LJ FB 29, Country Day 21

Michael Wells (22) and teammates listen to coaches
at halftime on the darkened practice field adjacent
to the football field at Country Day. (Photo by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

Trevor Scully, on a 3rd-and-20 after a bad snap put La Jolla back on its own 30, scampered on a quarterback keeper for 18 yards, then fired a bullet to receiver Michael Wells on a 57-yard scoring play for the go-ahead touchdown on the Vikings' way to a 29-21 win at Country Day Fri., Sept. 1.

With a good Viking crowd huddled together along the cramped visitors sideline on the LJCDS campus, Scully followed his catch-and-run to the junior Wells in the third quarter with a scramble and strike to another favorite target, Gabe Solis, open in the end zone for a 27-14 lead early in the fourth quarter. The latter TD was fortuitous, because La Jolla needed it to survive a late Torrey touchdown in the last minutes.

Meanwhile, the Viking defense under new coordinator Collin Eardley rose to the occasion by forcing Country Day quarterback E.J. Kreutzman, who had thrown for 300 yards in the Torreys' opening-week win, into an intentional grounding in the end zone, resulting in a safety and two points. The safety, forced by several senior Viking defenders, opened the fourth quarter--just before the Scully-to-Solis strike--to put La Jolla up 22-14, and provide insurance in case the hosts scored twice more.

"That was the team right there," said linebackers coach Max Medrano. "All the seniors were in on it."

The Vikings (1-1), coming off a 24-14 season-opening loss against Hilltop, scored on their first possession. Head coach Tyler Roach, who calls the plays, changed up the offense from the week before by featuring running back Zach Garcia. The 170-pound senior carried the ball seven times, including the last four plays in a row, in a disciplined 16-play drive directed by Scully. Garcia rushed for the TD from half a yard out for the 7-0 lead, with Nick Goehler's dependable PAT. Just over five minutes elapsed on the clock.

"Just trying to get our running game going," said Roach of his goals in pregame comments.

After a flurry of interceptions by the two teams' quarterbacks--they each had two--the hosts equalized the score late in the second quarter, 7-7, on a Kreutzman-to-Alex Cho aerial for 30 yards.

But then the Vikings came right back to regain the lead on a Garcia-led drive, with four more carries,
on a short TD pass from Scully to Wells just before the half. The visitors led, 14-7. The highlight during the 73-yard drive was a 56-yard run by Garcia on 1st-and-25 after a personal foul put the ball back on the Viking 11. Zach rushed up the middle, then veered left, his favored side, for the big gain.

Country Day head coach Tyler Hales changed up his offense from the week before, as well, with junior running back Caleb Petry, who had been out, being handed the ball a lot. The 195-pound junior carried three times before a TD pass to Anthony Bland, last week's hero with 174 receiving yards, to tie the game 14-14 early in the third quarter.

The scene was set for Scully's keeper and his ensuing strike to Wells in the open on the right.