LJ xc @ 3rd Eastern League cluster - 10/15

Photos by Ed Piper

La Jolla's "camp" at the cluster (right next to

the St. Augustine camp). Viking coach

Adam Dailey (red shirt, third from right)

and others are seen in this view from the grass.

Gabby Bardaro (335) leads the girls varsity

through a turn right off the main grass

area near the middle of the 2.2-mile race.

LJ g golf vs. OLP - 10/15

Photos by Ed Piper

Viking teammates Tiffanie Brownson (from left),

Liesl Kijora, and Natalie Sutton wait before

the match against OLP (in background, far right)

at Riverwalk.

Sophia Wright practices

driving with a wood

before the match. She

shot a 50 on the day.

Captain Bella Itkin shot a 40

over nine holes to lead LJ.

LJ assistant coach Noah

Marquez got in a few shots

on the driving range.

Presumably he played in

the coaches' pair later.

Liesl Kijora (far left) warms up on the driving

range, with assistant coach Noah Marquez

next to her. It was La Jolla's second Western

League match against the Lady Pilots, third

overall.

LJ b water polo: Game story 10/14

By Ed Piper

Two of the behemoths of national high school boys water polo, Cathedral Catholic, ranked number one in the U.S., and La Jolla, ranked fourth, faced off in their second Western League match Wed., Oct. 14, and it didn't quite match the close, fierce encounter two weeks earlier in Carmel Valley, when the Dons escaped with a 16-15 win.

But that doesn't mean the game wasn't intense. The entire space along the wall facing Nautilus Street was filled, and people knew that the outcome was between two giants, and that the result would further dictate the rankings and place in league.

A lot of followers, it would seem, would be looking ahead to the CIF playoffs, when the big three, these two with Bishop's, will vie in the postseason Open Division brackets.

After the Vikings' Dexter Black opened scoring with a penalty shot following three minutes of grueling defense on both sides, the Dons' Diego Dantas rapidly scored a pair of goals in less than a minute for a 3-1 Cathedral lead.

Max Bruhn, another bruiser, scored for the visitors to open up their first two-goal lead with two minutes left in the first quarter.

Coach Tom Atwell's Vikings hung tough, though, coming back to tie behind Quinn Daniels, wearing a different cap number this day--22--than his trademark "3". Center Henry Glenister's goal made it 3-3, before beefy Grayson Taylor of the Dons scored from the left for a 4-3 Cathedral lead ending the opening period. Taylor dominated the first quarter in the two teams' previous matchup.

The middle of the second quarter saw the Vikings' most productive stretch of the match, with Jude Laifa, then Glenister again scoring to give LJHS the advantage, 5-4. That was the last time La Jolla led, at 5:11.

Coach Tommy Corcoran's red-and-white unit, having made adjustments, then began to edge away. Eamon Bruhn scored to tie, then Dantas came back to score. Dexter hit an impressive one-on-one from the right side, before Dantas asserted authority with a go-ahead 7-6 goal. Cathedral would never trail again.

That finished the half. After the break, Cathedral's Max Bruhn, then Braylen Axline scored. By this time, Jack Davis, defending Black, was being really physical and neutralizing some of Dexter's earlier freedom to move around.

LJ b water polo 12, Cathedral Catholic 17 - second round of league - 10/14

Photos by Ed Piper

Quinn Daniels (22) of La Jolla and Eamon

Bruhn (7) of Cathedral have a close encounter

when Daniels passes in the offense. Action

took place in the first quarter.

Vikings defend against Dons' Eamon Bruhn (7,

white cap): Jude Laifa (far left), Henry Glenister

(right, arm up), and goalie Addie Calhoun

(behind Glenister).

LJ's Quinn Daniels (22) chases loose

ball. Diego Dantas of Cathedral stays near.

LJ FH 0, Bishop's 8 - 10/14

Photos by Ed Piper

Junior Sofia Saiegh (left, 10) pushes the ball

against Myla McCandless of Bishop's.

Ella Pearl (21), a forward, works against the

Bishop's defense to move the ball upfield.

LJ coach Amanda Combs Warford (right,

standing) gives last-minute instructions

to her team members before the game

at Bishop's.

LJ FB: More photos 10/9

Photos by Ed Piper

Jackson Hanlon (8, right, carrying ball)

takes a pass a few yards on 1st-and-10.

The next play was a pick by Cathedral,

leading to a 21-0 lead and a total shift

of momentum away from the Vikings'

valiant efforts to stay in the game.

Officials ruled that Don back Ashton Stewart's (25)

knee never touched the ground, and he got up

and ran the final couple of yards to the goal line

to score Cathedral's first TD in the first quarter,

7-0.

LJ FB: Photos 10/9

Photos by Ed Piper

Backed up on the 4-yard line, Viking QB

Brody Bukich (7) has to face the rush of

Tre'von Taylor (74) and others in the

second quarter, trailing the number-three

team in the county, 7-0.

LJ running back Kali Deberry (right)

rushes for a first down on a drive

to begin the second quarter. The Vikings

fumbled the ball over to Cathedral

on a bad snap.

Given superior field position, the Dons

score their second TD on an 18-yard pass

to Gianluca Busalacchi (here crossing

the goal line) from Koa Smith-Mayall.

The Viking pep band stands out, especially

the drum corps, which was cooking.

Viking receiver Nico Bardaro (15,

behind) grabs a Brody Bukich pass

for 31-yard reception as time runs

out in the fourth quarter.