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.
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