LJ wrestling @ Point Loma 1/15 - Match story

By Ed Piper

A few things happened at La Jolla's wrestling dual meet at Point Loma Jan. 15:

--Noah Pace, aka "The Noah Constrictor" (stitched onto the back of his letterman's jacket), surgically went about his match at 126 pounds and recorded a pin in the first period after building a quick 7-0 lead.

--The home crowd for Senior Night got pretty raucous during the 175-pound bout with the Vikings' Jayden Williams. The two wrestlers were big and muscular, and Jayden, a proficient practitioner of wrestling as a senior, recorded a takedown before giving up nine straight points.

In the second period, Williams came back from being down 9-3 to knotting the match at 13-all, including two straight takedowns and an escape.

By this time, the crowd was going bananas, as each wrestler gained points in rapid succession. Unfortunately for La Jolla, Jayden went down 22-15 in the third period, before being pinned with 50 seconds left, a fall in 5:10.

By the end of that match, the Pointers, with a full-throated assembly excited after their seniors were honored after the opening exhibitions and girls varsity matches, led 39-21.

--The loud festivities continued into the 190-pound match, with the Vikings' Asher Sternberg moving to a fairly rapid pin in 1:14 of the first period, after recording a takedown for three points.

On paper, things were looking up, the visitors only trailing 39-27. But two straight forfeits at 215 and heavyweight were in the offing, so in reality, La Jolla fell by a much larger margin.

LJ wrestling 27, Point Loma 51 - league dual

Photos by Ed Piper

The Vikings' Asher Sternberg (left) has his

hand raised in victory after a pin in 1:14

in the 190-pound bout.

LJ b BB 53, Mira Mesa 69

Junior guard Cole Hein (left)

hits on a runner in opening

minutes against Mira Mesa's

Roan Kangleon.

(Photos by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

La Jolla came up firing blanks as host Mira Mesa went on a 31-8 tear into the second quarter to build a 23-point lead Tues., Jan. 14.

The lead eventually reached 28 points.

The Vikings were able to regroup at halftime, and fought back to draw within seven points with 3:42 left in the game. But the earlier barrage was too much to overcome as they lost, 69-53, to drop their City League record to 1-1.

The Marauders were playing without their all-state player from Hawaii, Tim Dorn, a 6'8" junior, who was sitting on the bench. Dorn, apparently, is a military brat, moving here to San Diego with his family. Mira Mesa may have played better without him on the floor, with a shorter lineup translating to quickness and ball-hawking skill.

Che Lesperance, for one, put in some 3-point daggers at key points. He is a 5'11" guard for coach Jon Pierce.

After the dizzying onslaught by their opponents from an early 4-4 tie to a 35-12 advantage two minutes into the second period, the Vikings looked beaten and retreated to cover.

Coach Paul Baranowski circled the wagons--the chairs for a halftime chat near the scorer's table--but the attack didn't peak until Lesperance's three for a 28-point edge just into the third quarter.

Vikes' Lance Braga (13)

attempts to shoot in the

first half. His defender

is Connor Shea (24).

It was then that guard Brody Sessa and big men Lance Braga and Carson Diehl began to hit on all four cylinders, whittling away at the lead with threes and assists to outscore the hosts 20-6 the rest of the quarter. They thereby halved the lead to 14.

During that run, Cole Hein, the new transfer from Sage Creek, sank his first three.

Then, starting the fourth period, Hein hit his second three, with the Marauder lead down to 11. For a 60-53 margin--the Vikings within 7--Sessa hit Braga underneath for a beautiful assist with just under four minutes left in the contest.

Mira Mesa quickly called a timeout. La Jolla subsequently lost ground as Rashad Agorsah, Jeremiah McCaleb, and teammates went 6-for-6 on free throws for Mira Mesa to close out the 69-53 final margin.

LJ wrestling @ Monte Vista Invitational

Photos by Ed Piper

Junior Noah Pace (124 pounds) get his hand

raised after a pin of La Costa Canyon's

Luke Krunchev with 53 seconds left in the

third period. (See electronic board

at right in photo.) Pace went on to 

fourth place in his weight class.

LJ head coach Kellen Delaney (center)

with colleagues Joey Stofko (left)

and Ryan Lennard at the Monte Vista

meet.

Senior star Jayden Williams (right) wins another

match over a nemesis, Marcus Farano of Christian.

They went the full six minutes--grueling.

And that was only the first round of the day.

LJ g soccer vs. Cathedral Catholic - City League opener

Photos by Ed Piper

LJ goalie Pearl Plaskonos leaps to knock

a shot attempt away in the Viking goal.

Plaskonos had to serve heavy duty as the young

Viking team was forced to play

a lot of defense against a more seasoned

Cathedral squad.

LJ b BB 54, Canyon Hills 52 - Eastern League opener

The Vikings' Lance Braga (13) contorts

as he attempts a shot in the second quarter

against Canyon Hills. He finished

with 22 points in the win.

(Photos by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

Trailing an aroused Canyon Hills team before a home crowd in a newly-refurbished gym from the opening tipoff, La Jolla gained its first lead with 3:15 left on a layup by Lance Braga. Braga hit three more key buckets down the stretch as the Vikings held on for a thrilling 54-52 squeaker in the two teams' City League opener Fri., Jan. 10, in Tierrasanta.

Coach Paul Baranowski's squad (1-0 in league, 14-2 overall) trailed by as many as 14 points midway through the second quarter, and by 11 as late as 4:47 left in the third quarter.

Searching for combinations that would work in an intense game against the Rattlers, Baranowski started Sage Creek transfer Cole Hein in both halves, and subbed among the eight members of his rotation alongside mainstays Leo Hawkinson and Brody Sessa. Those three are all juniors.

As Canyon Hills' shooting came back down to earth, the Vikings slowly chipped away at the lead until the final run. After Braga's fourth basket in a row with 44.2 seconds left, and Sessa hit one of two free throws in the double bonus with 8.5 seconds on the clock, the Rattlers had the ball with 2.0 seconds left--the clock reset from 1.0 seconds by the referees--but fought for the ball at midcourt and couldn't get a shot off.

Braga, the "Wild Horse" of the Vikings a la Yasiel Puig, the former Dodger player, finished with 22 points.

Leo Hawkinson (4) hits a three

with 4:02 left over the Rattlers'

Quentin Goff (23) to bring

the Vikings within one, 46-45.

 "It was a battle," said Hawkinson after the game. "We started off slow. We need to start faster against Mira Mesa (Tues., Jan. 14), because they're a tough team."

Evolving into the team spokesman, the high-scoring guard (17.9 points a game) said, "We played well as a team." Asked about Hein's contributions after two games--the two have nearly identical physiques at 5'7" or 5'8"--Hawkinson said, "He's a shooter and a lockdown defender. He'll (contribute a lot)."

 

LJ wrestling: Ori a delight on mat

Sophomore Ori Mor (top) of La Jolla leads

with some technique before falling in a 14-9

decision to Marcus Farano at 165 pounds.

(Photos by Ed Piper)'

By Ed Piper

One of the more entertaining bouts at the La Jolla-Christian wrestling dual Wed., Jan. 8, was Ori Mor taking on the Patriots' Marcus Farano at 165 pounds.

Farano, like the Vikings' Mor, is big and hulking. At one point, he was lying on top of Ori, holding him in a tight grip, and tried repeatedly to slam his weight against his opponent to force him forward. It was hilarious, like two giant rhinoceri pounding each other, and the spectators in the Ryan Center gym next to Shadow Mountain Church in El Cajon let out a loud chuckle.

Ori, in his hard-working approach, built 4-1 and 7-1 leads on takedowns--the three points now awarded for aggression paying dividends--over the first half of the six minutes of wrestling.

But then things started to get away from him, as Farano came back with a reverse to trail 8-7, then the two battlers ended the second period tied, 9-9.

From there on, it was all Marcus, to the delight of the small home crowd. He escaped for one point, added another single point, then recorded a takedown for the 14-9 victory. Still a good show for all.

The following match was another one worth watching, this time the Vikings' dominating 175-pound Jayden Williams out-vying his counterpart, Tristan Rickert.

At one juncture, there was another body-slamming effort like in the Mor-Farano bout, and the crowd, likewise, let out a laugh.

After trailing early 4-3, the capable Williams took observers through a clinic of how to grind and wear out an opponent: after going ahead 7-4, the La Jolla senior registered back-to-back takedowns for 13-7 the end the second period.

Then, in the third, he pulled an escape for one point, 14-9, and a takedown for 17-9. Somehow the scoreboard showed a 15-11 final result, but that seemed in error.

The Vikings' Jayden Williams (left) sprawls

to foil a shooting attempt by Tristan Rickert

of Christian High in a 15-11 win.