LJ sand VB: Semis win

La Jolla's boys sand volleyball team upset favored Torrey Pines, 2-1, in the semifinals of the county playoffs Thurs., Oct. 22.

The Vikings earned the right to be in the playoffs by virtue of their third straight league championship, which they concluded a week earlier.

Coach Dave Jones was pleased with the upset win, his players going as far as they hoped but further than records predicted in the positioning of brackets.

Mainstays for the Viking varsity this season have been Jake Northrup and Curran Robertson, the "A" pair, and Dane Pieper and Luke Lentin, who make up the "B" pair.


Copyright 2015 Ed Piper

LJ g tennis: Update

Coach Lucia Romanov has sent the following singles and doubles players into most of La Jolla's tennis matches this season:

Singles: sisters Alex and Chloe Kuo, number one and number two; Joyce Passananti, number 3.

Doubles: Kathleen Steel and Paulina Cardenas, number one; Josephine Passananti, Joyce's sister, and Creekstar Allan, number two; and Romane Vigouroux and Audry Oates, number three.

Other members on the roster include Kaili Ingalls, Katie Couris, Alice Wu, Madeline Fike, Olivia Doehr, Betty Zeng, and Yassi Mesri.

This sportswriter's award for best name: Creekstar Allan.


Copyright 2015 Ed Piper

LJ Jottings

The starting time for La Jolla's Western League opener in football at Mission Bay Oct. 9 was moved back to 5:30 p.m. to avoid another snafu with the stadium lights. When the Vikings played West Hills in Mission Bay's new stadium Sept. 18, the lights shut off promptly at 9 p.m. There was 1:29 remaining on the scoreboard clock, with La Jolla trailing the Wolfpack, 42-22. Officials had to call the game, because the stadium lights were set on a timer and cannot be on later than a certain hour in deference to the surrounding residential neighborhood...Imagine if the game were close and the result had an impact on the standings or CIF playoffs positioning. A potential fiasco...This time, in the Oct. 9 game, the contest ended at about 8:20 p.m.--well before the 9 p.m. shutoff...At Edwards Stadium at LJHS, the foundation for the new press box is formed up and poured. It is visible through the slats in the fence on the north end of the field, and through the fence on the east side.


Copyright 2015 Ed Piper

LJ sand VB: League champs again

"Three-peat" was Coach Dave Jones' succinct message after his Vikings sand volleyball team swept Parker, 3-0, Oct. 8 at Ocean Beach to claim its third straight league title.

Boys sand volleyball in San Diego began three years ago, so La Jolla, moving to a new league each year as the number of teams has expanded, has adapted and claimed a championship each of the three years: 2013, 2014, and now 2015.

The Vikings are led by Jake Northrup and Curran Robertson, the "A" pair, followed by Dane Pieper and Luke Lentin, the "B" pair.

Last year the black-and-red won the Southern League title. This year it was the Western League.


Copyright 2015 Ed Piper

LJ FB 13, Mission Bay 14

Trenton Fudge (2) takes pass from Casey Brown

just before targeting penalty by Bucs' Kenyon

Sims (9) to set up his second field goal

for a 6-0 Viking lead. (Photos by Ed Piper)

La Jolla held slim leads of 3-0, 6-0, and 13-7 over Mission Bay in both teams' Western League football opener Fri., Oct. 9, but the Vikings finally succumbed on a Buccaneer touchdown with 4:39 left, 14-13.

After an early-season hiccup, La Jolla (0-1 in the Western League, 3-4 overall) stayed in the saddle and competed for the third week in a row, coming off the Vikes' big 41-19 upset of Christian in week 6 of the season.

As Casey Andrew Brown Sr., father of the team's quarterback, had said of the early slump in which La Jolla lost three games in a row, the Viking players needed to get back to enjoying playing what is a kid's game. They seem to be doing that, blocking out some of the distractions and letting the chips fall where they may.

In a 5:30 p.m. start due to restrictions on how late the stadium lights in Mission Bay's new stadium can stay on, La Jolla had gone ahead 13-7 after a 48-yard catch-and-run by Alex Dockery from Casey Brown Jr. midway through the third quarter. The ball popped loose in the end zone, and La Jolla recovered the ball for a TD.

Trenton Fudge opened the game with the first of his two field goals, this one from 26 yards on the Vikings' first possession, to give them an early lead, 3-0.

Then, late in the second quarter, La Jolla's golden foot struck again, this time from 25 yards, after a pass on third-and-seven from the eight from Brown to Andrew Mitchell fell incomplete.

In the latter drive, starting on the Vikings' 23, Brown slipped a pass to Fudge along the left sideline over multiple defenders. Fudge, as sure-handed under heavy coverage as ever, took the ball a short distance before Mission Bay linebacker Kenyon Sims bashed him helmet-to-helmet right in front of the Vikings' bench.

That brought a 15-yard penalty for targeting, and La Jolla set up on first-and-10 on the Buccaneers' 23. That wasn't the first play--or the last--that LJHS Coach Jason Carter and his staff complained about to the officials for illegal play.

Quarterback Casey Brown (7) rolls out to the left

under Buc pressure at Mission Bay.

At one point, feeling wronged by a call, Carter called out from the sidelines, "Tell him (the other referee) La Jolla plays football, too." It seemed that La Jolla was back in a rhythm in playing football, fighting for every last chance.

In the low-scoring affair, after Fudge's reception, the only thing the Vikings' offense could manage was a completion to end Reilly Rowan for eight yards on second down. So they elected to kick and Fudge, contributing as usual with his hands and his feet, delivered.

Mission Bay's Derrick Clark was an absolute demon all night carrying the ball. He stands 5'11" but his 195 pounds were pounding LJHS black-and-red defenders from the beginning. It was no different on the drive late in the fourth quarter that carried the hosts over the top. Clark, a senior back, carried the ball on four of the five plays the Bucs employed, including the one-yard touchdown run to put the black-and-gold ahead for good, 14-13.

Unfortunately, as coaches exhorted the Vike defenders, "One more stop, one more stop," with the clock ticking minutes down, Mission Bay was handed a short field, starting the winning drive on La Jolla's 40. LJHS's possession preceding that was three-and-out, a Fudge punt from the end zone carrying short of midfield.

But La Jolla's defense came up big in stopping a Mission Bay that began with under two minutes left in the third quarter and lasted three minutes into the fourth quarter. Linebacker Ross Martin earned kudos for his tenacious defending, including a stop on first-and-10 for no gain at the 25. Jesus Manzano made a tackle on a first-and-10 at the 11 for no gain, and Alex Lopez slowed the speedy Clark down on a three-yard gain with a tackle on the next play.

It portended for possible good when La Jolla's defensive unit stymied Mission Bay's offense led by sophomore quarterback Jaiden Correa on fourth-and-seven at the eight to halt the drive with 8:51 left in the contest. But the tenuous Vike 13-7 lead didn't hold.

The Vikings have a bye week next Friday, Oct. 16, before invading the "Madhouse" at Madison in week 9, Fri., Oct. 23.


Copyright 2015 Ed Piper

LJ FH: Notes

A curious pattern has developed in La Jolla's field hockey wins so far this season. Though the Vikings were blanked by hockey power Scripps Ranch, 5-0, Fri., Sept. 2, La Jolla has won six games--and all by shutout.

That's a credit to the Vikings' defense, led by captains Maya Hildebrand and Karla Quevedo.


Copyright 2015 Ed Piper

LJ FB: Misleading omens

The ominous signs were there:

--The JV team got beat 28-0 in the preliminary.

--Christian High, a Division II team (La Jolla is in Division III), was ranked ninth in CIF.

--Warming up on the Patriots' end of the field, a cheerleader said, "They look awfully big."

--An adult booster commented, "We shouldn't even be playing these guys."

The JV score was left on the scoreboard by the home team press box operators throughout varsity warm-ups. In big enough numbers to see from the far end of the field at Granite Hills High.

Then the fun began. La Jolla's offense, after Christian missed a field goal on the first possession, kicked into high speed and caught Christian a bit slower.

The Vikings jumped out to a 17-0 halftime lead after a first quarter without either team scoring.

The favored team closed to 17-13 at 10:59 of the third quarter.

But Coach Jason Carter's team came right back to score. They didn't let a 99-yard runback of a kick freeze them, scoring again. 31-19 lead. That was all she wrote.

So much for bad omens.

Final score: 41-19.


Copyright 2015 Ed Piper

LJ FB: Notes

QB Casey Brown (rear) launches

a pass behind Joseph Duran's (10)

protection. (Photo Ed Piper)

Things noted during the Vikings' 41-19 win over ninth-ranked Christian High:

--Coaches had quarterback Casey Brown rarely hold onto the ball to run and scramble. In the first five games of the season, he often cut loose and ran the ball. Against the Patriots, he either passed or handed the ball off: passed to favorite targets Jonathan Levenson and Trenton Fudge; handed off to running backs Alex Dockery and Joseph Duran. Lineman/linebacker Daniel McColl even got a chance to run the ball early in the game.

By the way, Dockery, Duran, and Levenson played both ways--offense and defense.

--The offense, which has been no-huddle for two and a half seasons, went back to using a huddle. Brown ran over to the sideline to get plays from Offensive Coordinator Tyler Roach.

All of this seems to be part of tweaking things to improve. Part of it is to allow Brown, who is athletic and a capable passer and runner, to settle down and focus on the things he does best. He has been prone to be a worrier in earlier games.

In Saturday's upset of the top-ten team, Brown misfired on passes several times, and fumbled a clean snap near the end of the game. But he also moved the offense well and connected with Levenson and Fudge on productive pass plays.

Part of the Vikings' game plan seemed to be to start out of the gate early. In the first offensive series, on La Jolla's first play on first down, Brown gave the ball to Duran, who attempted a pass to Fudge, which fell incomplete. On second down, Levenson ran right for a 17-yard gainer.

On the ensuing first-and-ten from La Jolla's own 37, Brown fired to "Levy", who tipped the ball, unable to grab it the first time cleanly, then caught the ball and ran down the right sideline for a 30-yard gain.

In all these, Christian's defense looked caught off-guard; a step slow. La Jolla definitely established some momentum from the beginning.

The Patriots kept safety Nick Sexton shadowing Fudge throughout the game. They had watched film and seen the threat he can be--as he showed last week against Coronado with three TD receptions. Trenton hadn't been fully healthy since having his shoulder AC joint hurt when he was tackled on a reception in the season opener way back on August 28.


Copyright 2015 Ed Piper

LJ FB 41, Christian 19

Players honor the flag after prayer by

Christian High's chaplain.

(Photos by Ed Piper)

La Jolla beat ninth-ranked Christian High 41-19 in one of the Vikings' biggest upsets of a top ten football team in recent memory, Sat., Oct. 3, at Granite Hills High.

The Vikings built up a 17-0 halftime lead against the powerhouse Patriots, and never relinquished the lead.

La Jolla started out quickly on its first possession, with Christian's defense reacting slowly to a 17-yard run by Jonathan Levenson, then a pass from Casey Brown that Levenson tipped and got control of for a 30-yard gain.

Though the Vikings didn't score on that possession, they put the hosts back a little on their heels through a scoreless first quarter.

Finally, La Jolla struck early in the second quarter on an 11-yard pass from Brown to Levenson. Alex Dockery scored later in the stanza on a three-yard run. Trenton Fudge, who made key contributions again for the Vikings, kicked a field goal after La Jolla recovered the ensuing kickoff to put LJHS up by 17 going into the locker room at intermission.

Linebacker Nick Hammel shows perfect tackling

form in stopping Patriots' Michael Tobiason.

 

Christian, which won a 42-38 shootout against the Vikings in the CIF Division III quarterfinals last season behind quarterback David Jeremiah, had a hard time getting started. The Patriots were playing without injured mini-back Adrian Petty, who piled up yards against La Jolla last year.

In Petty's stead, Michael Tobiason was effective, but not explosive. Christian stayed on the ground to score as they battled back to 17-13 early in the fourth quarter. But Brown found the fleet Levenson twice more for touchdowns of 57 and 74 yards, sandwiched around a 99-yard kickoff runback by Patriot Nick Sexton, and La Jolla was sailing 30-19.

"I didn't see that one coming," said one observer of the La Jolla upset. The Vikings beat Coronado last week, but that victory over a weak opponent had been preceded by three consecutive blowout losses.

As La Jolla built up the first half lead and held Christian down, players inevitably relaxed a little and confidence grew. Defender Jalen Nelson intercepted a Jeremiah aerial on fourth-and-15 with 2:23 remaining to close the book on Christian. That gave the 5'10" junior a match for the pick he had earlier at the seven-minute mark.

Andrew Mitchell deflected a pass in the same series as Nelson's first interception.

Fudge, who starred with three TD receptions in the win at Coronado, didn't score a touchdown this time around. But he was Brown's periodic target, when the quarterback wasn't firing to Levenson or letting running backs Dockery and Joseph Duran pound out yardage on the ground.

Fudge caught a Brown pass for 35 yards after two misfires on the Vikings' first possession after halftime. They turned the ball over on downs a short time later, but the Brown-Fudge threat kept pressure on Christian's defense. Fudge's kicking was excellent. He added a 30-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to make it 34-19.

Ross Martin had a sack with under five minutes left and the Patriots threatening. Jesus Manzano deflected a pass by Jeremiah on the next series, and Christian was basically done when the Nelson pick occurred.

This closed out preleague action for the Vikings. They take on Mission Bay at Mission Bay next Friday in the Western League opener.


Copyright 2015 Ed Piper

LJ FB: Roach

Tyler Roach, Offensive Coordinator, La Jolla High football

"Coronado was a good win for us, much needed. We played well in all 3 phases and were able to get some young guys good experience. The schedule gets tough moving forward as we prep for league play. We are hoping to get some guys back from injury over the coming weeks, which should help. It will be important for us to execute our game plan, bring our 'A' game, and stay healthy down the stretch."

 

 

Copyright 2015 Ed Piper 

LJ Jottings

Some other volleyball players got a chance to play against the Buccaneers' varsity in sand volleyball today (Thursday) on the courts across from the Big Dipper roller coaster in Mission Beach...Varsity players Jake Northrup, Curran Robertson, Dane Pieper, and Luke Lentin took part in workouts on the side meanwhile...Nathaniel Gates, a freshman, is now 6'5" before playing his first volleyball or basketball game for the Vikings.


Copyright 2015 Ed Piper