LJ FB 23, LJCD 42

Receiver Tanner Watson takes a pass from Cole

Dimich the last two yards as the Vikings led

Country Day briefly, 7-6. (Photo by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper, Jr.

La Jolla's football team mixed it up early with visiting Country Day, but Torrey quarterback Braxton Burmeister, an Arizona commit, completed six touchdown passes and visiting LJCDS had its way with the Vikings, 42-23, in a local rivalry non-league game Fri., Sept. 9.

The Vikings, playing their second game on their new field, even led briefly through the end of the first quarter, 7-6, and the beginning of the second quarter, 10-6. Quarterback Cole Dimich connected with Tanner Watson for a TD, then Kenny Hayden left-footed a 24-yard field goal.

The black and red defense harried the burly 6'1", 220-pound Burmeister in the first half, with defensive end Ross Martin sacking the quarterback on back-to-back plays to end the opening period.

But shortly Country Day's productive offense got into a rhythm, with the future Wildcat throwing to his favorite targets, Brendan Goring and Casey Mariucci. LJCDS pulled away to a 25-10 halftime leading, expanding that to 31-10 early in the third quarter to disappoint the modest Viking home crowd, many of whom left early.

Cole Burmeister, as he is familiarly known, finished 19 for 27 passing and 384 yards.

"La Jolla has beaten us the last couple of years," said Athletic Director Jeff Hutzler of LJCDS, the quarterback's first high school coach when he was a freshman. "It is Country Day's first win ever over La Jolla."

After surrendering a 62-yard TD pass to Goring on the second play of the game, the Viking defense recovered to put pressure on the Torrey offense through the end of the first quarter, which ended with the hosts leading, 7-6.

After Dimich found Watson for the score, the "D" registered a sack of Burmeister on the Torreys' second possession on third-and-nine, forcing Country Day to punt.

LJHS's offense went three-and-out. Then the defense forced Country Day into two penalties before Martin's sacks placed the Torreys back on their own 10 on fourth-and-43. Coach Tyler Hales had to punt again to start the second quarter.

When Burmeister threw to 5'4" Jaden Dir for a 50-yard pass-and-run TD with 6:12 left in the half, the Vikings only trailing 12-10, it looked like the two teams might continue alternating scoring strikes.

But the Torrey engine began whirring, and the La Jolla defense was spent. The Torrey QB connected with the 6'3" Mariucci over the middle three minutes later, then found the tiny but fleet Dir again for a 47-yard TD pass play, and La Jolla found itself down by 15 points.

LJHS coach Matt Morrison's troops weren't able to open the second half with a burst, unlike the two previous weeks, and soon fell behind 42-10 by the end of the third quarter. A smaller crowd attended the game Friday after a huge Blastoff crowd watched the Vikings' thrilling 24-21 loss to Hilltop a week before.

La Jolla is now 1-2, with the next game again at home against Coronado. Country Day is 2-1.

While Country Day put subs in, Morrison stayed with his starters through the fourth quarter. Dimich faked a handoff to Daniel McColl, then sneaked in on the left side for a score with 5:37 left.

Senior Alex Dockery, who carried nine times for 53 yards in the middle quarters, rushed over the middle from the 13 for another TD with three and a half minutes left to make the score respectable, 42-23.

Dimich was 13 for 32 and 146 yards passing in partial statistics. He completed passes to at least seven different receivers as Morrison tried multiple weapons in the offense.