By Ed Piper
The one cog in La Jolla's offensive machine who hasn't gotten a deserved shoutout yet is "Carolina", Aidan McGill. He grinds out the rough yardage when the Vikings either want variety, with a change from quarterback Jackson Diehl's aerial tosses or runs, or when they just want to keep the ball safe, use up the clock, and plow for more yardage.
The safe mode kicked in Sept. 1, week 3 at El Capitan, after Diehl was sidelined with an ankle issue. Fill-in QB Huddy Smith handed the ball to "Carolina", as he is known by teammates and the coaching staff due to his former residence in South Carolina, five times in one possession.
With 8:06 on the clock in the second quarter, "'lina", as Aidan is called when his nickname is shortened, ran on first-and-10; after a 23-yard rush, on the resulting first-and-10; after two more first downs, on second-and-one for 17 yards; first-and-goal on the El Capitan three-yard line for two yards; another handoff after a timeout by La Jolla with 2:43 left in the quarter; and yet a third carry on something-and-goal after a flag against the Vikings, when McGill was stuffed at the line of scrimmage from the one.
At that point, kicker Evan Martin was sent in to kick a field goal for a 24-7 lead.
That was vintage "Carolina", when Coach Tyler Roach needed a steady, no-frills regular who would take the ball, keep it secure, yet give the Viking offense some push toward the end zone.
Aidan ended up with 66 hard-earned yards on the ground, on 13 carries.
Go back to La Jolla's season opener at home against Bishop's Aug. 25. In the Vikings' 41-19 romp over their crosstown rivals, McGill rushed for 103 yards on 15 carries.
None of the real estate that "Carolina" picks up is easy. He's the one everyone watches when they take a breather--he kicks into gear.
Yet the 5'8" runner, a compact 190 pounds, is the friendliest guy despite the crunching contact he creates on the field. When a reporter visited preseason practice back in mid-August and was taking photos, during stretching "Carolina" flipped a thumbs-up signal to the camera as he warmed up next to Bonnett.
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