The Pipeline

Wednesday, October 28, 2026

LJ FH: Game review 10/27

By Ed Piper

Senior forward Reese Lejuwaan scored a goal with 8:37 left in the first quarter, and La Jolla (now 6-3 in the City League, 16-6 overall) defended Cathedral Catholic the rest of the way to take home a 1-0 victory from the Carmel Valley campus Tues., Oct. 27.

Lejuwaan, a 5'8" returner from last year's varsity, received an assist from teammate Ella Pearl for the score.

The Dons fall to 1-8 in league, 5-12 overall, with one game left ahead of next week's playoffs.

Recently, Viking head coach Amanda Combs Warford was proud of her unit for prevailing over Canyon Hills in overtime, 2-1, on Oct. 6. The game was played during the first round of City League play. Warford pointed out that the Rattlers, under coach Kat Keivens, have four NCAA Division 1 commits, to Harvard, Columbia, Cal, and UC Davis.

In the current posting on MaxPreps (updated Oct. 26), La Jolla is ranked fifth in the San Diego Section, behind Bishop's (1), Canyon Hills (3), and Scripps Ranch (4).

The Vikings, in Warford's 10th season, are ranked seventh in the state. They are partially helped by a good strength of schedule rating of 11.48.

LJ FH 1, Cathedral Catholic 0 - 2nd round, Western League - 10/27

Photos by Ed Piper

Monday, October 26, 2026

LJ FB: Roach comments on QB's

By Ed Piper

About three weeks ago, La Jolla High Head Football Coach Tyler Roach commented on his two quarterbacks this season.

"It's the eternal question. Whether Brody (Bukich) or Ty (Tortorice) starts," he said. "Brody came in late as a transfer during the summer, so it has taken him a while to get his footing. He has a quick release, kind of like Huddy (Hudson Smith, 2024 and 2025). Ty has an unorthodox throwing motion."

Roach is going to have a lot of patience with Bukich, who came from Mt. Carmel High and was the starting quarterback for the Sun Devil freshmen, then the Sun Devil JV's, according to him.

LJ FB: Q&A with Stephen Cooper, former Charger and present SDHS head coach

By Ed Piper

Stephen Cooper is the first-year football coach at San Diego High, which La Jolla played Fri., Oct. 23. He played for the San Diego Chargers as a linebacker for nine years. Stephen is the father of Kye Cooper, a senior linebacker for the Cavers who is a Division 1 commit at SDSU next year.

In the short interview before the game, Coach Cooper was serious, focused, specific (in naming players to watch on his offense and defense). He did not give more information than he was asked for. The last question, I used as a teaser, not having previously thought exactly what I would ask him.

(I introduced myself and put a hand out to shake.)

A: How are you doing? Nice to meet you.

Cooper: What do you guys do well?

Cooper: There are a lot of guys on the field. We just try to maximize what we do.

Q: You guys have had some close games.

Cooper: (No reply)

A: (kept going to try to elicit a response) You've had some good victories. It's kind of you guys, UC, La Jolla in a scramble.

Cooper: Yeah.

Q: Who should we be looking for on offense?

Cooper: Offensively, our quarterback, Jayden Harris, number 11; Delontay Williams and Kye Cooper, number 1 and number 4; Jayden Johnson at running back, number 2.

Q: Anybody remind you of you (in your playing days)?

A: (a slight smile) No, that day of being a dog and being a killer out here are long gone. These kids are too nice, but on the other hand, they're having fun doing it

Saturday, October 24, 2026

LJ FB: Game review 10/23

Vikings captains head toward midfield

for the pregame coin toss: (from left)

Evan Martinson (55), Zach Gergurich (75),

Nico Bardaro (15), and Joseph Crudo (10).

(Photos by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

After hard-running Joseph Crudo carried the ball 20 yards to pay dirt to bring La Jolla to within striking distance of host San Diego, 21-14, the Cavers broke Viking fans' hearts with a 65-yard TD by Kye Cooper, a D1 commit to SDSU and the son of former Charger linebacker Stephen Cooper, the new coach for SDHS, with 2:07 left in the game.

The matchup was played between two long-time area schools--La Jolla High was founded in 1922, San Diego High in 1882--in historic Balboa Stadium, which once was the scene for President Woodrow Wilson's speech supporting the establishment of the League of Nations, a concert by the Beatles, and many other events. The site, featuring a U-shaped, double-deck stadium that held 40,000 for the Chargers to play there during the 1960's, was demolished due to earthquake standards and rebuilt as the present small high school football venue in 1978.

"I was born in 1969, after all that," said Caver assistant coach Frank Buncom III, whose father, Frank Jr., played linebacker for the AFL Chargers, before the game when asked about the history of the place. His father, he said, is a member of the Chargers' Ring of Honor, now presumably housed at Petco Park in the Breitbard Hall of Fame.

LJ back Joseph Crudo (10) drags tackler

Xavier Wilson on a five-yard gain

in the third quarter. Crudo scored

a key TD to close the scoring gap

late in the game.

Back to present day, the Vikings had one last gap in a TD by senior Nico Bardaro, covering 22 yards on a pass from quarterback Brody Bukich. That made the score 28-21. When La Jolla recovered an onside kick with 28 seconds left, Bukich fired a Hail Mary pass up into the air, but Caver defenders knocked it down, and that was the game.

La Jolla falls to 2-2 in the Eastern League, 3-6 overall, with one game remaining.

Both teams made a lot of mistakes. The game was San Diego High's Homecoming, in which the senior couple was announced and presented in a parade of muscle cars around the track during halftime with the freshman, sophomore, and junior couples.