LJ b water polo 15, Riverside Poly 5 - AFC semifinals - 9/19

Photos by Ed Piper

Barney Pearce's (5) defense in the "5"

position (left side of the cage) is literally

suffocating in the first quarter to his

opposing Poly player (underwater, left).

Dexter Black (front, black cap) is intimidating

in his coverage of Riverside counterpart

(rear, white cap) in the opening period.

Same player on offense is covered by Black

on the perimeter.

LJ's Emmet Gutierrez (right, 14) pins

Gabriel Suarez (4) in the "5" corner

early in the game as the Vikings

built a 4-1 lead in the first quarter.

Gutierrez, a sophomore, physically grabs

his opponent (see hand on arm) in his

aggressive pressure.

Viking goalie Addie Calhoun (1, red and black

cap, lower center) blocks a shot from the "3"

spot. (Ball is hidden in front of  Calhoun.)

New starter Jude Laifa (7) stifles Riverside

Poly's Kingston Moss (10) at the "4"

position (back row, right side facing

the goal).

LJ b w polo 18, Long Beach Poly 5 - AFC 1st round, day 1 - 9/18

Photos by Ed Piper

Long Beach Poly (white caps) is totally surrounded

by La Jolla's defense: Barney Pearce (5, black cap)

(near camera), Lev Kevorkian (2), and Quinn

Daniels (3) on ball.

All-CIFer Lev Kevorkian (2, black cap) battles

with Lars Kutzner-Smith (14, white) on La Jolla's

offensive end in the first quarter. Lev's two goals

helped the Vikings to a 9-2 lead.

Henry Glenister (13, black cap, left) fires a shot

to score with his left arm, a 7-2 lead.

Freshman Ben Rocha (far left behind net, barely

visible) scores LB Poly's second goal, 4-2, in the

early going as the visitors tried to stay in the game.

It was to no avail.

Dexter Black (with ball) lunges to physically place

the ball inside the goal against Jackrabbit goalie

Mark Salas (right). Black was CIF San Diego

Player of the Year last fall.

LB Poly

LJ b beach VB @ LJCD - 9/17

Photos by Ed Piper

Jeffrey Bruner, two's

Cameron Murphy, two's

LJ g golf vs. Mission Bay @ Torrey Pines Golf Course - 9/16

Photos by Ed Piper

Soph Tiffanie Brownson

works on the putting

green at Torrey Pines

before the match.

She shot a 51, fourth

of the six Vikings.

Senior Turi O'Brien (right) chats with

teammates Liesl Kijora (left), a sophomore,

and senior Bella Itkin (center) on the putting green.

A serious Bella Itkin (center rear), senior

co-captain, organizes the team and imparts

key points before the Vikings take on

Mission Bay. Itkin shot a 38, tied with

fellow captain Liesl Kijora, in the match.

New assistant Noel Marquez, near right,

listens in. Marquez graduated

in the LJHS Class of 2019.

Beautiful scenery at Torrey Pines State Beach,

just south of Torrey Pines Golf Course.

Bob Bergstrom, grandfather of Liesl Kijora,

takes a varsity team photo.

A hang-glider (right) comes into view

over the course from the edge of the

cliffs at Torrey Pines.

LJ b beach VB vs. Bishop's - 9/15

Photos by Ed Piper

Hudson Matheny, ones pair,

sets with a silhouette

in the sand.

Zen Benson (rear R)

leaps to spike for

the threes, as Mercan

Findikoglu watches.

Jeffrey Bruner, Hudson's

ones partner, skies for

a spike.

Bruner (L)

LJ b water polo 22, LJ FB 21 - penalty shootout - "Tangle in the Tank" - 9/15

Photos by Ed Piper

Senior All-CIFer Henry Glenister (wearing 10)

scores an early goal against tight end Nico

Bardaro.

Senior Barney Pearce

A packed student section (all along the fence

on Nautilus) attended the 3:45 game

(20 minutes after school let out).

Running back Joseph Crudo (center),

kicker/punter Ryan Hassankhani (left).

AJ Lennan (far left), lineman Travis McCarther

(second from left), and company before the

match.

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 play the Falcons.

The Viking boys are being coached this fall by Jared Voeller, Myles Plaskonos, who graduated in 2025, 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 usually win.

See it to believe it.