LJ FB 27, Marina 14 - Southern California Regionals Final

In a snapshot of the online NFHS game coverage, Viking QB
Jackson Stratton (in red pants) looks to the far sideline
for a play call early in the third quarter,
the score tied 14-14. (Photos by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

La Jolla, trailing 14-7 with 7:13 left in the first half, scored three unanswered touchdowns the rest of the way to defeat host Marina 27-14 in the final of the Southern California Regionals Sat., Dec. 7, at Westminster High in Orange County.

Diego Solis, who shared the spotlight three weeks previous with his scoring reception as time ran out against Brawley in the San Diego CIF semifinals, found himself again in quarterback Jackson Stratton's sights with three TD's to help down the Vikings from Huntington Beach (who wear purple).

The lefty playmaker grabbed passes of 44 yards, 10 yards, and finally one yard as the San Diegans overcame deficits of 7-0 and 14-7 and pulled away to win the shot at the state title Sat., Dec. 14.

La Jolla (10-4), since first fielding a football team in 1924, the school's third year of existence, has never played this late into a season. The Vikings last won a CIF championship in 1993, but no state playoff system was in place at that time, hence no opportunity to play on.

The LJHS Vikings defense followed a familiar pattern in this contest. Four times this year, Defensive Coordinator Charles Bussey's unit has yielded a touchdown on the opponent's opening drive. This game was to be no exception, as Marina QB Gavin Del Toro marched the purple Vikings 90 yards on 13 plays to gain an early 7-0 lead with only six minutes transpired.

The drive looked too easy, never disrupted by La Jolla. Maybe the visitors were out of their element? Maybe the long bus ride had left them stiff, unready for the high-stakes game?

At the start of the game's opening drive, the La Jolla defense
(in red and white) lines up against the purple Vikings of Marina.

But Bussey, as he has before, made the necessary adjustments and La Jolla shut down Del Toro, running back Pharaoh Rush (great name), and receiver Eric Church but for one more TD the remaining three and a half quarters. The loss broke Marina's streak of seven wins in a row.

The adjustments have turned the tide against almost every early deficit, except for Lincoln Oct. 18, when the Hornets proved to be too big, too powerful, and too fast in a 32-7 drubbing. That squad went on to play in the San Diego Division 1 final, losing to Oceanside.

With its impact, the La Jolla defense gained recognition in the form of linebacker Max Smith being named to the CIF San Diego Section First Team, the honor being announced the morning of the Marina matchup. This is a rare award for a Viking football player, certainly in recent memory.

The 5'10", 197-pound two-way man provided a spark with an accelerating 35-yard touchdown run arcing toward the right sideline as he out-ran several defenders to tie the game 14-14 just before the half. Devin Bale made the PAT kick. La Jolla never trailed again.

Max had been shut down on the ground a week earlier, by a Scripps Ranch defense that keyed on him. Makai Smith was the beneficiary of all the focus on the other Smith.

Stratton, for his part, looked active from early on. Head Coach Tyler Roach, who is also the Vikings' Offensive Coordinator, called plays that allowed the sophomore to begin to move the ball in the air. It worked.

In the first half, alongside Max Smith's seven carries on the ground, Stratton was 9 for 14 for 133 yards in the air, with the one TD to Solis. La Jolla, in the half, had 171 total yards on offense. They average about 250 a half. The Vikings earned five first downs, on two penalties, with no turnovers.

Meanwhile, on the other side during the initial half, Marina (12-3) ran the ball 17 times for 100 yards. Rush had nine carries for 58 yards. Del Toro, at quarterback, was 12 for 16 for 101 yards, for a total of 201 yards total offense.

The blue Vikings had 10 first downs, and no turnovers in the half.

La Jolla, the Division 3 CIF champion in San Diego, has now won six games in a row, heading into Saturday's title game at Escalon High, north of Modesto. Roach said the team plans to travel the seven hours north on Friday. That way, team members can get a night's rest and stretch their legs out a little before the 6 p.m. game.