LJ FB 13, Scripps Ranch 10

Viking QB Diego Solis (5, third from left) looks for
a signal from the bench shortly before his interception,
followed by his miracle 31-yard TD pass
to Max Smith with 38.5 left to win the game.
(Photo by Ed Piper)
 

By Ed Piper

With 51.7 seconds left and a 10-7 lead and the game over, visiting Scripps Ranch went into a "victory formation" to take the snap and kneel to run out the clock.

But wait--La Jolla's Max Smith stepped across the line and snatched the ball away before Falcon quarterback Ethan Nicholas could receive the snap.

The Vikings, who had trailed the entire game, took over the ball and scored on the next play, Diego Solis aerialing to Smith on a 31-yard pass play, and Coach Tyler Roach's team (now 2-3) held on for a thrilling 13-10 non-league win at home.

Long-time observers of football had never seen such an occurrence before: Scripps Ranch, having just gotten the ball back on an interception by Nicholas of Solis's pass from the Falcon 35-yard line, not securing the win in the "victory formation".

On a night on which LJHS faculty and staff were recognized at halftime, and the Viking band played in uniform in the stands, La Jolla sleepwalked through the first quarter to a 7-0 deficit.

Finally, the football team showed some signs of awaking from its stupor in the second quarter after going down further to the Falcons (now 3-2), 10-0. Viking defensive back Finn Rice intercepted a pass, then after a 33-yard run by the active Smith, Jack Wiese--normally a defender--ran over untouched for a three-yard touchdown. With Nick Goehler's PAT, La Jolla trailed 10-7.

Solis, in a starting role, was erratic at quarterback after supplying magic in weeks one and four with two touchdowns in each of those games as a sub. To keep the Vikings within the 10-7 margin at the end of the first half, Max Smith sacked Falcon starting QB Dillon Gebase on third-and-20, then teammate Langston Aron absolutely sent Gebase into another world with a sack on fourth-and-35 on the next play.

In the fourth quarter, with five minutes left, Smith--who was all over the place--recovered a fumble on a Scripps Ranch third-and-goal at the Viking nine. La Jolla still couldn't score, with Solis' third interception, before he got it right on the connection to Smith to win the game with 38.5 seconds remaining.