LJ FB: Lincoln has a wealth of riches

Tyree Robinson (R), Hornet great,
carries out his assistant-coaching
duties at halftime.
(Photo by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

Looking back, it seems almost inevitable that La Jolla would fall by a large margin to visiting Lincoln Oct. 18. (The final tally was 32-7.)

The Hornets, whose second-year Offensive Coordinator is Jason Carter, the Vikings' former head coach, sport a lineup of behemoths who look fully suited for their school's Division 1 placement.

Defensive end Isaiah World, who could be All-World, stands 6'8", 270 pounds. He ranked fourth on Lincoln in tackles going into Friday's game, with 44. And he's not even close to being their biggest guy.

Tackle Chris Curtis weighs 295 pounds. Guard/tackle Fontaine Sherman weighs 300. Tackle/noseguard Nicholas Tinajero checks in at 305.

We could go on: Nathan Gomez, a tackle, weighs 295. Juan Cardenas, another tackles, is 305.

Senior Trevon Wallace, a guard, tops Lincoln's lineup listing at 335.

The Vikings' Cyrus Varnum is listed at 250. So is fellow lineman Isaac Ramirez. Sophomore Danny Molestina weighs 255.

I'm not making excuses for La Jolla, merely trying to make sense of what I saw on the football field last night. Force meets force, and when mass is that overwhelming on one side, push coming to shove is likely going to win out.

The Vikings' defense, which has kept them in games all season, had not had to face a team of Lincoln's skill and depth before. Scripps Ranch, which has a strong defense that had only given up two points a game through the first half of the season, won again the same night to remain undefeated (8-0).

The Falcons stymied La Jolla in their meeting in week five (we just finished week nine), but they are nowhere in the same ballpark as the Hornets.

Being big, Lincoln is not just a bunch of bags of potatoes that just fell off the farm truck. They are athletes.

You got to see Sammy Cooper, a freshman (though older than his class, according to a team source), come in as fourth-string quarterback in the final quarter and run on three straight plays in from the 39-yard line to score. At six feet, with his pads on, he looked good-sized, and he barreled through the Vikings' defense, which, granted, by then was pretty tired.

The Hornets have a rich tradition, including Marcus Allen, Terrell Davis (both Pro Football Hall of Famers), Akili Smith, Norman Powell (member of the Toronto Raptors who just won the NBA title), and others. I said hi on the sidelines to Tyree Robinson, who played football at Oregon and was a member of Lincoln's state champs in basketball with his twin brother Tyrell with Powell in 2009-10. Robinson is helping coach the Hornets.

That heritage, and Coach David Dunn, have drawn talented players back to the Imperial Avenue school, where Dunn has rebuilt the program after some lean years following a complete rebuild of the campus.