LJ FB 28, Santa Fe Christian 22 - CIF D2 1st round

Sophomore Hank Hansen (right, being tackled)

pulls in a 4-yard TD pass in the end zone

from Viking QB Jackson Diehl as teammate Matthieu

Princen (3) looks on. The score made it 21-7

in favor of the Vikings with 48.6 seconds left

in the second quarter.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

La Jolla scored on touchdown passes from quarterback Jackson Diehl to some of his favorite targets on the team's first two possessions to lead early, 14-10, as the Vikings vanquished visiting Santa Fe Christian, 28-22, in the first round of the CIF Division 2 playoffs Fri., Nov. 4.

Diehl, headed toward 200 yards passing on the night, first connected with sophomore receiver Hank Hansen on a 35-yard pass play to open up scoring on the seventh play from scrimmage. Evan Martin made the PAT kick for a 7-0 advantage.

Then, after the Eagles went four-downs-and-out at midfield, La Jolla took over on the opponents' 45. Diehl immediately found fleet receiver Nick Sebro for a 45-yard connection and the 14-0 lead on Martin's kick.

The Vikings were bigger, by Santa Fe coach Jon Wallace's admission, and to illustrate that, Justin Scully bulled his way to 153 rushing yards, including a touchdown with 6:42 left in the game for a 28-14 lead. Scully ran it in from three yards out. It was his third straight carry, including a 10-yard gain on second-and-eight from the 37, then a 25-yard rush on first-and-10 to put the ball on the three.

Santa Fe Christian was the little engine that tried harder, scoring with 1:23 left in the game to pull within 28-22 on a TD and two-point conversion. But La Jolla's defense proved better throughout the game, and Diehl led the offense to have a productive night from the beginning to achieve the playoff victory.

Diehl completed 16 of 23 passes, with the three TD's and one interception.

Coach Tyler Roach's 2022 edition wins the right to travel to Granite Hills Fri., Nov. 11, to face the number-one seed Eagles of East County in the second round. Granite Hills defeated Helix, a perennial power, 46-44 in four overtimes on Oct. 28. Granite, as a result, knocked off the Highlanders for the Grossmont Hills League title.