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