LJ FB 43, Montgomery 0



Big Daniel McColl lumbers for a few

of his 42 yards rushing. He scored

La Jolla's first two TD's.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

 



By Ed Piper, Jr.

In the first game of the Matt Morrison era, La Jolla overpowered host Montgomery 43-0, disappointing a home crowd energized by its own new head coach.

The visiting Vikings, who six months ago didn't even have a head coach, took a while to get going. But once they did, the season opener wasn't a contest as big Daniel McColl scored the first two touchdowns, then fellow senior Alex Dockery added two more.

La Jolla led at halftime, 24-0.

A preseason poll had named the Vikings number one in their league, largely because of a defense populated by returning seniors. The defensive unit didn't disappoint in this non-league game, smothering the poor Aztec attack led by a willing but stifled Anthony Parra at quarterback.

Johnathan O'Neal blocked two punts. The first, late in the first half, led immediately to "Dock"'s first touchdown, a run left from the seven to make the score 21-0 after the PAT by Kenny Hayden.

Said quarterback Cole Dimich of the offense's early troubles, "It's the start of the season. It always takes a while" to get things going.

The senior, stepping into a full-time starting role after acting as back-up last year, allowed as how digesting Morrison's new playbook--though simplified--has still been a lot to consume and then put into action.

In the offense's first possession, Dimich fumbled, then after La Jolla retained the ball a fumble on an ensuing handoff led to Montgomery's Leon King recovering the ball. Before either of those, a holding penalty annulled a long run by Dockery.

An interception ended the Vikings' second drive, cancelling out runs by McColl and Dockery as well as a strike of 13 yards Dimich threw to Sola Hope under pressure on third and 10 for a first down. Hope also had two catches on the earlier possession.

Dockery led ball carriers with 45 yards on 16 carries. His TD runs were of 7 and 8 yards, the latter to start the second half for a 30-0 score to ensure Montgomery, with a large opening night crowd, wasn't coming back, as if that was in doubt.

Hope, a junior, led in receiving with five receptions for 35 yards.

Dimich found McColl in the left flat on a nine-yard pass play that the big back, nicknamed "Diesel" by his teammates, carried over for his second touchdown in the initial quarter.

The quarterback was also able to run a TD over with two minutes left in the third quarter for a 36-0 advantage. That followed a pitch to Dockery in which the running back took to the air to try to break the plane of the end zone but missed by inches as he fell out of bounds.

Dimich finished 10 for 22 and 95 yards before giving way to Hayden in the fourth quarter. Dimich also handled punting duties and rotated in at linebacker on defense as one of several Vikings playing both ways in Morrison's system.

Morrison noted that his team had 100 yards in penalties in the first half to frustrate its attack.