By Ed Piper
This was a total team effort.
And what it took to light the spark was a startling 100-yard kick return, end zone to end zone.
La Jolla (now 3-3), missing injured quarterback Jackson Stratton for the second week, came in the underdog against Christian High, one of their opponents in a building rivalry, Fri., Sept. 24.
Lightning and thunder preceded the JV game, which finally succumbed to 6-minute quarters to finish in time for the varsity and Homecoming events planned for the evening.
Viking head coach Tyler Roach had said the week before, "Next man up" was the new outlook.
With the host La Jollans trailing 7-0 in the first quarter--highlighted by a six-second drive that was rudely aborted on a Kevin Steel pass that was intercepted, leading to the Patriots' score--thunderous Makai Smith took the ensuing kickoff on his goal line and took it all the way to the south goal line 100 yards away.
The Viking student crowd, venturing forth following the 283 lightning strikes (that was actually the number county-wide), went bananas. Eventually, Homecoming football fandom got so rapturous that 100 confetti guns distributed to the students were shot into the air, resulting in a thick cloud of paper--"the best use of paper this year," one wag said--after halftime and the presentation of the 2021 Homecoming Court.
By that time, La Jolla, leading 21-7 at the half, was well on its way to the final, decisive 35-7 rout.
On the way, highlights included defensive back Spence Carswell's pick-six midway through the third quarter; another Makai TD, this one a short four-yard run just before the half; and sneaky Mason Powers' 46-yard TD reception from Steel following Spence's defensive gem.
Carswell punctuated his interception and run-back with his own PAT kick for the 28-7 lead with 8:37 left in the third.
Steel, a 6'5" senior towering like the QB he replaced, righted himself following the early interception and played well in his second straight start. Kevin completed 14 of 22 passes for 237 yards and 2 touchdowns. His start, only the second of his varsity career, exceeded 200 yards passing just like the week before, a 56-18 loss to Mater Dei Catholic.
The Viking defense, needing to step up after a rough week against MDC, was epitomized by Luke Riney's sack of Christian QB Jake Davila at the end of the first period, resulting in a 7-yard loss, then further asserted by Riney's bat-down of a Davila pass midway through the third quarter.
Notably, La Jolla running back Colin Levinson was in beast mode, piling up 122 yards on 15 carries for hard-earned yardage.
In the upset, Smith thrilled home spectators with a stop fake, then 360-degree turn to advance 15 yards after a catch from Steel on the first play of the drive Makai scored on before halftime.
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