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

LJ FB: Game story 9/4

Viking QB Ty Tortorice (1) shoots

a short pass to Joseph Crudo (10) for a

21-yard gain and first down on La Jolla's

opening drive against Point Loma Fri., Sept. 4.

The drive led to Ryan Hassankhani's

27-yard field goal. Headhunting for the QB

is the Pointers' Luke Gustafson (99).

(Photos by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

La Jolla showed good discipline on both offense and defense in starting its Eastern League and home opener against Point Loma Friday night, Sept. 4.

Deferring at the coin flip to receive the opening kick, sophomore quarterback Ty Tortorice directed a 10-play, 71-yard drive that resulted in Ryan Hassankhani's 27-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 6:12 left in the first quarter.

The drive featured running back Kali Deberry's eight-yard run for a first down early in the possession, followed by Joseph Crudo's similar nine-yard run for another first down. Deberry, a junior, then rushed for 17 yards to the Point Loma 17-yard line to put the Vikings in position for Hassankhani's boot.

A smaller student crowd may have been partially due to the three-day Labor Day Weekend, but the crowd was just warming up with enthusiasm and tension over the visitors' 2-0 record coming in.

To that effect, Pointer QB Ryder Watson could only get one first down--on his pass for 22 yards to receiver Clint Keckeisen--before Point Loma went three-and-out, punting from its own 42.

From there, the tone changed subtly. La Jolla couldn't follow up its initial possession with another successful drive, while in battling for "The Shoe", Coach Ryan Price's offense broke through to score on a 36-yard strike from Watson to junior Tanner Spradling for a 7-3 lead. Point Loma never trailed again, from that time early in the second period.

The dam kind of broke for La Jolla's defense, as Watson led his offense to two more TD's in the second quarter for a 21-3 halftime advantage.

Meanwhile, the Vikings' offense, which only mounted a near-comeback in the season opener two weeks ago at Patrick Henry to lose 35-30, has not been able to generate enough production when it counted in weeks two and three in a loss at Grossmont 24-17 and this one at home, 52-25.

LJ back Joseph Crudo (left) runs for more

bruising yardage between the tackles

in the early part of the first quarter.

Defending is safety Blake Lingard (15)

of Point Loma.

LJ FB: More photos 9/4

Photos by Ed Piper

Kali Deberry (23) takes off on 17-yard run

to the Point Loma 17 for first down.

Play took place in the first quarter.

QB Ty Tortorice (right) tries to gain a few

yards on a keeper on 2nd-and-12. Two plays

later, Ryan Hassankhani made his kick

from 27 yards for a 3-0 lead.

QB Ryder Watson (4)

of Point Loma completes

a 22-yard pass to receiver

Ryan Cleator (not in view).

The Pointers were not able

to score on this first

possession.