LJ FB: 'Juice' on the move

By Ed Piper

Scott "Juice" Hughley said today (Mon., April 20) that he was waiting on word to join the Point Loma High staff to coach the offense.

"Juice", who works at Del Norte High, tried out a position at a local high school last fall--after five years as Associate Head Coach at La Jolla High--before leaving early in the season. His daughter can throw a pretty good spiral, as coached by then-La Jolla High senior Huddy Smith in 2024.

Hughley, sporting a "butterfly" Afro and bushy beard on the DNHS campus at present, would join Ryan Price at PLHS. Point Loma was highly successful under Price, who served as Defensive Coordinator for the Vikings in 2023, last season.

Scott said eight starters would be returning on offense, including Ryder Watson, a 5'11", 175-pound quarterback, who alternated at QB with Henry Heuser, formerly at La Jolla, 6'2", 175. Watson will be a junior, Heuser a senior.

Meanwhile, Viking head coach Tyler Roach said recently that the program is going to go ahead "with who is in the building" at present, lefty thrower/rising senior Emerson Rota, and rising sophomore Ty Tortorice. Both shared time at quarterback in an up-and-down season, along with Carson Diehl in the wildcat and even a try of baseball player Harper Lane behind center.

Smith's concussion status sidelined him most of the season after the first game, necessitating Roach's considerable ingenuity on offense.

"Juice" agreed that the group two and three years ago, headed by Jackson Diehl and Hank Hansen and others, had more players who could be vocal and challenge their teammates than the most recent group.

LJ b VB: Great sportsmanship

By Ed Piper

I cover high school sports during a time of turmoil, chaos, unlimited transfers, NIL, holdbacks (19-year-olds playing prep sports), and a whole host of other issues that can sometimes detract from the simple: teenagers learning and growing as they compete in interscholastic sports.

So, on Fri., April 17, I was delighted and dumbfounded to cover a pool-play match in volleyball at Granite Hills in which La Jolla's coach, Dave Jones, played only a "second-string" slate of athletes against an undermanned team of eight--all respect to those eight individuals and their coach--from Mount Miguel, a school not normally known for its acumen in boys volleyball.

After the first game of a best-of-three which the Vikings won fairly easily, Jones stayed with his lineup featuring Hudson Matheny as the primary setter and Dylan Marshall as a featured big man at the net, in the second game even when it got close and then tied, 24-24.

The Vikes ultimately won the pool encounter, 2-0, but it didn't obscure the fact that, in the gracious nature of the sport, and Jones choosing to step into that gracious moment, a team held back its top athletes (many who play club volleyball outside of school) in respect for their opponents, interscholastic competition, and the intent of the sport.

Following on a day earlier in the week on which I covered another team in another sport from another local high school (University City) participating in a service project, I was set up for a fresh, new outlook on covering the local high school sports scene--in which, sometimes, I get jaded or cynical about all the shenanigans that seek to professionalize youth sports.

In that other event, the Centurions' boys lacrosse team met in Old Town to serve the homeless Tues., April 14, in a weekly project that serves the needy in that community. I told some people at the site that it was the first time I have ever covered a high school sports team while they took part in a service project: taking clothing orders for individual clients, serving a burrito meal (which looked pretty appetizing) on a paper plate to seated attendees, and helping make available a coffee bar and haircuts by a barber.

Looking back, I realize that occasion set me up for the positive nature of Friday's game, in which many in the starting rotation stood at the back corner of the court at Granite Hills (day one of a tournament) cheering their teammates on.

I have to say my faith was at least partially restored in the ability of sports to bring out the best in young people, and provide a vehicle to let them use their gifts and abilities to help others, lift them up, encourage, build teamwork...Shine.

Both the volleyball match and the earlier lacrosse service project occurred during the week that included my birthday, which I consider one of the best birthdays in memory.

LJ b VB d. by San Marcos, 25-20, 23-25, 15-5 - West Coast Challenge @ Valhalla 4/18

Photos by Ed Piper

Soph Hudson Matheny (10)

forward-sets for Mercan

Findikoglu (8) in game 2.

Senior Zepher Smith digs a shot.

Senior Adam Grushkevich tries a soft toss

against San Marcos towering (6'7" tops)

front line.

High-flying Zepher Smith (R, 6'4") lets

loose with his speciality, a spike

at the net.

Chase Ostrom (R) defends

against a shot from the

Knight side.

LJ b VB d. Mt. Miguel, 2-0 - pool play - West Coast Challenge @ Granite Hills HS 4/17

Photos by Ed Piper

Moxy Appelbaum (red jersey) drills

a spike home to put LJ ahead, 25-24,

before the second-game win.

Senior Dylan Marshall (6) is the man

behind the set near the close of the

second game in a 2-0 win. LJ coach Dave

Jones played the "second string"

in a very sportsmanlike gesture

out of respect for Mt. Miguel,

which only has eight players.

Junior Leo Caniglia serves.

The Vikes talk in the huddle with Coach

Dave Jones.

Dylan Marshall (center right) and Chase Ostrom

(far right) put up a block.

Jeffrey Bruner (11) hits past the block.

Soph Jeffrey Bruner skies to hit a smash

at the net.

The second-game win, a cliffhanger in overtime,

LJ wins 26-24.

LJ g beach VB vs. PLHS - 4/16

Photos by Ed Piper

LJ's Quinn Turner launches toward a low ball

as her partner, Kirra Patel (15), in the sixes pair

looks on.

Saya Patel (13) gets under a ball in the

fours faceoff.

La Jolla's seniors on PLHS's Senior Day

Senior Gianna Pulli goes to the sand to try

to dig a ball in the fours' match.

LJ softball 18, Kearny 4 - 5 innings - City League opener 4/16

Photos by Ed Piper

Soph Ella Pearl hurled the first

three innings, gave up two hits,

and went 2-for-3 at the plate with

three RBI's.

The two Charlottes: Putnam (L) and Vargas.

Freshman Ellie Thomson at 3B

Freshman Melanie Smith at SS

Maddie Ehlert gets a basehit.

Ellie Thomson singles. Charlotte Vargas

ran to third on a loose ball, and banged

into Kearny's third baseman, Olivia

Etheredge, who had to leave the game.

Bernice the squishy duck (in Ava Akbarian's

hand) with friends in the dugout.

Beautiful colors on the rebuilt Kearny campus -

reds (bottlebrush) and purplish/yellow.

LJ baseball: Game story 4/15

By Ed Piper

The Vikings (2-0 in City League, 8-10 overall) and SDHS played a wild and woolly baseball game on the Cavers' field (144 years of history?) Wed., April 15 (Jackie Robinson Day in the major leagues and Tax Day everywhere else).

It resulted in a 12-4 win for Coach Gary Frank's black-and-red crew, and two-thirds of the way to a series sweep against the Cavers to open league play, atop the City League standings. Presumably, La Jolla has defeated San Diego High's top two hurlers, having taken a big 8-1 win Monday against sophomore number-one Esteban Quintana.

With a 2-0 lead in the top of the fifth inning Wednesday, sprinter (literally) Charlie Martin banged a triple, sliding into third (see photos in previous entry) in a giant cloud of dust (which you'll never see on the Muirlands turf). Centerfielder Landon Black's throw went far past Caver third baseman Jarryd Torres and into the home dugout.

Martin got up, dusted himself off, and trotted home after the umpires declared the ball going out of the field of play. The Vikings led, 3-0.

After that, the wheels started to come off the wagon for Coach Francisco Garcia's home squad. After Ryan Khourajian struck out for the second out, Zach Gergurich smashed a home run over the fence in straightaway right. 4-0. It cleared the fence easily. "He (righthander Henry Siner) threw me an outside-middle pitch (fastball)," said "Snacks".

Viking starter Will Griebe-Arzate, who had been mostly magnificent for four innings, yielding only two hits, then walked two, hit two, and threw two wild pitches to the same batter (Hogan Rohlf)--it all came in twos--in the bottom of the inning as four runs scored. Frank sent senior Andrew Cardenas in to relieve. He got Samuel Cadavid to line out to Harper Lane in center to stem the chaos.