LJ FB: Me as OC

By Ed Piper

You would never want this to be true, but make me Offensive Coordinator for the Vikings for one game, Homecoming, tonight (it's 11:30 a.m., Fri., Oct. 2), and here's what I would do.

Mind you, I'm an amateur. I never played football (our mother prohibited my brother and me from playing), never coached it, never learned it. My only schooling is watching La Jolla, primarily, for the past decade and a half, and observing and learning from Head Coach Tyler Roach as much as I can from a distance--and the occasional interview.

I'd have La Jolla do what the Vikes do best: Start sophomore Ty Tortorice and let him direct the offense, gain some momentum. Roach always--without exception--elects to receive the opening kickoff, whenever that is possible during the pregame coin flip, to gain early momentum and get the ball rolling, literally.

Turn running back Kali Deberry loose, employing him on rushes frequently in the early going. Throw Joseph Crudo, the other back, in there for a good sprinkling of rushes. Both run between the tackles, and Crudo also swings outside for the occasion ground-gainer.

Set senior athlete/playmaker Nico Bardaro up for a jet sweep here and there--he usually swings to the right, starting out on the left.

Up and rolling, with the defense doing a good job of doing the basics, staying with their fundamentals (this is how I played basketball my senior year in high school eons ago), stopping the visiting Falcons from Scripps Ranch.

Make adjustments. Go with what the game gives you on offense and defense. Your good athletes on La Jolla are going to play both ways, so they'll be busy in the heat (already picking up right now in Clairemont: 85.6 degrees at 11:37 a.m.) and doing the jobs.

At an opportune time, insert junior Brody Bukich at quarterback, say, once the second quarter moves midway through the dozen minutes. Give him short routes to throw, looking for freshman Zakai Jackson, Deberry, and Crudo moving about. Let him get comfortable as he steps into the shoes of leadership this night.

Go from there. I don't know of particular tendencies Scripps Ranch has, but Roach does. This is the same Scripps Ranch where Marlon Gardinera carried on such a great rivalry with Roach and the Vikings, especially the Max Smith game in which the linebacker lined up on the line and jumped across the instant the ball was hiked and caught it in mid-air--then QB Jackson Stratton engineered a quick-strike touchdown. La Jolla pulled off an incredible last-minute comeback during a league game in the late 2010's.

Fortunately, Gardinera retired at the end of the 2025 season, so his successor, John Taylor, has to carry the reins. A quick look at MaxPreps shows the Falcons are struggling more than the Vikings, having yet to win a game this season (0-5). This is the time, this is the place tonight at Edwards Stadium for La Jolla to celebrate a good Homecoming.

By the way, Scripps Ranch, showing itself to be pretty weak so far, suffered a blowout Eastern League loss to San Diego last Friday, Sept. 25, 35-6. Their efforts the week before didn't go much better, losing 42-21 to Mira Mesa Sept. 18. Poway is good, and the Falcons lost to the Titans 16-0 on opening night back on Aug. 21.