Coach Jason Carter's son was one of the young kids playing on the La Jolla sideline during the Vikings' football game against crosstown rival Bishop's Fri., Sept. 4.
That created some of the more entertaining action of the evening, at least from an LJHS standpoint, as the young kids simulated UFC kicks and blows.
Meanwhile, next to them on the football field, the Vikings went down early to a Knights juggernaut, giving up a quick score in the air, then in short order two on the ground, and trailed 21-0 at 5:18 p.m.--after an 5 p.m. start on the Mission Bay field.
La Jolla dug a bigger hole in the second quarter, falling behind 28-0. The Vikes' only score of the night came on a novelty play, Daniel McColl's ramble 10 yards to the end zone. The Knights were used to seeing number 55 on the line, so when he set up just back from the line they didn't take note. But the Bishop's coaching staff yelled "Reverse! Reverse!" to no avail as the big junior straight-armed a defender and slipped across the goal line at the far left sideline.
Disappointingly, La Jolla never mounted any charge to fight back. A drained Carter, after the game, agreed it had been a long day, his having begun when he got up at 4 a.m. in anticipation of the game. But he consoled his team by telling them: "It was a speed bump in the road."
"We got out-played, out-coached in every facet of the game," said the coach as a girls field hockey game was starting after the football contest. His one consolation for the weekend was his beloved Texas A&M kicking off its season by throttling Arizona State the next night.
A bright spot, besides lineman McColl's touchdown and 5 solo tackles and one assisted tackle on defense, was linebacker Yohann Ponsaty's name being called frequently over the P.A. for yet another tackle. Ponsaty was a man possessed, getting better each week so far. He led the Vikings' defense with seven solo tackles and a sack.
The 180-pound junior's sack of Bishop's quarterback Jeffrey Jackson came on a 2nd-and-goal at the Vikings' 7-yard-line. It stymied the Knights from scoring yet a fourth TD in the inaugural quarter and gave La Jolla some lift and temporary breathing room.
The fourth quarter ended with a running clock due to the wide score differential. By then, sophomore Jackson was able to complete 25 of 33 passes for 255 yards, 4 touchdowns and 1 interception. Senior A.J. Britanico added two rushing TD's on 19 carries for 173 yards. Finally, another sophomore, Mozes Mooney, punished La Jolla by making 11 receptions for 115 yards.
Said Bishop's coach Joel Allen before the game for the Pearl Street Trophy, "We'll find out how good we are." The prior week, the Knights opened against a hapless team from Tijuana, Instituto Mexico, and demolished them 68-0. So it didn't really give Allen a true measure of his team's ability.
Unfortunately for black and red faithful, the private school now holds the rivalry trophy for a second year, after the identical score of last year's shellacking.
Lessening some of the disappointment is the fact La Jolla won its opening game against Country Day. So there is one tally in the win column. The season is still young.
Copyright 2015 Ed Piper
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