By Ed Piper
Chris Forcier, La Jolla's quarterbacks coach, had some things to say related to Viking QB Trevor Scully's troubles with interceptions in both the team's scrimmage against Mission Bay August 19 and their season-opening 24-14 loss to Hilltop August 25.
Forcier, an All-CIF quarterback himself at St. Augustine who also played in the NFL in Europe, spoke to a reporter at La Jolla's team beach barbecue at La Jolla Shores last week, prior to the first game.
"Trevor did a lot of good things in the scrimmage against Mission Bay," the assistant coach said while team members munched on hot dogs and ate S'mores around him. "But at this point, he's seeing a receiver open, then hesitating."
Forcier, who speaks in the present tense about his own making of reads at the quarterback position because he last played so recently, added, "When you see the opening, it's right now. Throw right now."
The waiting, or just pulling the trigger unwisely, can be disastrous, as we came to see. Two days after Forcier and Scully ate hot dogs on the beach at the Shores, Trevor, a senior, threw his first interception against Hilltop early in the second quarter, with the Vikings already trailing 14-0. Fortunately, only two plays later, La Jolla's Johnathan O'Neal picked off a Daniel McPherren pass for a pick, preventing a Lancer score.
Scully recovered his balance on the ensuing possession to lead the Viking offense on an eight-play, 55-yard drive to a touchdown, coming on the QB's 20-yard pass play to Gabe Solis.
Then, in the third quarter, O'Neal and Scully did the same interception dance, only in reverse. Johnathan, a senior captain for Coach Tyler Roach's squad, grabbed a McPherren pass that teammate Israel Sandoval tipped. Scully, four plays later, misfired again, being picked off by Hilltop defender Brandon Marsetti.
The game was still winnable in the fourth quarter, with host Hilltop being flagged for multiple penalties. But after tying the game at 14 to end the third quarter on a quarterback keeper by Scully from 10 yards out, the Vikings could not capitalize.
The QB could easily have been intercepted more, one on a long pass lofted to Solis in the end zone with two defenders vying for the ball with him. But then, now down 24-14 with 2:52 left in the game, Scully threw another pick, then committed a personal foul by rushing over and picking the interceptor up and dropping him, seemingly out of frustration.
How many of the three interceptions were due to the hesitation cited by Forcier earlier, and how many were from throwing off-target or into heavy coverage isn't known. But the coach and his charge certainly will be working on cutting down his interceptions in advance of the next game against Country Day.
Monday, August 28, 2017
Sunday, August 27, 2017
HS FB: The new media
By Ed Piper
It happened. The past week, just before the new high school football season started August 25, the San Diego Union-Tribune informed readers of the sports section that no game scores or reports would be published in Saturday morning's edition.
Rather, coverage would be available online as soon as results began to be available after games Friday evening. Then, in Sunday morning's paper, a day later, full scores and game stories would be published.
Previously, such an approach would have been unthinkable. In the era when print journalism reigned, prior to the dominance of electronic media, a newspaper's influence and sustenance depended on reporting high school sports scores as quickly as possible--the next morning.
With its new approach, the U-T, which local developer Doug Manchester bought as his personal publicity play-thing a few years ago, then sold--thank God, because it has seemed to regain some of its former quality, though the publication has never been heralded by journalism professors as a top exemplar--doesn't have to employ any staff late-night on Friday nights during the high school football season to take phone calls from team statisticians to rush game data into print.
We all know the digital age has been heading this way for some time, as long-time newspapers such as the Rocky Mountain News, a respected tabloid, gave up the ghost several years ago. Even major papers still extant such as the Los Angeles Times continue to go through the painful transition from print to electronic form. I don't think my 27-year-old granddaughter has ever purchased a print newspaper, nor ever will. The digital era proceeds apace.
So, shock-of-shocks to people of my generation, who grew up reading the newspaper, when the U-T announces a change like this, a blackout of Saturday morning edition high school football coverage. A journalism major, I used to be the one on my community college basketball team buying three or four newspapers when we went to a tournament in the Bay Area for me and anyone else who wanted to, to read at the breakfast table when the team went out to eat at a restaurant.
This latest change brings to mind some instances in the past. Sometimes the U-T, finding someone to fill their Friday night desk to take the football calls, would employ a person who obviously was pretty new to the job and didn't know teams or leagues well. So scores of several league games might be listed under "Non-league", or at least not under a subheading naming the particular league. You had to scan the whole column of scores to try to find the result you were searching for.
Or, as can also happen in print or online, a result is reported incorrectly. The corrections in this regard, to my awareness, have been rare, but within the last two years or so there was a sports score that was absolutely wrong, and the following day the sports section had to reverse the error.
It happened. The past week, just before the new high school football season started August 25, the San Diego Union-Tribune informed readers of the sports section that no game scores or reports would be published in Saturday morning's edition.
Rather, coverage would be available online as soon as results began to be available after games Friday evening. Then, in Sunday morning's paper, a day later, full scores and game stories would be published.
Previously, such an approach would have been unthinkable. In the era when print journalism reigned, prior to the dominance of electronic media, a newspaper's influence and sustenance depended on reporting high school sports scores as quickly as possible--the next morning.
With its new approach, the U-T, which local developer Doug Manchester bought as his personal publicity play-thing a few years ago, then sold--thank God, because it has seemed to regain some of its former quality, though the publication has never been heralded by journalism professors as a top exemplar--doesn't have to employ any staff late-night on Friday nights during the high school football season to take phone calls from team statisticians to rush game data into print.
We all know the digital age has been heading this way for some time, as long-time newspapers such as the Rocky Mountain News, a respected tabloid, gave up the ghost several years ago. Even major papers still extant such as the Los Angeles Times continue to go through the painful transition from print to electronic form. I don't think my 27-year-old granddaughter has ever purchased a print newspaper, nor ever will. The digital era proceeds apace.
So, shock-of-shocks to people of my generation, who grew up reading the newspaper, when the U-T announces a change like this, a blackout of Saturday morning edition high school football coverage. A journalism major, I used to be the one on my community college basketball team buying three or four newspapers when we went to a tournament in the Bay Area for me and anyone else who wanted to, to read at the breakfast table when the team went out to eat at a restaurant.
This latest change brings to mind some instances in the past. Sometimes the U-T, finding someone to fill their Friday night desk to take the football calls, would employ a person who obviously was pretty new to the job and didn't know teams or leagues well. So scores of several league games might be listed under "Non-league", or at least not under a subheading naming the particular league. You had to scan the whole column of scores to try to find the result you were searching for.
Or, as can also happen in print or online, a result is reported incorrectly. The corrections in this regard, to my awareness, have been rare, but within the last two years or so there was a sports score that was absolutely wrong, and the following day the sports section had to reverse the error.
LJ FB: Go-go
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| Viking captains Johnathan O'Neal (6, white jersey) and Tucker Jacobs (hidden behind O'Neal) shake hands after the pregame coin toss. (Photo by Ed Piper) |
By Ed Piper
From the first Viking football game of the Coach Tyler Roach era, we learned that games are going to be exciting and entertaining.
Though La Jolla lost its season opener Fri., Aug. 25, to Hilltop, 24-14, the Vikings still had a chance to win late in the fourth quarter, when Trevor Scully and gang only trailed the Lancers by a field goal, 17-14.
The miscues in the game were frustrating, but they didn't distract from the fact the contest was really enjoyable to watch, a competitive struggle out there on the Sweetwater High field (Hilltop is having renovation similar to what La Jolla went through a year ago).
What impresses me so far about Roach and his legion of coaches--there are a dozen position coaches listed on the team's website, besides Tyler, but including Defensive Coordinator Collin Eardley--is that they seem to be teaching the football players good technique. When you pay a visit to the practice field during the week--and dating back to Spring Practice last May/June--you see a lot of teaching going on. A lot of specifics on body position, movement, whatever the skill being taught is.
For example, a week ago, I dropped by and walked the field on what linebacker coach Max Medrano said was "Takeaway Tuesday". The guys rotated among several stations, in small groups taking bite-sized units of time (10 to 15 minutes) working on a skill, then moving on to the next. It looked like a good, productive session. No one in a coach's shirt was screaming, yelling his head off like he was on steroids (I've seen youth and high school football coaches at other institutions and organizations acting like they thought they were the football version of Bobby Knight or something). Just clear, emphatic--can I say caring?--adult role models (which we want them to be for our young people) imparting instruction.
Back to the opener, I felt captivated by the give-and-take as the battle progressed. Sure, I wish Buster Hoy could take back his fumble on the Viking offense's second play from scrimmage of the season. Better to have fewer interceptions by the quarterback, as well. But you could see discipline, talent, a lot of effort.
At least to me, the evening didn't have the feel like some LJHS football nights in the past, that we love our boys but frankly the most we could expect is the old college try when some past Viking football units were just plain out-matched, out-sized, and out-skilled by opponents who were disposed to clobber the humble red and black.
Instead, none of the dread was there of the bad that might happen. There is a lot of spirit on the current varsity contingent. I don't see Johnathan O'Neal, one of the team captains with fellow senior Tucker Jacobs, or Greg Nelson II, a sophomore playing his first varsity game, or anybody else walking around hanging their heads. They just show a forward-looking attitude. They're too busy getting about the task at hand, which is learning and perfecting their assignments, to worry about whether their team is good enough to compete.
As John McColl, the tight ends coach, said Sunday night: "They showed they can compete."
Up to now, the Rushville Street boys are a confident bunch, with a good, positive outlook. They dropped the game, but they are disciplined (other than a coach inexplicably touching a referee for a penalty, and the QB in frustration after another interception picking up the defender and dropping him in a personal foul--nothing Roach won't take care of in short order).
And talking about Roach, there is a new maturity visible, a broader view of things in his new capacity as head coach. Tyler wasn't the coach in charge and the face of the program when he was Offensive Coordinator under a previous regime. Now he's got the responsibility of La Jolla High football, from top to bottom, and I see a smiling approach, tangible leadership, and dependability. He as head coach is the one who models for his experienced staff how to carry themselves, how to conduct themselves with the players and with their families. It has been a good start to the program.
As in any sport, you take each game, each week, one at a time. Let's stay tuned to see where a promising program goes, entering week two of the young football season.
Saturday, August 26, 2017
LJ FB 14, Hilltop 24 - Season opener
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| Greg Nelson II (23) and Zach Garcia (22) flex in the dressing room at Sweetwater High before their season opener. (Photo by Ed Piper) |
By Ed Piper
Hilltop scored on its first two possessions, sandwiched around a fumble by La Jolla on its opening possession, a momentum that the Vikings couldn't fully overcome despite coming back to tie the contest in a mistake-filled start to the Coach Tyler Roach era, losing 24-14, Fri., Aug. 25.
New Viking quarterback Trevor Scully and the La Jolla offense showed some promising signs of being able to move the ball, but his three interceptions, including one with 2:52 left that sealed the red and black's fate, spelled doom for the little engine that looked like it could.
Senior captain Johnathan O'Neal picked off two interceptions, adding a tackle that delivered a body blow popping the ball loose and sent it flying in a message-sending stop, and took some receptions from Scully as a receiver as well.
La Jolla tied the game 14-14 to end the third quarter, coming back from a 14-0 hole, on Scully's keeper from 10 yards out on a fine run after an exaggerated handoff fake to running back Greg Nelson II that threw the Hilltop defense off. The TD scramble came right after O'Neal's four-yard reception, then a holding penalty that moved the ball to the Hilltop 10.
Kicker Nick Goehler, who earlier lost a chance for what would have been an unlikely 46-yard field goal attempt to end the first half on a bad snap exchange, made good on the PAT.
Earlier, the Viking offense scored its first touchdown of the 2017 season on a well-placed aerial to Gabe Solis from Scully midway through the third quarter. La Jolla took over the ball on its own 45 after the first of O'Neal's interceptions of Lancer quarterback Daniel McPherren. In the 55-yard drive, senior Zach Garcia had a 9-yard run up the middle, and O'Neal took a Scully pass for 9 more yards. The Vikes were aided by a roughing-the-passer penalty, one of many flags thrown against Hilltop.
Goehler, a 6'2" junior, dependably made the PAT after that touchdown as well.
Thursday, August 24, 2017
LJ g VB 1, LCC 3 - Season opener
By Ed Piper
Towering sophomore Leyla Blackwell provided key blocks at her middle hitter-blocker position, and enhanced-leaper Monaghan Cromeans supplied firepower from her left hitting spot, but it wasn't enough as La Jolla gave way before CIF power La Costa Canyon in the two teams' season opener on La Jolla's home court, 3-1, Wed., Aug. 23.
The high point for second-year coach Kelly Drobeck's Vikings was their victory in the second game of the match, 25-20, to knot the game count at 1-1. But then the Mavericks, behind 6'3" junior Morgan Lewis, pulled away to sweep the last two games.
A good crowd for both sides in the La Jolla gym, especially considering the fact that fall classes haven't started yet, saw Vikings Abby LaGrange and Torrey Coan both force their wills on the outcome from the left spot at the net in game two. La Jolla moved out to a 15-10 lead, after dropping the opening game, then 22-16 with Cromeans serving well before closing the game out by five.
Blackwell, at 6'3" already a varsity veteran of one season before her sophomore year in school has begun, recorded a kill for 24-20. She showed confidence and enthusiasm under control, encouraging her teammates in addition to her effective individual play.
In the first game, which the red and black lost, the Vikings took an early 3-0 lead with senior Inger Shelton serving. But then LCC came back for advantages at 18-12 and 20-13, despite authoritative kills by Coan and Blackwell, and finally won 25-21.
In the third game, La Jolla led 7-6. Sub Dana Waldburger, a Cal commit in beach volleyball to play alongside her sister there, had a nice kill to tie at 6-6. But then LCC squeaked out a 25-23 triumph, the straw that broke the camel's back.
La Jolla, on the whole, looked good, had discipline, and showed themselves well against a talented team. Drobeck had to have seen plenty of positives in the opening outing.
Towering sophomore Leyla Blackwell provided key blocks at her middle hitter-blocker position, and enhanced-leaper Monaghan Cromeans supplied firepower from her left hitting spot, but it wasn't enough as La Jolla gave way before CIF power La Costa Canyon in the two teams' season opener on La Jolla's home court, 3-1, Wed., Aug. 23.
The high point for second-year coach Kelly Drobeck's Vikings was their victory in the second game of the match, 25-20, to knot the game count at 1-1. But then the Mavericks, behind 6'3" junior Morgan Lewis, pulled away to sweep the last two games.
A good crowd for both sides in the La Jolla gym, especially considering the fact that fall classes haven't started yet, saw Vikings Abby LaGrange and Torrey Coan both force their wills on the outcome from the left spot at the net in game two. La Jolla moved out to a 15-10 lead, after dropping the opening game, then 22-16 with Cromeans serving well before closing the game out by five.
Blackwell, at 6'3" already a varsity veteran of one season before her sophomore year in school has begun, recorded a kill for 24-20. She showed confidence and enthusiasm under control, encouraging her teammates in addition to her effective individual play.
In the first game, which the red and black lost, the Vikings took an early 3-0 lead with senior Inger Shelton serving. But then LCC came back for advantages at 18-12 and 20-13, despite authoritative kills by Coan and Blackwell, and finally won 25-21.
In the third game, La Jolla led 7-6. Sub Dana Waldburger, a Cal commit in beach volleyball to play alongside her sister there, had a nice kill to tie at 6-6. But then LCC squeaked out a 25-23 triumph, the straw that broke the camel's back.
La Jolla, on the whole, looked good, had discipline, and showed themselves well against a talented team. Drobeck had to have seen plenty of positives in the opening outing.
Wednesday, August 23, 2017
Monday, August 21, 2017
National Anthem protests: Something new
By Ed Piper
I'm one who's big on standing during the National Anthem to show respect to the flag and our country before sports contests and in other settings.
Even during my activist days in college and my early 20's--when our mess in Vietnam still hung over our country--I always carried that part that my parents had instilled in me to honor the flag. I always thought it looked slovenly and lazy, rather than powerful, when people slouched during the anthem, or even more common, when they failed to doff their caps at Major League Baseball games I attended.
You see, my parents and their generation had faced the Nazism of Hitler, my dad serving as a 19-year-old navigator in a B-24 Liberator (I have only put the identification of the actual plane he flew in together in recent years) that flew missions from Brindisi and Bari, Italy, and dropped bombs on Nazi Germany during the second half of World War II. Mom and Dad met near the end of the war, got engaged after three weeks in the whirlwind atmosphere of the times, and lived happily together until the day my father died of cancer nearly 33 years later.
So, I have not been real thrilled about the NFL players kneeling during the anthem the past two seasons. But today I read something new: Derek Carr, quarterback of the Raiders, reached his arm over to the shoulder of teammate Khalil Mack before last weekend's game, in a show of solidarity.
I only did a quick read, but something about Carr's gesture as a white athlete to show support of his African-American teammate in these times of so much turmoil in the land resonated with me. In fact, Carr explained that he was aware the eyes of young America are on him and other professional athletes, and rather than a protest, he wanted to show that a white teammate and a black teammate can support each other, even "love" each other. You don't hear too many macho male athletes express their actions using vulnerable words like "love" for a teammate.
It sounds pretty positive to me. Our president's words about the violence in Charlottesville are problematic, with white supremacists, KKK members, and neo-Nazis taking part in the event that led to the violence. Somebody pointed out the irony of our having fought Nazi Germany to defeat Hitler from taking over the world in World War II--my dad having compatriots wounded and killed around him, though he never told us stories before passing away way back in 1979 at the tender age of 54--and yet trying to protect the supposed freedoms of neo-Nazis spewing the same views while carrying weapons in Charlottesville. That is insane.
I'm one who's big on standing during the National Anthem to show respect to the flag and our country before sports contests and in other settings.
Even during my activist days in college and my early 20's--when our mess in Vietnam still hung over our country--I always carried that part that my parents had instilled in me to honor the flag. I always thought it looked slovenly and lazy, rather than powerful, when people slouched during the anthem, or even more common, when they failed to doff their caps at Major League Baseball games I attended.
You see, my parents and their generation had faced the Nazism of Hitler, my dad serving as a 19-year-old navigator in a B-24 Liberator (I have only put the identification of the actual plane he flew in together in recent years) that flew missions from Brindisi and Bari, Italy, and dropped bombs on Nazi Germany during the second half of World War II. Mom and Dad met near the end of the war, got engaged after three weeks in the whirlwind atmosphere of the times, and lived happily together until the day my father died of cancer nearly 33 years later.
So, I have not been real thrilled about the NFL players kneeling during the anthem the past two seasons. But today I read something new: Derek Carr, quarterback of the Raiders, reached his arm over to the shoulder of teammate Khalil Mack before last weekend's game, in a show of solidarity.
I only did a quick read, but something about Carr's gesture as a white athlete to show support of his African-American teammate in these times of so much turmoil in the land resonated with me. In fact, Carr explained that he was aware the eyes of young America are on him and other professional athletes, and rather than a protest, he wanted to show that a white teammate and a black teammate can support each other, even "love" each other. You don't hear too many macho male athletes express their actions using vulnerable words like "love" for a teammate.
It sounds pretty positive to me. Our president's words about the violence in Charlottesville are problematic, with white supremacists, KKK members, and neo-Nazis taking part in the event that led to the violence. Somebody pointed out the irony of our having fought Nazi Germany to defeat Hitler from taking over the world in World War II--my dad having compatriots wounded and killed around him, though he never told us stories before passing away way back in 1979 at the tender age of 54--and yet trying to protect the supposed freedoms of neo-Nazis spewing the same views while carrying weapons in Charlottesville. That is insane.
Saturday, August 19, 2017
LJ FB: Caudillo the boss of his area
By Ed Piper
"Caudillo" means "boss", like Richard Daley of Chicago or other leaders who hold local control over their fiefdom. It's not always a compliment.
"Oh, like Boss Tweed of Tammany Hall," quipped a wisecracker to Larry Caudillo, the Vikings' new special teams coordinator. He also helps with the linebackers.
Caudillo knows what his last name means. "My family is from Mexico. I don't know what part. My dad was born in Colton (greater L.A. area). He was raised in Point Loma. I went to Mount Miguel."
Caudillo, with a cool mustache and serious visage, is one of the many new coaches under Tyler Roach, who is in his first job as a head coach after serving under Jason Carter as Offensive Coordinator from 2013-2015, with a foray as Defensive Coordinator at Country Day last year.
Asked who some team leaders worthy of being interviewed were, he assented with the list already interviewed: Tino Mendez, Johnathan O'Neal, and others.
"It's still really early," he said when asked about an outlook on the squad. "I'm new to the program, so I'm still learning."
But Caudillo has a raft of experience in coaching football: He coached the last five years at Scripps Ranch. He coached at Cathedral Catholic for eight years prior to that. He has also coached at Hoover and El Cajon Valley.
"Caudillo" means "boss", like Richard Daley of Chicago or other leaders who hold local control over their fiefdom. It's not always a compliment.
"Oh, like Boss Tweed of Tammany Hall," quipped a wisecracker to Larry Caudillo, the Vikings' new special teams coordinator. He also helps with the linebackers.
Caudillo knows what his last name means. "My family is from Mexico. I don't know what part. My dad was born in Colton (greater L.A. area). He was raised in Point Loma. I went to Mount Miguel."
Caudillo, with a cool mustache and serious visage, is one of the many new coaches under Tyler Roach, who is in his first job as a head coach after serving under Jason Carter as Offensive Coordinator from 2013-2015, with a foray as Defensive Coordinator at Country Day last year.
Asked who some team leaders worthy of being interviewed were, he assented with the list already interviewed: Tino Mendez, Johnathan O'Neal, and others.
"It's still really early," he said when asked about an outlook on the squad. "I'm new to the program, so I'm still learning."
But Caudillo has a raft of experience in coaching football: He coached the last five years at Scripps Ranch. He coached at Cathedral Catholic for eight years prior to that. He has also coached at Hoover and El Cajon Valley.
LJ FB: J.O'N.
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| Johnathan O'Neal parts ways with Defensive Coordinator Collin Eardley on the sidelines during the scrimmage after Eardley touched base with his defender on a detail. (Photo by Ed Piper) |
By Ed Piper
Johnathan O'Neal, one of several La Jolla football players playing both ways, and one of some senior returners that the coaching staff is leaning on for leadership this season, is stretching himself beyond his comfort zone.
"I'm really focusing on vocalizing as a leader," says O'Neal, a persistent smile on his face during the interview. How positive is this guy? It's amazing.
O'Neal, who grabbed a thrice or more of passes from Trevor Scully during the Vikings' scrimmage against Mission Bay Aug. 18, admits vocalizing this way doesn't come naturally for him. He's not a yeller, rah-rah loud guy. Greg Nelson II, a sophomore, played some of that audible role during La Jolla's practice game against the Bucs.
"No," O'Neal admits. "When I played Pop Warner football when I was younger, that was an area I was short on."
Maybe it partly comes from being the kid with two older siblings in the family, plus dad and mom. Everybody else is older and maybe able to hold court easier.
But he says now, as a senior, he is extending himself by intentionally playing a more vocal role on the field. It's for the good of the team. And it will certainly expand him as a person.
Asked for an update on what else he's focusing on, the 6-foot senior says, "I've taken it upon myself to learn every position. The younger players text me and ask me questions, and I'll answer them back."
What is he running through his mind as he goes about game action? "I go over scenarios pre-play--what could happen."
Ahhh, relief!
By Ed Piper
Plop, plop, fizz, fizz
Oh, what a relief it is
(Alka Seltzer ad jingle back in the day)
Oh, to start heading for the door for La Jolla's first football Friday night of the year, and no back pain.
To stand out on the track next to the one-year-old turf, and be able to enjoy the pregame late afternoon.
Boy, it hasn't been this way in several years.
A handful of years ago, I even resorted for eight months to taking Ibuprofen every day, just so I could keep taking photos.
That was a dumb move. It only made my back worse.
It was the heavy equipment: The serious problems started with carrying my 300-millimeter lens, which to familiarize yourself with camera gear is a pretty long (a foot and a half, maybe?) metal tube. I got the greatest action shots, mostly of Viking athletes on the old turf. But, for me, it has always been a literal pain in the back to carry this stuff, and this was the worst.
Wisely, giving up my grandest piece of equipment, I sold the 300 on eBay years ago.
I should have quit carrying digital SLR cameras at least two years ago. Because at that time I didn't have the chronic pain in my left lower back. Yes, I had pain. But with rest and medical tweaking, it would often go away.
A problem, too: Though responsibility for my body and its care lies with me, I had two chiropractors this whole (agonizing) time that set as their goal to "allow you to keep doing the things you want to do", as one of them told me. Magicians with their hands and electric-stimulation machines.
But definitely the wrong prescription for me. Because, as I went into their offices each time to get help with the camera-induced pain, I would only take the occasion to go out and take more photos.
In my heyday--I took action photos of Viking athletes for the last 13 years, beginning with a point-and-shoot, then graduating to better and better stuff--I would drive energetically to four different events in four different occasions, if I could get there in time. (Five years ago, traffic wasn't even as bad in San Diego as it is now.)
Looking back, I'm surprised that I could even get to that many events. I was motivated. I was on a mission.
Photo-taking was my art. I loved it. But for everything, there is a season. And that season had to come to an end.
What finally got me to face facts, and not just get rid of my humongous lens but also to quit all DSLR shooting and allow my (now arthritic) back to have some peace for day-to-day living, was playing in the backyard with my grandson.
It was an afternoon last January. I had stabbing pains so much in my lower back, that I couldn't chase my 5-year-old nieto around. I stopped and thought: Wait a minute, I got to get my priorities straight. I can't even play with my grandson? There's something wrong with that.
And a short time later (you can see the last date I posted photos on my LJHS sports website), I quit for good.
It has been a fun summer, selling all my equipment, and now reporting and doing the stuff I did way back in my teens and early 20's before I had much photo expertise--yakking it up with people (La Jolla High athletes and family and friends) and writing up a storm.
Enjoy the fall. It certainly looks pain-free out there on the field. Looking through a whole new lens.
Plop, plop, fizz, fizz
Oh, what a relief it is
(Alka Seltzer ad jingle back in the day)
Oh, to start heading for the door for La Jolla's first football Friday night of the year, and no back pain.
To stand out on the track next to the one-year-old turf, and be able to enjoy the pregame late afternoon.
Boy, it hasn't been this way in several years.
A handful of years ago, I even resorted for eight months to taking Ibuprofen every day, just so I could keep taking photos.
That was a dumb move. It only made my back worse.
It was the heavy equipment: The serious problems started with carrying my 300-millimeter lens, which to familiarize yourself with camera gear is a pretty long (a foot and a half, maybe?) metal tube. I got the greatest action shots, mostly of Viking athletes on the old turf. But, for me, it has always been a literal pain in the back to carry this stuff, and this was the worst.
Wisely, giving up my grandest piece of equipment, I sold the 300 on eBay years ago.
I should have quit carrying digital SLR cameras at least two years ago. Because at that time I didn't have the chronic pain in my left lower back. Yes, I had pain. But with rest and medical tweaking, it would often go away.
A problem, too: Though responsibility for my body and its care lies with me, I had two chiropractors this whole (agonizing) time that set as their goal to "allow you to keep doing the things you want to do", as one of them told me. Magicians with their hands and electric-stimulation machines.
But definitely the wrong prescription for me. Because, as I went into their offices each time to get help with the camera-induced pain, I would only take the occasion to go out and take more photos.
In my heyday--I took action photos of Viking athletes for the last 13 years, beginning with a point-and-shoot, then graduating to better and better stuff--I would drive energetically to four different events in four different occasions, if I could get there in time. (Five years ago, traffic wasn't even as bad in San Diego as it is now.)
Looking back, I'm surprised that I could even get to that many events. I was motivated. I was on a mission.
Photo-taking was my art. I loved it. But for everything, there is a season. And that season had to come to an end.
What finally got me to face facts, and not just get rid of my humongous lens but also to quit all DSLR shooting and allow my (now arthritic) back to have some peace for day-to-day living, was playing in the backyard with my grandson.
It was an afternoon last January. I had stabbing pains so much in my lower back, that I couldn't chase my 5-year-old nieto around. I stopped and thought: Wait a minute, I got to get my priorities straight. I can't even play with my grandson? There's something wrong with that.
And a short time later (you can see the last date I posted photos on my LJHS sports website), I quit for good.
It has been a fun summer, selling all my equipment, and now reporting and doing the stuff I did way back in my teens and early 20's before I had much photo expertise--yakking it up with people (La Jolla High athletes and family and friends) and writing up a storm.
Enjoy the fall. It certainly looks pain-free out there on the field. Looking through a whole new lens.
LJ FB: Tino mentoring
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| Tino Mendez, number 58, during the National Anthem prior to the Vikings' home scrimmage against Mission Bay. (Photo by Ed Piper) |
By Ed Piper
If you're around La Jolla High football, you still might not recognize "Martin Mendez".
"That's my legal name," says the Viking senior lineman who goes by "Tino".
"Martin Mendez" is the name listed for uniform number 58 on the new Vikings football roster.
There might be something else you don't know about the 205-pounder: He loves mentoring some of the freshman football players.
"I've gotten close to all my freshman kids," he said prior to the Vikings' preseason scrimmage at home against Mission Bay Aug. 18. "I want to leave something after I go."
Don't worry, he's not talking about the ultimate departure, dying. He means after graduating.
And mentoring these younger players, as well as being out on the field playing football, means a lot to the amiable young man since he experienced the agony of a torn ACL and meniscus on his right knee two years ago.
He remembers it was in a game against Country Day as a sophomore. He played on the knee last year as a junior after rehabbing it over the offseason, but he has continued to work out and improve his strength to get to the healthy point that he is now.
"I thought of quitting football," he reveals, after the injury and the operation that repaired the ACL and the meniscus. "I didn't have the speed I had. I was so far behind the others," that he became very discouraged.
But he loves the game, and loves being with his brothers, appreciating both of these as he looks out over the Edwards Stadium turf from in front of the video room in head coach Tyler Roach's office, which is situated in the equipment room at the northwest corner of the complex.
"I'm glad that I didn't quit," he reflects. "It has been worth the work."
A year ago, the summer of 2016, while others were taking part in spring football drills for then-new coach Matt Morrison, Tino was on the fringes of the field at Muirlands Middle School working with trainer Matt Bridges to rehab the knee.
"Max Smith is one of the freshman I mentor," he says. "He is solid. He plays linebacker and running back."
Mendez reiterates the importance mentoring the young guys has for him.
"High school went by so fast.
"I've been mainly working on conditioning. We've been running extra after practice, the backs and the linemen. We're ready."
And showing a special quality, his true interest in people, he asks his interviewer, "How have you been?" Most interviews never get to this point, but with this young man, a player Roach and the rest of the coaching staff are looking to for leadership, it does. He's sincere. That's some good modeling by his parents.
In Spanish, it is called calor. Warmth. Tino has it. A true warmth for people. No wonder the freshman guys love chatting it up with him. He's real people.
"Coach has been doing a great job," he offers. "He's posting a lot of photos on Instagram. He had the Alumni Game. That's the first one of those. He's doing a lot of good things."
LJ FB: Looking closer
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| Viking QB Trevor Scully warms up in the third quarter with La Jolla leading, 24-7. (Photo by Ed Piper) |
By Ed Piper
Granted, it was a scrimmage, and there weren't any kickoffs or punt returns. But in La Jolla's home practice game against Mission Bay Aug. 18, Viking players looked motivated and ready in the first intersquad competition of the Tyler Roach era.
Starting quarterback Trevor Scully showed the experience and confidence he gained as the Buccaneers' part-time starter last year as a junior. He completed passes to receivers Sola Hope (twice), Michael Wells, and Gabe Solis (the last for a touchdown) on the Vikings' opening drive to lead 7-0.
Wells' 10-yard catch on first-and-10 on the third play of the drive was a nice leaping grab by the tall rising junior in the middle of the field.
On La Jolla's second drive, after Mission Bay was forced to punt on its first possession, Scully added another target, Johnathan O'Neal, in addition to Wells again. This drive was dominated by runs, but Scully didn't make any mistakes on handoffs as the offensive machine purred.
On the Vikings' third drive of the game, overlapping the end of the first quarter and the start of the second, Scully located O'Neal again, this time for 12 yards. The drive ended in a TD pass to Solis.
In the second quarter, Trevor threw a pass intended for Max Smylie, but Mission Bay was called for pass interference. Scully then threw a pick on the next play.
The red and black got the ball back on an interception by sophomore Greg Nelson II, taking it back 30 yards to the Viking 45. Scully was incomplete to O'Neal, then good to Solis for 16 yards, then 10 more.
Roach called a timeout with 24.2 left in the first half.
On the next play, Scully threw too low to Solis before finding him inside the right sideline. Solis, in front of the La Jolla sideline, made a fake, then leaped over a defender at the goal line to score his third TD of the night. The defender (Mission Bay didn't have uniform numbers) shoved the off-balance Solis to the ground. Roach appealed for a penalty, but to no avail.
After halftime, Scully threw another interception on the Vikings' first drive of the second half, and Roach called it a night for Trevor, who then got an ice bag for his knee from school trainer Matt Bridges. It was a good night's effort. Junior Carsten Fehlan handled the QB duties the duration.
LJ FB 31, Mission Bay 7 - scrimmage
By Ed Piper
Receiver Gabe Solis took two scoring strikes from quarterback Trevor Scully to begin the first and the second quarters, as La Jolla thumped visiting Mission Bay in the two teams' sole preseason scrimmage, 31-7, Friday night, Aug. 18.
Solis topped his outstanding one-hand grab of a Scully aerial in full stride for a TD on the Vikings' opening drive with a Vince Young-type leap over a defender at the goal line to score his third touchdown just before the half for a 23-7 La Jolla lead at halftime. The practice game was played under simulated game conditions, though no defense was played on punts and quarterbacks were down just by a touch to help prevent injuries.
While Solis was spectacular, new head coach Tyler Roach's squad shined in other areas, as well. Scully, having transferred back to La Jolla after playing for the Buccaneers last year, looked sharp from the outset while directing the Viking offense the entire first half. With Scully passing sharply, La Jolla scored on its first two drives, following the six-play opening drive and Solis' first TD with an eight-play drive culminating in Nick Goehler's 25-yard field goal. The Vikings led quickly, 10-0.
Scully, a 5'10" senior who started half the Bucs' games last year under former LJHS coach Jason Carter as his offensive coordinator, found the fleet Solis again only 42 seconds into the shortened eight-minute second quarter. Goehler popped his second of three PAT's in a solid performance for the newcoming junior.
Junior Carsten Fehlan took over quarterbacking duties at 7:29 of the third quarter. Running back D'yhar Sturgis broke free for a sparkling 48-yard run on the Vikings' first drive of the fourth quarter, to set up his own 27-yard TD run on the next play. Kristof Roesing then made good on the PAT kick as La Jolla iced the game, 31-7, with 6:16 left.
Meanwhile, the Viking defense forced Buc quarterback Jaiden Correia and new head coach Kenny Nears' offense to punt on its first two possessions. Viking Sola Hope, immediately after taking two pass receptions on La Jolla's opening drive, turned around and broke up a long pass attempt by Correia on 3rd-and-8, forcing the punt.
Greg Nelson II picked off Correia for an interception in the second quarter, returning it for 30 yards. On offense, the compact sophomore had an eight-yard run to end the first period.
Mission Bay was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct on the opening drive, setting up Scully's 45-yard TD strike to Solis on the next play. The Bucs, without uniform numbers, still looked like they were regrouping after long-time head coach Willie Matson was forced to resign after being accused of mistreating a player and Nears took over what he called a "messy situation" in pregame comments.
"We're trying to get guys to buy into the program," said Nears, who previously was head coach at Kearny High. He served as an assistant at Madison last year. His starting quarterback, Correia, is big at 6'2", 190 pounds, and looked capable. The Bucs surprised La Jolla to start the third quarter with Correia's fake handoff, then 40-yard ramble to the left. But Roesing made a touch sack (no tackling of QB's in the scrimmage) of Correia on the next play, and Mission Bay eventually had to punt the ball away.
"Goals: get some reps," Roach said prior to the scrimmage. "We're probably going to stay pretty vanilla on offense and not give too much away." Roach doubles as the Vikings' Offensive Coordinator, calling each of the plays for his quarterbacks, Scully and Fehlan. Kenny Hayden, a lefty quarterback rehabbing his knee, handled punts but did not take any snaps.
Interestingly, while the entire La Jolla squad and coaching staff faced the flagpole at the south end of Edwards Field, even though with the summer vacation no flag was raised, and saluted in the direction of the flag during the playing of the National Anthem, the entire Mission Bay squad appeared to be facing the field, rather than the flagpole, and none were viewed saluting the direction of the flag. In the aftermath of the incident in Charlottesville last Saturday, some NFL players sat during exhibitions Thursday night or said they planned to sit during the National Anthem this season as a protest of injustice.
Friday, August 18, 2017
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