LJ b beach VB: Busy week 9/14-18

By Ed Piper

This week, Sept. 14-18, will be a busy week for the Viking boys beach volleyball team: On Tuesday, they play at The Pit (across the street from the Big Dipper rollercoaster) against Bishop's. On Thursday, they go to La Jolla Country Day to play a match. Finally, to close the week, La Jolla travels to yet a third site, Scripps Ranch, to the play the Falcons.

The Viking boys are being coached this fall by Jared Vollmer, Myles Plaskonos, who just graduated, and Dave Jones. Jones is out temporarily.

The Vikings, thankfully, took a break during the humidity and heat last week (Sept. 7-11) and had part of their schedule postponed and rescheduled.

Some sports went ahead. Some other activities went ahead. For example, the La Jolla football team still held its 9/11 tribute and played Country Day Friday, scoring their first victory of the season, 26-0. (See those entries for the game story and photos.)

There won't be a football game this Friday, Sept. 18. It is a bye week. A bye week is required each football season to give each team a break, different schools having their byes on different weeks to keep the schedule active.

However, the varsity football team--there's always someone who's not entirely comfortable with the water--shows up at the Coggan Family Athletic Complex Tuesday, Sept. 15, to face the Viking varsity boys water polo team in the pool. Usually, the football team gets three goalies, instead of one, because as the goalie you have to tread water and stay up so that you have a chance to block shots.

It looks easy when the swimmers and water polo players do it, but it isn't. To gather yourself and launch yourself up to put a hand up when the opposing team shoots is not something I have ever tried, but the football players will demonstrate how difficult that task obviously is.

Usually, a player or two on the football side has a background of swim team involvement, even water polo team play, and lifts the rest of the roster up. But the match will go down as something like seven points for one football team goal, one point for a water polo team goal. And the water polo team will still win.

See it to believe it.

LJ FB: A weird parallel

By Ed Piper

La Jolla's struggles in football starting the 2026 season (0-3 through last Friday, Sept. 4) weirdly parallel my own attempts to deal with a bad case of COVID over the same period of time.

This Friday's (Sept. 11) game was my first attendance and reporting with some semblance of health. No more bright red eyes (with salt-like grime coming out of them three weeks ago), no more hacking cough (last Friday, the home opener against Point Loma)--I had to leave at halftime with the most recent cough.

The 26-0 victory over visiting La Jolla Country Day left me the chance to catch my breath and finally say, "We're making some headway," for both the Viking football team and for me (and my wife, who I gave COVID).

It was a little bit sad, I have to say honestly, with the Torreys' thrashing at the hands of La Jolla. I had something invested in the visiting team, since they are one of the four schools I rotate (along with LJ, UC, and Bishop's) in covering sports for in the La Jolla Village News/Times of San Diego. Before the game, finally having some voice to use, I worked on a feature about the LJCD team by interviewing the Defensive Coordinator, various players who were available before warmups, and even quarterback Will Bertrand.

The sadness: Will, soon after I interviewed him in one corner of the Viking weight room, was badly injured on a pass play when his lower leg flipped, hyperextending it, and apparently dislocating his hip, all on one unfortunate play. Then his successor at QB, Marvin Jones III, also got carted off the field. Both are spending different kinds of weekends, especially Bertrand, a junior at LJCD, who is going to have to work to rehab his leg after it heals.

I wouldn't have been able to meet him and the others, nor be at the game long, if I hadn't been feeling better. I had a case of COVID back closer to when the pandemic started and hit us locally March 13, 2020, but this one, a "lighter strain", according to someone at the doctor's, hit me much harder. I spent most of last week sleeping several days.

And I'm still not out of the woods.

So, for all those Viking fall athletic teams I haven't been able to cover lately, I'll be back giving you a hard time (I'm kidding, I think) as I feel better and regain some strength.

In Coach Tyler Roach's 10 years at La Jolla High, I don't remember another 0-3 start. It has been rough. But he has always been a head coach and an Offensive Coordinator with a million ideas and ways to involve new players, put playmakers in the fore, and generate more offense when either someone gets injured or the offense just needs more juice.

Right now, running back Kali Deberry is looking like the one to get anyone out of the doldrums. He carried the ball Friday against the Torreys 18 times for 155 yards. He brings to mind Aidan "Carolina" McGill from two years ago, who also gained the hard yardage and ended up being an All-Eastern League running back.

LJ FB: Game story 9/11

By Ed Piper

On a 17-play, length-of-the-field drive to open the game Friday night, Sept. 11, against La Jolla Country Day, junior quarterback Brody Bukich directed the Vikings to their first touchdown of the long night, a one-yard plunge by running back Kali Deberry.

Fittingly, Deberry, one of La Jolla's workhorses this season along with Joseph Crudo, featured in nine of Head Coach Tyler Roach's plays in the sequence.

The possession took just under six minutes (5:43, to be exact). From there, the Torreys, behind 6'6" QB Will Bertrand, threatened on possessions of their own. All of that abruptly came to an end when, near the end of the opening quarter, Bertrand had his leg hyperextend (bend the wrong way) and reportedly his femur (hipbone) was dislocated on an unfortunate play after an incomplete pass to receiver Marvin Jones III.

Bertrand was calm and alert, with his parents on the field. Finally, a Falck ambulance took him away on a gurney and play resumed after nearly 21 minutes of delay. Both teams had to do a short warmup after inactivity the last third of an hour. The 9/11 observance at halftime, with American flags plastered around the stadium, would have to wait, along with the large crowd in attendance.

Late in the second quarter, with the Vikings holding their 7-0 lead, another delay occurred when Jones, filling in for Bertrand at quarterback, went down. It was an unlucky night for Torrey quarterbacks, as the night showed.

Finally, Crudo carried the ball over for La Jolla's TD with 46.1 seconds left in the half, a 14-0 lead. It was Crudo's third play in a row running the ball. Earlier in the drive behind Bukich, Deberry handled the ball in three straight plays.

By then, the Vikings' burning desire to win their first game of the season after four tries overwhelmed Country Day's dwindling resources for the 26-0 final. In the second quarter alone, play had to be stopped multiple times while Torrey players lay on the field, needing assistance before play resumed.

LJ FB 26, LJCD 0 - 9/11 - Week 4

Photos by Ed Piper

Joseph Crudo (10) carries late in the second

quarter. Crudo scored the Vikings' second TD

just before the half to lead 14-0.

LJ's Kali Deberry (23) runs for more bruising

yardage in the first half. Deberry, a junior, and

Crudo, a senior, were the workhorses

in the first half.

LJ Cheer: 9/11 @ FB

Photos by Ed Piper

LJ FB: Stats vs. Point Loma 9/4

LJ tackle Zach Gergurich (75) makes a block

as Joseph Crudo (10, left) scampers by for

a 21-yard gain in the first quarter. The Vikings

went on to score on a 27-yard field goal

by Ryan Hassankani.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

Point Loma (3-0) 52, La Jolla (0-3) 25

Friday, Sept. 4, 2026

Week 3 (of 11)

Blastoff - home opener - Eastern League opener

        1st Qtr        2nd Qtr        3rd Qtr        4th Qtr        Total

LJ        3                    0                15                7        -    25

PL       0                   21               13               18       -    52

Total plays: LJ 72, PL 39

Total yards: LJ 388, PL 543

Passing yards: LJ 252, PL 356

Rushing yards: LJ 136, PL 187

First downs: LJ 18, PL 18

Third down efficiency: LJ 6-14, 43 percent; PL 2-3, 67 percent

Fourth down efficiency: LJ 2-3, 67 percent

Turnovers: LJ 1, PL 1

Fumbles lost: LJ 0, PL 1

Interceptions thrown: LJ 1, PL 0

Penalties: LJ 4, PL 5

Yards: LJ 21, PL 40

PLAYER STATS

Passing

Ty Tortorice (LJ) 20-26 passing, 190 yards, 1 TD, 1 pick, longest 37 yards

Brody Bukich (LJ) 6-7, 62 yards, longest 23 yardsg

Ryder Watson (PL) 17-21, 371 yards, 5 TD's, longest 85 yards

Rushing

Kali Deberry (LJ) 23 carries for 119 yards, 2 TD's, longest 19 yards

Ty Tortorice (LJ) 6 carries for 9 yards, longest 7 yards

Joseph Crudo (LJ) 5 carries for 6 yards

Brody Bukich (LJ) 1 carry for 2 yards

Ryder Watson (PL) 2 carries for 62 yards, 1 TD, longest 58 yards

T Spradling (PL) 2 carries for 55 yards, longest 58 yards

I Standley (PL) 7 carries for 44 yards, 2 TD's, longest 32 yards

N Lemus (PL) 2 carries for 26 yards, longest 23 yards

SCORING SUMMARY

1Q

LJ Ryan Hassankhani 27-yard field goal 3-0

2Q

PL Tanner Spradling 36-yard pass from Ryder Watson (kick) 7-3

PL Ryan Cleator 85-yard pass from Ryder Watson (kick) 14-3

PL Ryder Watson 7-yard run (kick) 21-3

3Q

PL Tanner Spradling 26-yard pass from Ryder Watson (kick) 28-3

LJ Emerson Rota 16-yard pass from Ty Tortorice (kick) 28-10

PL Ryder Watson 58-yard run (kick no good) 34-10

LJ Kali Deberry 1-yard run (Emerson Rota pass from Ty Tortorice for 2-point conversion) 34-18

4Q

PL Aiden Walsh 9-yard pass from Ryder Watson (kick no good) 40-18

PL Isaiah Standley 32-yard run (kick no good) 46-18

LJ Kali Deberry 9-yard run (kick) 46-25

PL Isaiah Standley 2-yard run (kick no good) 52-25

LJ Cheer: Photos - Home opener/Blastoff 9/4

Photos by Ed Piper