LJ FB: 'They're a high-powered offense'

Junior Ty Buchner, Bishop's QB,

before the game against La Jolla

in week one.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

La Jolla coach Tyler Roach credited the Vikings' defense and game plan for keeping Bishop's within nine points in week one.

"Bishop's is a high-powered offense, I don't care what people say," Roach said before La Jolla's game against Mission Bay Fri., Aug. 30. "We didn't want to get into a shootout (with Bishop's). We wanted to stay close."

His comments in the afternoon of week two's game came in the context of what kind of game plan the Vikings were going to employ against the Bucs, who didn't present the same problems as the Knights. Bishop's features, among other weapons, junior quarterback Ty Buchner, who is committed to Notre Dame.

In the season opener at Edwards Stadium, La Jolla led their rivals 7-6 midway into the third quarter, and finally fell 18-9. The result was a great improvement over previous matchups between the two teams, which had resulted in blowouts for Bishop's, including two 42-7 games.

At 3:30 p.m. on August 30, Roach, in a phone interview, predicted, "You're going to see them (Bishop's) put up a lot more than 18 points, I guarantee you."

Four hours later, the Knights were well into the process of annihilating University City, winning 58-12, including 33 points in the first quarter.

It was as if all the frustration of being limited to two touchdowns by the Vikings--plus a full year of waiting after Buchner went out on the first series of downs in the season opener in 2018 with an ACL tear--was to be taken care of in one torrent of offensive production.

Roach, back in his comments on Mission Bay, did say he was going to open up his offense a lot more in game two: "We're going to increase the tempo on offense tonight." La Jolla scored 34 points against the Bucs, including a Jackson Stratton-to-Cooper McNally touchdown pass on the opening drive, a rushing TD by Max Smith on the Vikings' third drive later in the first quarter, and an aerial to Makai Smith for another score at the end of the second quarter.