By Ed Piper, Jr.
La Jolla's five-game win streak was snapped as Bishop's dominated in every phase of the game to shut out the Vikings on their own home field, 49-0, Fri., Nov. 18, in a CIF Division 3 quarterfinal football playoff.
After the Knights, who by right of higher seed were designated the home team--though the game was played on the Vikings' new home turf in Edwards Stadium--scored on Mozes Mooney's 6-yard run to complete an 80-yard drive and open the game with a 7-0 lead, La Jolla's Alex Dockery ran the ensuing kickoff back 54 yards to the Bishop's 38.
The Vikings' drive stalled, resulting in a turnover on downs as Coach Matt Morrison went for it on 4th-and-10 and Cole Dimich's pass to Patricio Castillejos fell incomplete. Bishop's never looked back, holding La Jolla (finishing 7-5) to 40 total yards in the first half while piling up 215 itself. The Knights built up a commanding 28-0 halftime lead.
Coach Matt Morrison's streaking Viking team had outscored opponents 219-8 during its 5-0 run over the last half of the season, including a 34-0 thrashing of host Del Norte in the first round of the playoffs last week.
But the magic was not to continue on this night, as Viking quarterback Cole Dimich struggled with four interceptions, and running options Daniel McColl and Dockery were bottled up by the stout Knights defense.
Coach Joel Allen's maroon-and-gold have now won all 11 of its 2016 games, and faces Valley
Center in the Division 3 title game Fri., Nov. 25.
It was a successful first season for new coach Morrison, who wasn't named the new La Jolla head coach until late winter and wasn't able to hold his initial spring workouts until the end of May and first week of June.
Having to learn new systems on both offense and defense, the Vikings struggled in early going, despite winning their season opener at Montgomery. But then, in week seven of the season on Oct. 14, La Jolla defeated Serra and began its five-game ride, playing stingy defense while being powered on offense by their two running backs plus Dimich, who was effective running while adequate in Morrison's air attack. Special teams added a spark with some key plays.
La Jolla's defense was able to hold on Bishop's second drive of the evening. Two penalties aided the Vikings' effort. They were also able deny the Knights' on their next possession, holding the score to 7-0 through the first quarter--despite Dimich's first interception, handing Bishop's a short field at the Viking 33.
But then the capable Knight offense led by junior quarterback Jeffrey Jackson broke through after another Dimich interception. Jackson leapt over a goal-line stand at the one to score at the end of an 11-play, 58-yard drive, but it was still only 14-0 with seven minutes left in the first half.
The Vikings were hurt in rapid succession by Yohann Ponsaty's fumble after a Dimich completion to him that Bishop's speedy Hasant Moses scooped up and ran in from the 25 at 5:51. Then in a bizarre play two minutes later, the snap went past punter Kenny Hayden into the end zone on 4th-and-13 from La Jolla's own 17. The lefty ran back and grabbed the ball, then with Knight defenders next to him tried to punt the ball but it squirted out onto the ground, where junior Garth Erdossy fell on it for the touchdown.
In the span of three and a half minutes, the Bishop's lead had ballooned from 14 points to 28.
To the credit of the Vikings' defense, it didn't allow the Knight offense to score again in the half, though Bishop's was knocking at the door. La Jolla held on 4th-and-10 at the Viking 22, as Jackson's pass fell short.
After the lead increased to 49 in the third quarter, officials went to a running clock for the fourth quarter.
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