my weekend not too restful or enjoyable.
When your back hurts, your attitude is affected.
Your back, like your legs and feet, support a lot of your body. So it plays a crucial role in movement.
I'm thankful, at the tail end of this Thanksgiving weekend, I can do the photography I do. I've commiserated with other photographers, one who a couple of years ago told me her back went completely out and she had to take a year or more off.
I emailed a sports and nature photographer I met through our family's stay at Yellowstone Park five years ago. He told me a couple of weeks ago that his back went out on a trip to Asia, and the problem lasted for four months.
So, the athletes may not be able to tell on my face, and parents and coaches might not detect it either. My opportunities for shooting photos of LJHS sports are decreasing as the school years pass by. I would do a lot better if I only shot basketball, baseball, soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, and water polo, among others (I do golf, too), and avoided football.
Football is the only sport in which the two teams line up and move forward on the field--necessitating my carrying my equipment down the field. I tried last year staying in one spot. You might remember my days in a wheelchair, when I had blisters on my feet. That was hilarious.
What I found, though, was that I wasn't going home with any useable shots. The athletes were too far away to make the photos croppable and useable.
I continue to do football, despite the physical price I pay, because Friday night games bring the most people together: football players, their families and friends, the cheerleaders, the band, and the community. Football gets, by far, the most attention per game of any sport I know of.
So, when you see me this winter sports season, you'll see me enjoying plopping in one spot, whether it's basketball, soccer, or wrestling. Then I try to pack everything into my rolling case before repositioning myself somewhere else on the sidelines.
I'm glad I'm still doing it after 13 seasons.
I'm looking forward to Tuesday, Nov. 29, the opening game of the La Jolla girls basketball season at home. I'll have the same pleasure Friday, Dec. 2, with the Viking boys team's first game, which happens to be at the tournament at Hilltop High.
I love the "pure" art of being able to take photos of these young student athletes with my camera equipment. An advantage of the court sports, at least basketball, is that I can position myself in one spot for a while and enjoy taking shots without putting the burden on my aging back of moving my heavy camera, lens, and monopod around.
So, I embark on the winter sports season with mixed feelings. It has been impressed upon me very weightily--by the pain in my lower back--that I have to continue to limit my photography during La Jolla football games.
If you watched me at all the last two seasons and took stock of my location during games, you noticed that I shut off the shutter either after one quarter, partway into the second quarter, or at the latest halftime of football games.
I had to. Otherwise, I would pay a heavy price of back spasms not only that night, but increasingly the next day and Sunday, making my weekend not too restful or enjoyable.
When your back hurts, your attitude is affected.
Your back, like your legs and feet, support a lot of your body. So it plays a crucial role in movement.
I'm thankful, at the tail end of this Thanksgiving weekend, I can do the photography I do. I've commiserated with other photographers, one who a couple of years ago told me her back went completely out and she had to take a year or more off.
I emailed a sports and nature photographer I met through our family's stay at Yellowstone Park five years ago. He told me a couple of weeks ago that his back went out on a trip to Asia, and the problem lasted for four months.
So, the athletes may not be able to tell on my face, and parents and coaches might not detect it either. My opportunities for shooting photos of LJHS sports are decreasing as the school years pass by. I would do a lot better if I only shot basketball, baseball, soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, and water polo, among others (I do golf, too), and avoided football.
Football is the only sport in which the two teams line up and move forward on the field--necessitating my carrying my equipment down the field. I tried last year staying in one spot. You might remember my days in a wheelchair, when I had blisters on my feet. That was hilarious.
What I found, though, was that I wasn't going home with any useable shots. The athletes were too far away to make the photos croppable and useable.
I continue to do football, despite the physical price I pay, because Friday night games bring the most people together: football players, their families and friends, the cheerleaders, the band, and the community. Football gets, by far, the most attention per game of any sport I know of.
So, when you see me this winter sports season, you'll see me enjoying plopping in one spot, whether it's basketball, soccer, or wrestling. Then I try to pack everything into my rolling case before repositioning myself somewhere else on the sidelines.
I'm glad I'm still doing it after 13 seasons.
Friday, November 25, 2016
Prep sports: Free movement
By Ed Piper, Jr.
I had an enlightening conversation with the father of a high school sports star several weeks ago.
During a preseason basketball tournament in southern San Diego County, I was in position taking photos of a morning game when a gentleman with a video camera happened by.
We exchanged the usual repartee about our respective cameras: "Oh, what kind of camera do you have?" and so forth, in mutual kindness and respect, as often occurs on the sidelines in the congenial atmosphere that prep sports afford.
The conversation continued, as we talked about teams we knew about and the latest on them.
This gentleman was blessed to be the father of a talented and tall student athlete who had already played one season of varsity athletics, and had one or more seasons yet to look forward to beginning this winter.
I mentioned that the local newspaper had carried a quote from the CIF San Diego Section commissioner recently, stating that come January the organization governing local high school athletics was going to discuss the transfer of students between schools with no limits whatsoever: no sit-out period due to transfer for "athletic reasons", and so forth.
This team video man stated his hearty support for such a move: "Well, you know, it's not a plantation or anything. They don't own you. You should be able to move to play wherever you want."
Frankly, in one fell swoop, my naïve, simplistic conception of high school sports as a bastion where academics come first and athletics are merely an offshoot of educational institutions preparing young people for college and career kind of took a hit beyond anything it had experienced before.
Here, the father of a capable junior who had transferred over the summer to a different high school was voicing what appears to be the inevitable future--a landscape in which students have no restrictions at all in what team they play for, a brave new world in which sports fully drive academics.
One student can play for teams at four different high schools in four years of school. As a retired public school teacher who enjoys sports but asserts the importance of a solid scholastic career of study over everything else in high school, I find this objectionable.
I know the clock is not going to be turned back, no matter how distasteful this aspect of the prep sports world becomes.
I just don't think John Dewey, the champion of universal public school education for everyone, had this in mind. Nor James Naismith, the good Canadian pastor who invented basketball using peach baskets in at a YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts, two turns of the century back.
It's kind of a cynical world, that makes our young people like pieces of meat to be bought and sold, and shipped frozen to a new district or league.
The system that has evolved has made teens like pros, now to be free agents while they're still amateurs in name. You've seen even middle school athletes treated differently on campus, and not held to the same behavior standards as their classmates.
But there was still an innocence, an easy likeability to the whole thing that made you believe amateurism was still functioning in many ways.
Little things continue to creep in and pollute the system, like a prep sports academy division in the annual basketball tournament centered at Torrey Pines High every holiday vacation. 19- and 20-year-olds who are still technically eligible for high school sports, with unbelievable vertical leaps and abilities to soar above the basket, everybody suited out in the athletic shoes and gear of the particular shoe company sponsoring them.
Or this: the legal guardian of a humongous baller who is also the boy's AAU coach, moving the youth from the Midwest first to Morse, then to Cathedral Catholic, all in the name of freedom to gain an education where he so deems.
"I've seen this young man's handlers calling from the stands during the game, and the player doesn't know whether to listen to his coach or the people in the stands," says my conversation partner back in the dimly-lit gym, as the game goes on.
I'm for, and will always support from this forum and elsewhere, what is good, right, healthy, and safe for our young people. I'm for a student growing up to attend the schools in his geographical locale, and playing for the teams of the local high school throughout his or her four years of high school. A free public school, or a private school education of that student athlete's family's choice is the best preparation for future life as a young person, mature adult, and contributing citizen participating in our republican democracy.
I had an enlightening conversation with the father of a high school sports star several weeks ago.
During a preseason basketball tournament in southern San Diego County, I was in position taking photos of a morning game when a gentleman with a video camera happened by.
We exchanged the usual repartee about our respective cameras: "Oh, what kind of camera do you have?" and so forth, in mutual kindness and respect, as often occurs on the sidelines in the congenial atmosphere that prep sports afford.
The conversation continued, as we talked about teams we knew about and the latest on them.
This gentleman was blessed to be the father of a talented and tall student athlete who had already played one season of varsity athletics, and had one or more seasons yet to look forward to beginning this winter.
I mentioned that the local newspaper had carried a quote from the CIF San Diego Section commissioner recently, stating that come January the organization governing local high school athletics was going to discuss the transfer of students between schools with no limits whatsoever: no sit-out period due to transfer for "athletic reasons", and so forth.
This team video man stated his hearty support for such a move: "Well, you know, it's not a plantation or anything. They don't own you. You should be able to move to play wherever you want."
Frankly, in one fell swoop, my naïve, simplistic conception of high school sports as a bastion where academics come first and athletics are merely an offshoot of educational institutions preparing young people for college and career kind of took a hit beyond anything it had experienced before.
Here, the father of a capable junior who had transferred over the summer to a different high school was voicing what appears to be the inevitable future--a landscape in which students have no restrictions at all in what team they play for, a brave new world in which sports fully drive academics.
One student can play for teams at four different high schools in four years of school. As a retired public school teacher who enjoys sports but asserts the importance of a solid scholastic career of study over everything else in high school, I find this objectionable.
I know the clock is not going to be turned back, no matter how distasteful this aspect of the prep sports world becomes.
I just don't think John Dewey, the champion of universal public school education for everyone, had this in mind. Nor James Naismith, the good Canadian pastor who invented basketball using peach baskets in at a YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts, two turns of the century back.
It's kind of a cynical world, that makes our young people like pieces of meat to be bought and sold, and shipped frozen to a new district or league.
The system that has evolved has made teens like pros, now to be free agents while they're still amateurs in name. You've seen even middle school athletes treated differently on campus, and not held to the same behavior standards as their classmates.
But there was still an innocence, an easy likeability to the whole thing that made you believe amateurism was still functioning in many ways.
Little things continue to creep in and pollute the system, like a prep sports academy division in the annual basketball tournament centered at Torrey Pines High every holiday vacation. 19- and 20-year-olds who are still technically eligible for high school sports, with unbelievable vertical leaps and abilities to soar above the basket, everybody suited out in the athletic shoes and gear of the particular shoe company sponsoring them.
Or this: the legal guardian of a humongous baller who is also the boy's AAU coach, moving the youth from the Midwest first to Morse, then to Cathedral Catholic, all in the name of freedom to gain an education where he so deems.
"I've seen this young man's handlers calling from the stands during the game, and the player doesn't know whether to listen to his coach or the people in the stands," says my conversation partner back in the dimly-lit gym, as the game goes on.
I'm for, and will always support from this forum and elsewhere, what is good, right, healthy, and safe for our young people. I'm for a student growing up to attend the schools in his geographical locale, and playing for the teams of the local high school throughout his or her four years of high school. A free public school, or a private school education of that student athlete's family's choice is the best preparation for future life as a young person, mature adult, and contributing citizen participating in our republican democracy.
Thursday, November 24, 2016
LJ wrestling: Returners
By Ed Piper, Jr.
La Jolla's wrestlers have a workout this morning, Thanksgiving Day, at 9 a.m., then they have the rest of the day off, as well as Black Friday, until a follow-up workout Sat., Nov. 26, also at 9 a.m.
Head coach Kellen Delaney reports that Elliot Austin, a star 115-pounder from last year's team, is bringing his considerable talents back to the mat for the Vikings this year, as well as Christophe Naviaux and Brocke Bonnette. Both latter wrestlers competed at 147 pounds.
Naviaux was one of two Viking wrestlers who survived the first day of the championship bracket at the Holtville Invitational last January, along with senior Jake Harvey, who has graduated.
Delaney said that Joe Acosta is no longer wrestling with La Jolla.
La Jolla will be looking to Austin, a native of England, and Naviaux for leadership on this year's edition of the squad. The varsity starts official action the first week of December, a week after the Thanksgiving break.
La Jolla's wrestlers have a workout this morning, Thanksgiving Day, at 9 a.m., then they have the rest of the day off, as well as Black Friday, until a follow-up workout Sat., Nov. 26, also at 9 a.m.
Head coach Kellen Delaney reports that Elliot Austin, a star 115-pounder from last year's team, is bringing his considerable talents back to the mat for the Vikings this year, as well as Christophe Naviaux and Brocke Bonnette. Both latter wrestlers competed at 147 pounds.
Naviaux was one of two Viking wrestlers who survived the first day of the championship bracket at the Holtville Invitational last January, along with senior Jake Harvey, who has graduated.
Delaney said that Joe Acosta is no longer wrestling with La Jolla.
La Jolla will be looking to Austin, a native of England, and Naviaux for leadership on this year's edition of the squad. The varsity starts official action the first week of December, a week after the Thanksgiving break.
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
LJ wrestling: Flash mob
By Ed Piper, Jr.
The word on campus is that "30 or 40" students at La Jolla High, mostly underclassmen, went out for the Viking wrestling program in early workouts for the upcoming season.
If so, this would represent a complete rebuilding of the program from three years ago, when a largely senior varsity squad graduated and left the cupboard bare.
Head coach Kellen Delaney, who is ably aided by Ryan Lindenblatt, former head coach and newly etched name on the coaches' Wall of Honor at Edwards Field, has stressed relationship and collegiality among his fellow coaches and wrestlers.
It has worked. For a team that had to struggle to field enough qualified wrestlers to enter a dual meet against area opponents only a few years ago--following the "golden age" of recent LJHS wrestling that preceded it--the growth was already evident last year, with healthy participation at the prestigious Holtville Tournament in Holtville, east of El Centro, and a full dual meet schedule.
Now, with mentorship taking place among the student wrestlers and alumni even checking in with social media posts and visits from time to time, the passage of time is literally on the La Jolla program's side.
The coaches don't lack for expertise on the technical aspects of the sports, or wise words about navigating the travails of daily life as a teenager. But their real nitro in the tank is the brotherhood--and sisterhood, if any girls go out for what is open to be a coed team--among the student athletes.
One could see that, being around the team, and hear that in the words of Jack Hathaway and Jake Harvey, two of the leaders, as last season progressed.
The partial but incomplete new season's schedule posted on the school website shows initial action at the Carlsbad Invitational Dec. 3, with other tournaments following through the first two weeks of the month.
Then dual meet competition begins shortly after New Year's in January. Who those opponents will be has yet to be announced.
Also in there in the group coaching corps is Juan Sanchez, former Viking wrestler and former Viking head coach, as well as Walter Fairley, who of late has been acting as interim principal at Lincoln High in a pinch, but who always makes time for wrestling. Fairley is a California Wrestling Hall of Fame inductee.
In addition, Viking strength and conditioning coach Ryan Lennard comes in with big support. He is a roommate and close friend of Delaney.
The word on campus is that "30 or 40" students at La Jolla High, mostly underclassmen, went out for the Viking wrestling program in early workouts for the upcoming season.
If so, this would represent a complete rebuilding of the program from three years ago, when a largely senior varsity squad graduated and left the cupboard bare.
Head coach Kellen Delaney, who is ably aided by Ryan Lindenblatt, former head coach and newly etched name on the coaches' Wall of Honor at Edwards Field, has stressed relationship and collegiality among his fellow coaches and wrestlers.
It has worked. For a team that had to struggle to field enough qualified wrestlers to enter a dual meet against area opponents only a few years ago--following the "golden age" of recent LJHS wrestling that preceded it--the growth was already evident last year, with healthy participation at the prestigious Holtville Tournament in Holtville, east of El Centro, and a full dual meet schedule.
Now, with mentorship taking place among the student wrestlers and alumni even checking in with social media posts and visits from time to time, the passage of time is literally on the La Jolla program's side.
The coaches don't lack for expertise on the technical aspects of the sports, or wise words about navigating the travails of daily life as a teenager. But their real nitro in the tank is the brotherhood--and sisterhood, if any girls go out for what is open to be a coed team--among the student athletes.
One could see that, being around the team, and hear that in the words of Jack Hathaway and Jake Harvey, two of the leaders, as last season progressed.
The partial but incomplete new season's schedule posted on the school website shows initial action at the Carlsbad Invitational Dec. 3, with other tournaments following through the first two weeks of the month.
Then dual meet competition begins shortly after New Year's in January. Who those opponents will be has yet to be announced.
Also in there in the group coaching corps is Juan Sanchez, former Viking wrestler and former Viking head coach, as well as Walter Fairley, who of late has been acting as interim principal at Lincoln High in a pinch, but who always makes time for wrestling. Fairley is a California Wrestling Hall of Fame inductee.
In addition, Viking strength and conditioning coach Ryan Lennard comes in with big support. He is a roommate and close friend of Delaney.
LJ winter sports: Scheduling, cont.
By Ed Piper, Jr.
Continuing the train of thought of my previous post, on new so-called "equity" alignments of leagues, Coach Kristin "Jonesy" Jones' girls soccer team will play a veritable plethora of home games this winter on La Jolla's new surface--after two full years of away games.
Jonesy pointed out last winter, as construction continued on the renovation of facilities in and around Edwards Field on campus, that she had begun scheduling games on the road the previous season--2014-15.
This was because early thinking on the sports facilities' makeover was for construction to begin long before March 2015, one of the spoken starting dates. That would have impacted the girls' soccer season, which runs from December through February. Can't do with no field.
The groundbreaking actually happened right after graduation ceremonies June 18, 2105, three months later even than the supposed March date. My understanding unofficially was that the new press box was added to the previous proposal, so approval was delayed and the resulting construction date was likewise postponed.
So, Jonesy plied the highways and byways of San Diego County to get to her team's matches not only throughout last year's schedule, but also the year before.
Two years in exile. (Sounds like an album title: "Exile on Pearl St." a la the Rolling Stones' "Exile on Main St.")
Now, Jonesy, just completing her coaching at UCSD with the Triton men in the fall, has to be sitting "fat and happy" looking down the barrel of--not one, not two, not seven, but 13 home games on the new turf, from a count of her team's schedule currently posted on the school website.
These are unheard-of riches!
Last season, the Vikings suffered the lingering injury of forward Phoebe Riley, that greatly affected their offensive firepower.
Phoebe played by the end of last season, and is well, at last report. She graduated and went on to greener college pastures. So that's in the past for La Jolla.
With returners having another year of seasoning and growth, which is so phenomenal at the teenagers' young age from year-to-year, a traditionally strong program should be in that much better of a position. And without the wear-and-tear of having to sludge through increasingly congested San Diego traffic.
Continuing the train of thought of my previous post, on new so-called "equity" alignments of leagues, Coach Kristin "Jonesy" Jones' girls soccer team will play a veritable plethora of home games this winter on La Jolla's new surface--after two full years of away games.
Jonesy pointed out last winter, as construction continued on the renovation of facilities in and around Edwards Field on campus, that she had begun scheduling games on the road the previous season--2014-15.
This was because early thinking on the sports facilities' makeover was for construction to begin long before March 2015, one of the spoken starting dates. That would have impacted the girls' soccer season, which runs from December through February. Can't do with no field.
The groundbreaking actually happened right after graduation ceremonies June 18, 2105, three months later even than the supposed March date. My understanding unofficially was that the new press box was added to the previous proposal, so approval was delayed and the resulting construction date was likewise postponed.
So, Jonesy plied the highways and byways of San Diego County to get to her team's matches not only throughout last year's schedule, but also the year before.
Two years in exile. (Sounds like an album title: "Exile on Pearl St." a la the Rolling Stones' "Exile on Main St.")
Now, Jonesy, just completing her coaching at UCSD with the Triton men in the fall, has to be sitting "fat and happy" looking down the barrel of--not one, not two, not seven, but 13 home games on the new turf, from a count of her team's schedule currently posted on the school website.
These are unheard-of riches!
Last season, the Vikings suffered the lingering injury of forward Phoebe Riley, that greatly affected their offensive firepower.
Phoebe played by the end of last season, and is well, at last report. She graduated and went on to greener college pastures. So that's in the past for La Jolla.
With returners having another year of seasoning and growth, which is so phenomenal at the teenagers' young age from year-to-year, a traditionally strong program should be in that much better of a position. And without the wear-and-tear of having to sludge through increasingly congested San Diego traffic.
LJ winter sports: Scheduling
Senior forward Garrett Brown
drives to the hoop in a
November preseason
tournament game against
Mission Bay Nov. 5.
(Photo Ed Piper, Jr.)
(Photo Ed Piper, Jr.)
By Ed Piper, Jr.
Looking at the winter schedules for some of the LJHS athletic teams, one thing becomes apparent: the Friday night doubleheaders of boys and girls basketball of the last couple of years are things of the past.
The two-game evenings, with the girls' teams squaring off at 6 p.m. and the boys following at about 7:30 p.m., became a big deal last year, especially with the Viking band under instructor Michael Fiedler playing riffs after every home basket.
Attendance was good, and it boosted what normally would have been a much smaller crowd for the girls games--usually toward the end of the game. The students and parents showing up early for the boys games were treated to a couple of cliffhangers, courtesy Coach Darice Carnaje's girls, who she always gets to play above their ability. (Look at her first tennis team at LJHS this fall after moving over from OLP: a CIF championship.)
Well, no more.
With the re-leaguing taking place in basketball for the first time, based on past performance instead of the historic method of school enrollment, Coach Paul Baranowski's boys will be facing new Eastern League opponents Madison, Hoover, Henry, Serra, and Scripps Ranch.
Meanwhile, on the distaff side, Carnaje will lead her troops against a different array of teams in January and February: Lincoln, Point Loma, Henry, Coronado, Morse, and Mira Mesa. In this reporter's 13 years covering La Jolla, LJHS has never faced Mira Mesa as a league opponent in basketball, unless memory is lapsing.
And to confuse you further, both boys' and girls' leagues--though only La Jolla and Patrick Henry are the teams common to both--are dubbed the Eastern League.
It's a whole new brew of opponents, and so on Friday evening, January 6, 2017--during the first week of league play--the boys will be hosting Hoover in the Big Gym, while the girls will be nowhere to be seen. Carnaje's squad has that night off, after opening league play at Lincoln three days prior, on January 3, with a non-league contest at San Pasqual the next night. The boys will have been facing host Carlsbad Wed. evening, Jan. 4.
The next week further illustrates the impending change: On Friday night, Jan. 13, the Viking girls play against Henry in a 4:30 match, while the boys take the night off. Baranowski's bunch plays the night before, Jan. 12, hosting Madison. Both are league games.
The good to be gained is parity, equity, the mantras of the new league configurations.
The drawback, as mentioned, will be a sparsity of fans for the girls, which in most sports traditionally draw fewer spectators than the boys. That was probably one of the reasons that the girl-boy doubleheaders were instituted in the first place.
Another loss, with the splitting of the schedules, is the division of school spirit and energy, which formerly, on Friday nights during January and February, could be plowed into the teams representing both genders.
One thing I noticed on the title of the wrestling team's new schedule on the school's new website (ljvikings.com) is "Coed Varsity Wrestling Schedule". I don't recall seeing "coed" in the title in previous seasons, though I may have missed it.
Saturday, November 19, 2016
LJ FB 0, Bishop's 49
By Ed Piper, Jr.
La Jolla's five-game win streak was snapped as Bishop's dominated in every phase of the game to shut out the Vikings on their own home field, 49-0, Fri., Nov. 18, in a CIF Division 3 quarterfinal football playoff.
After the Knights, who by right of higher seed were designated the home team--though the game was played on the Vikings' new home turf in Edwards Stadium--scored on Mozes Mooney's 6-yard run to complete an 80-yard drive and open the game with a 7-0 lead, La Jolla's Alex Dockery ran the ensuing kickoff back 54 yards to the Bishop's 38.
The Vikings' drive stalled, resulting in a turnover on downs as Coach Matt Morrison went for it on 4th-and-10 and Cole Dimich's pass to Patricio Castillejos fell incomplete. Bishop's never looked back, holding La Jolla (finishing 7-5) to 40 total yards in the first half while piling up 215 itself. The Knights built up a commanding 28-0 halftime lead.
Coach Matt Morrison's streaking Viking team had outscored opponents 219-8 during its 5-0 run over the last half of the season, including a 34-0 thrashing of host Del Norte in the first round of the playoffs last week.
But the magic was not to continue on this night, as Viking quarterback Cole Dimich struggled with four interceptions, and running options Daniel McColl and Dockery were bottled up by the stout Knights defense.
Coach Joel Allen's maroon-and-gold have now won all 11 of its 2016 games, and faces Valley
Center in the Division 3 title game Fri., Nov. 25.
It was a successful first season for new coach Morrison, who wasn't named the new La Jolla head coach until late winter and wasn't able to hold his initial spring workouts until the end of May and first week of June.
Having to learn new systems on both offense and defense, the Vikings struggled in early going, despite winning their season opener at Montgomery. But then, in week seven of the season on Oct. 14, La Jolla defeated Serra and began its five-game ride, playing stingy defense while being powered on offense by their two running backs plus Dimich, who was effective running while adequate in Morrison's air attack. Special teams added a spark with some key plays.
La Jolla's defense was able to hold on Bishop's second drive of the evening. Two penalties aided the Vikings' effort. They were also able deny the Knights' on their next possession, holding the score to 7-0 through the first quarter--despite Dimich's first interception, handing Bishop's a short field at the Viking 33.
But then the capable Knight offense led by junior quarterback Jeffrey Jackson broke through after another Dimich interception. Jackson leapt over a goal-line stand at the one to score at the end of an 11-play, 58-yard drive, but it was still only 14-0 with seven minutes left in the first half.
The Vikings were hurt in rapid succession by Yohann Ponsaty's fumble after a Dimich completion to him that Bishop's speedy Hasant Moses scooped up and ran in from the 25 at 5:51. Then in a bizarre play two minutes later, the snap went past punter Kenny Hayden into the end zone on 4th-and-13 from La Jolla's own 17. The lefty ran back and grabbed the ball, then with Knight defenders next to him tried to punt the ball but it squirted out onto the ground, where junior Garth Erdossy fell on it for the touchdown.
In the span of three and a half minutes, the Bishop's lead had ballooned from 14 points to 28.
To the credit of the Vikings' defense, it didn't allow the Knight offense to score again in the half, though Bishop's was knocking at the door. La Jolla held on 4th-and-10 at the Viking 22, as Jackson's pass fell short.
After the lead increased to 49 in the third quarter, officials went to a running clock for the fourth quarter.
La Jolla's five-game win streak was snapped as Bishop's dominated in every phase of the game to shut out the Vikings on their own home field, 49-0, Fri., Nov. 18, in a CIF Division 3 quarterfinal football playoff.
After the Knights, who by right of higher seed were designated the home team--though the game was played on the Vikings' new home turf in Edwards Stadium--scored on Mozes Mooney's 6-yard run to complete an 80-yard drive and open the game with a 7-0 lead, La Jolla's Alex Dockery ran the ensuing kickoff back 54 yards to the Bishop's 38.
The Vikings' drive stalled, resulting in a turnover on downs as Coach Matt Morrison went for it on 4th-and-10 and Cole Dimich's pass to Patricio Castillejos fell incomplete. Bishop's never looked back, holding La Jolla (finishing 7-5) to 40 total yards in the first half while piling up 215 itself. The Knights built up a commanding 28-0 halftime lead.
Coach Matt Morrison's streaking Viking team had outscored opponents 219-8 during its 5-0 run over the last half of the season, including a 34-0 thrashing of host Del Norte in the first round of the playoffs last week.
But the magic was not to continue on this night, as Viking quarterback Cole Dimich struggled with four interceptions, and running options Daniel McColl and Dockery were bottled up by the stout Knights defense.
Coach Joel Allen's maroon-and-gold have now won all 11 of its 2016 games, and faces Valley
Center in the Division 3 title game Fri., Nov. 25.
It was a successful first season for new coach Morrison, who wasn't named the new La Jolla head coach until late winter and wasn't able to hold his initial spring workouts until the end of May and first week of June.
Having to learn new systems on both offense and defense, the Vikings struggled in early going, despite winning their season opener at Montgomery. But then, in week seven of the season on Oct. 14, La Jolla defeated Serra and began its five-game ride, playing stingy defense while being powered on offense by their two running backs plus Dimich, who was effective running while adequate in Morrison's air attack. Special teams added a spark with some key plays.
La Jolla's defense was able to hold on Bishop's second drive of the evening. Two penalties aided the Vikings' effort. They were also able deny the Knights' on their next possession, holding the score to 7-0 through the first quarter--despite Dimich's first interception, handing Bishop's a short field at the Viking 33.
But then the capable Knight offense led by junior quarterback Jeffrey Jackson broke through after another Dimich interception. Jackson leapt over a goal-line stand at the one to score at the end of an 11-play, 58-yard drive, but it was still only 14-0 with seven minutes left in the first half.
The Vikings were hurt in rapid succession by Yohann Ponsaty's fumble after a Dimich completion to him that Bishop's speedy Hasant Moses scooped up and ran in from the 25 at 5:51. Then in a bizarre play two minutes later, the snap went past punter Kenny Hayden into the end zone on 4th-and-13 from La Jolla's own 17. The lefty ran back and grabbed the ball, then with Knight defenders next to him tried to punt the ball but it squirted out onto the ground, where junior Garth Erdossy fell on it for the touchdown.
In the span of three and a half minutes, the Bishop's lead had ballooned from 14 points to 28.
To the credit of the Vikings' defense, it didn't allow the Knight offense to score again in the half, though Bishop's was knocking at the door. La Jolla held on 4th-and-10 at the Viking 22, as Jackson's pass fell short.
After the lead increased to 49 in the third quarter, officials went to a running clock for the fourth quarter.
Friday, November 11, 2016
LJ FB 34, Del Norte 0
By Ed Piper, Jr.
Defensive lineman Joey Liss verbalized La Jolla's dominance and attitude going into the second half Fri., Nov. 11, when he said, "We're not going to take our foot off the pedal."
Liss, the comeback kid playing in his second straight game after treatment for a tumor in his leg, and his mates incrementally built leads over host Del Norte of 14-0 at the end of the first quarter, and 28-0 at halftime in their first-round Division 3 CIF playoff game.
La Jolla won the right to face Bishop's next Fri., Nov. 18, in the second round of the playoffs by shutting out Del Norte, 34-0.
It was the streaking Vikings' fifth straight win, including their final three games in the City League.
The Vikings' (7-4) defensive unit limited the Nighthawks' (4-7) offense to 23 total yards over the first 24 minutes.
Meanwhile, Nick Hammel, normally gaining attention for his work on defense, made three outstanding catches on offense in the opening quarter, totaling 107 yards. In addition, head coach Matt Morrison's offense employed liberal amounts of runs by crafty back Alex Dockery and bruising Daniel McColl.
Quarterback Cole Dimich led La Jolla to its first touchdown on its second possession, with "Dock" running over from seven yards out. Tai Nguyen's kick made the score 7-0.
When the Vikings got the ball back after the defense forced Del Norte's Scott McKirdy to make one of many punts on the night, Yohann Ponsaty plunged over from six yards for the second score. Nguyen's PAT put the visitors in the lead, 14-0.
Senior quarterback Jake Moore was struggling under the pressure applied by the La Jolla defensive unit. The Vikings were also able to limit Nighthawk receiving star D'Angelo Gunter, who head coach Patrick Coleman said has offers from BYU and Hawaii. Gunter showed speed but wasn't allowed a lot of room to operate by the swarming LJHS defense.
A lightning strike by La Jolla came in the last 2:22 of the half when, first, Dockery completed a quick drive from the LJHS 45 by running over from seven yards out. His TD came with 44 seconds left on the scoreboard.
Then, after La Jolla's punt return unit was flagged for penalties twice in a row, giving McKirdy a third punt attempt, the Vikings' Gabe Solis ran the ball all the way back from the LJHS 35 for a 65-yard touchdown. The clock read :04 as Nguyen completed first-half scoring with a PAT, 28-0.
Before the game, Morrison, taking a break from listening to Phil Collins' "In the Air" and Van Halen's "Right Now" on his ear buds to get ready for the game, said his team needed to continue to play "fast and physical"--"the way we've been playing."
His players heeded his wishes. They dominated Del Norte during the first half. Then, in the third quarter, Hammel, on a tear, made his fourth reception on an excellent catch at the left sideline, the visitors' side. It came on 3rd-and-2 and went for 17 yards from Dimich. That gave Hammel 124 yards receiving to that point, though La Jolla wasn't able to score on the drive.
The drive had started on a short field at the Nighthawk 42 after Johnathan O'Neal blocked McKirdy's punt. The special teams unit had been harrying the burly Del Norte punter all night before finally getting to him.
The Vikings were able to score again late in the third quarter on a six-yard connection between Dimich and "Dock" for Alex's third TD of the night. Cole put the ball in the right back corner of the end zone for Dockery to catch. The PAT failed. That made the score 34-0.
La Jolla amassed 250 total yards on offense, passing and receiving, in the first half, to Del Norte's paltry 23 yards.
Defensive lineman Joey Liss verbalized La Jolla's dominance and attitude going into the second half Fri., Nov. 11, when he said, "We're not going to take our foot off the pedal."
Liss, the comeback kid playing in his second straight game after treatment for a tumor in his leg, and his mates incrementally built leads over host Del Norte of 14-0 at the end of the first quarter, and 28-0 at halftime in their first-round Division 3 CIF playoff game.
La Jolla won the right to face Bishop's next Fri., Nov. 18, in the second round of the playoffs by shutting out Del Norte, 34-0.
It was the streaking Vikings' fifth straight win, including their final three games in the City League.
The Vikings' (7-4) defensive unit limited the Nighthawks' (4-7) offense to 23 total yards over the first 24 minutes.
Meanwhile, Nick Hammel, normally gaining attention for his work on defense, made three outstanding catches on offense in the opening quarter, totaling 107 yards. In addition, head coach Matt Morrison's offense employed liberal amounts of runs by crafty back Alex Dockery and bruising Daniel McColl.
Quarterback Cole Dimich led La Jolla to its first touchdown on its second possession, with "Dock" running over from seven yards out. Tai Nguyen's kick made the score 7-0.
When the Vikings got the ball back after the defense forced Del Norte's Scott McKirdy to make one of many punts on the night, Yohann Ponsaty plunged over from six yards for the second score. Nguyen's PAT put the visitors in the lead, 14-0.
Senior quarterback Jake Moore was struggling under the pressure applied by the La Jolla defensive unit. The Vikings were also able to limit Nighthawk receiving star D'Angelo Gunter, who head coach Patrick Coleman said has offers from BYU and Hawaii. Gunter showed speed but wasn't allowed a lot of room to operate by the swarming LJHS defense.
A lightning strike by La Jolla came in the last 2:22 of the half when, first, Dockery completed a quick drive from the LJHS 45 by running over from seven yards out. His TD came with 44 seconds left on the scoreboard.
Then, after La Jolla's punt return unit was flagged for penalties twice in a row, giving McKirdy a third punt attempt, the Vikings' Gabe Solis ran the ball all the way back from the LJHS 35 for a 65-yard touchdown. The clock read :04 as Nguyen completed first-half scoring with a PAT, 28-0.
Before the game, Morrison, taking a break from listening to Phil Collins' "In the Air" and Van Halen's "Right Now" on his ear buds to get ready for the game, said his team needed to continue to play "fast and physical"--"the way we've been playing."
His players heeded his wishes. They dominated Del Norte during the first half. Then, in the third quarter, Hammel, on a tear, made his fourth reception on an excellent catch at the left sideline, the visitors' side. It came on 3rd-and-2 and went for 17 yards from Dimich. That gave Hammel 124 yards receiving to that point, though La Jolla wasn't able to score on the drive.
The drive had started on a short field at the Nighthawk 42 after Johnathan O'Neal blocked McKirdy's punt. The special teams unit had been harrying the burly Del Norte punter all night before finally getting to him.
The Vikings were able to score again late in the third quarter on a six-yard connection between Dimich and "Dock" for Alex's third TD of the night. Cole put the ball in the right back corner of the end zone for Dockery to catch. The PAT failed. That made the score 34-0.
La Jolla amassed 250 total yards on offense, passing and receiving, in the first half, to Del Norte's paltry 23 yards.
Saturday, November 5, 2016
LJ FB: CIF possibility
By Ed Piper, Jr.
Following Patrick Henry's 34-0 shellacking of Serra Fri., Nov. 4, the Patriots and La Jolla hold identical 42.40 values in the CIF San Diego Section Power Rankings.
At this writing, La Jolla is placed eighth, Patrick Henry ninth among the 16 teams in Division 3. However, the Vikings dropped their face-to-face matchup with Henry when the two teams met in City League play, so this would seem to dictate the Pats get to host any first-round playoff game between them.
Stay tuned for the official CIF pairings, which will be finalized Saturday morning and published by the early afternoon on the CIF SDS website. Game times are 7 p.m. on Nov. 11.
By the way, Henry's win over the Q's grants the San Carlos campus the City League championship outright. La Jolla finishes 3-1 in league play, behind the Pats' spotless 4-0 record, including a decisive win over University City two weeks ago.
On a night on which the Lakers, without a single all-star, upset the top-ranked Golden State Warriors and stopped Steph Curry's streak of 157 straight games with a three-pointer, anything could happen. Maybe a first-round home game for the Vikings?
Following Patrick Henry's 34-0 shellacking of Serra Fri., Nov. 4, the Patriots and La Jolla hold identical 42.40 values in the CIF San Diego Section Power Rankings.
At this writing, La Jolla is placed eighth, Patrick Henry ninth among the 16 teams in Division 3. However, the Vikings dropped their face-to-face matchup with Henry when the two teams met in City League play, so this would seem to dictate the Pats get to host any first-round playoff game between them.
Stay tuned for the official CIF pairings, which will be finalized Saturday morning and published by the early afternoon on the CIF SDS website. Game times are 7 p.m. on Nov. 11.
By the way, Henry's win over the Q's grants the San Carlos campus the City League championship outright. La Jolla finishes 3-1 in league play, behind the Pats' spotless 4-0 record, including a decisive win over University City two weeks ago.
On a night on which the Lakers, without a single all-star, upset the top-ranked Golden State Warriors and stopped Steph Curry's streak of 157 straight games with a three-pointer, anything could happen. Maybe a first-round home game for the Vikings?
Friday, November 4, 2016
LJ FB 58, Hoover 0
By Ed Piper, Jr.
Just as could be expected, La Jolla's football team cut through host Hoover's defense like a knife through soft butter, piling up a 44-0 first quarter lead and 51-0 at halftime, in both teams' regular-season finale Fri., Nov. 4. The visitors took home a final 58-0 victory.
The Vikings played in expectation of the announcement of their first-round matchup in the CIF Division 3 playoffs, due to come in the late morning Saturday.
Coach Matt Morrison's first squad at La Jolla (now 6-4 overall), the first LJHS team to play in the new City League, also had an eye on the scoreboard as their 2-1 league record lent the possibility that they could end up the night tying for the league title with help from Serra.
Patrick Henry, at 3-0, went into its tilt with the Q's as the conference leader. The Patriots came from behind to defeat University City two weeks ago, capitalizing on three late turnovers by the Centurions. UC had a nonleague game Friday.
The Vikings (now 3-1 in league), spoiling the Cardinals' Senior Night, scored in the first quarter behind runs by David McColl and Alex Dockery, a long pass play to Patricio Castillejos from Cole Dimich, a run by Yohann Ponsaty, a pick-six by Nick Hammel, and another rushing touchdown from McColl. All are seniors. Tai Nguyen, another senior, delivered the point-after kicks to punctuate each TD.
After Dockery went over for another TD on a 19-yard run to the left to start the second quarter, making the score 51-0 with Nguyen's PAT, Hoover coach Jimmy Morgans asked referees for a running clock and Morrison agreed.
By then, backup quarterback Kenny Hayden was warming up to take over for Dimich. Dockery, getting treatment for a cramp in his right hip after his second TD plunge, was informed he was done for the night. "I am?" he asked incredulously.
Sideline statistician and former offensive coordinator Mike Wyskoski pointed out with one minute left on the clock in the opening quarter: "They're scoring four points a minute." That's an unprecedented clip.
The visitors added a touchdown in the third quarter on a pick-six interception by Evan Brown, to close out scoring with 58 points. Hoover did not present a credible threat to score all evening.
Cardinal quarterback Jack Fanning, a 6'2" left-hander, and mini-back Mark Marcelo, one of the seniors honored before the game, handled most of the offensive burden for the host team.
La Jolla was enjoying the ease and freedom of scoring against Hoover. They weren't celebrating to stick it in the Cards' noses. After all, Morgans' team lost an 1,800-yard rusher from last year when his grandfather passed away and he moved to Louisiana, plus other key personnel. The Cardinals kept their heads up and finally scored their only points of the season last week late in a loss against Patrick Henry. "They were big," said Morgans of the Patriots.
The Vikings enjoyed a spell in the schedule that favored them, and they certainly benefitted from the new league alignment by power rankings, which put them up against teams more comparable in ability this year.
Morrison's squad, playing its best football of the season, has scorched Serra, UC, and now Hoover in successive weeks to close out City League play.
Just as could be expected, La Jolla's football team cut through host Hoover's defense like a knife through soft butter, piling up a 44-0 first quarter lead and 51-0 at halftime, in both teams' regular-season finale Fri., Nov. 4. The visitors took home a final 58-0 victory.
The Vikings played in expectation of the announcement of their first-round matchup in the CIF Division 3 playoffs, due to come in the late morning Saturday.
Coach Matt Morrison's first squad at La Jolla (now 6-4 overall), the first LJHS team to play in the new City League, also had an eye on the scoreboard as their 2-1 league record lent the possibility that they could end up the night tying for the league title with help from Serra.
Patrick Henry, at 3-0, went into its tilt with the Q's as the conference leader. The Patriots came from behind to defeat University City two weeks ago, capitalizing on three late turnovers by the Centurions. UC had a nonleague game Friday.
The Vikings (now 3-1 in league), spoiling the Cardinals' Senior Night, scored in the first quarter behind runs by David McColl and Alex Dockery, a long pass play to Patricio Castillejos from Cole Dimich, a run by Yohann Ponsaty, a pick-six by Nick Hammel, and another rushing touchdown from McColl. All are seniors. Tai Nguyen, another senior, delivered the point-after kicks to punctuate each TD.
After Dockery went over for another TD on a 19-yard run to the left to start the second quarter, making the score 51-0 with Nguyen's PAT, Hoover coach Jimmy Morgans asked referees for a running clock and Morrison agreed.
By then, backup quarterback Kenny Hayden was warming up to take over for Dimich. Dockery, getting treatment for a cramp in his right hip after his second TD plunge, was informed he was done for the night. "I am?" he asked incredulously.
Sideline statistician and former offensive coordinator Mike Wyskoski pointed out with one minute left on the clock in the opening quarter: "They're scoring four points a minute." That's an unprecedented clip.
The visitors added a touchdown in the third quarter on a pick-six interception by Evan Brown, to close out scoring with 58 points. Hoover did not present a credible threat to score all evening.
Cardinal quarterback Jack Fanning, a 6'2" left-hander, and mini-back Mark Marcelo, one of the seniors honored before the game, handled most of the offensive burden for the host team.
La Jolla was enjoying the ease and freedom of scoring against Hoover. They weren't celebrating to stick it in the Cards' noses. After all, Morgans' team lost an 1,800-yard rusher from last year when his grandfather passed away and he moved to Louisiana, plus other key personnel. The Cardinals kept their heads up and finally scored their only points of the season last week late in a loss against Patrick Henry. "They were big," said Morgans of the Patriots.
The Vikings enjoyed a spell in the schedule that favored them, and they certainly benefitted from the new league alignment by power rankings, which put them up against teams more comparable in ability this year.
Morrison's squad, playing its best football of the season, has scorched Serra, UC, and now Hoover in successive weeks to close out City League play.
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