LJ FB: Martin bombing the ball

Senior kicker/punter Evan Martin uses the tee

early in practice Mon., July 31.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

Evan Martin, the Vikings' returning punter and place kicker, warmed up with a few kicks off the tee during La Jolla's initial fall football practice Monday morning, July 31.

"Number 88--he's the one," kicking coach Kevin Hurt, who starred at Mississippi State in his playing years, informed a reporter.

Martin is a 5'11", 165-pound senior. As a junior, he scored 31 points, playing in 10 of the Vikings' 12 games. He was 28 of 33 in point-after kicks, with one field goal in four attempts.

LJ FB: Farewell, Sarah

Long-time LJHS trainer Sarah Reuss (left) chats

with Viking senior swimmer Finn Bugelli (right)

at the Division 2 swim championships

at Granite Hills High May 6. Soph swimmer

William Quesnell (in robe) stands

near Bugelli. (Photo by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

The interim trainer presiding at La Jolla's first fall football practice Monday morning, July 31, said athletic trainer Sarah Reuss had moved on from her post and her successor, who has been selected, will be reporting to her duties "in a couple of weeks".

On the "Linked In" site online, Reuss is already listed as employed as "Head Athletic Trainer" for the Temecula Valley Unified School District since June 2023. She served as Viking trainer for two years, from August 2021 to June of this year.

The trainer worked the Division 2 swimming championships held at Granite Hills High May 6.

Sarah was much beloved by Viking student-athletes for her personal care and attention. Unfortunately, she joins a long line of former trainers at La Jolla High who receive a salary but no benefits, causing the task of making ends meet to be difficult without health insurance. Ben Lowe, another memorable trainer years ago, was seen delivering meals on his motorbike as a second job in order to make ends meet.

LJ FB: Fall practice - 1st morning

Receivers go through a drill of toe-tap

in the rope ladder, then look up

to catch a pass in the first fall practice

July 31. Here, Taylor Beck (19), a junior,

runs the exercise. (Photos by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

On the first morning of fall football practice, Coach Tyler Roach ran his charges through an hour and a half of stretches, "indie" drills in skill groups--defensive backs, receivers, quarterbacks, etc.--, and an introduction of special teams' kickoff formations in a session from 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. on the Edwards Field turf Mon., July 31.

The weather was 68 degrees at 7:28 a.m., with the normal cloud cover along the coast, and increased humidity that we've had for the past week or two. Roach cranked up the loudspeaker with up-tempo pop from a radio station, as varsity players worked out in shorts and T-shirts with their uniform numbers on the back.

Long-time freshman coach Craig Gagliardi, who goes back to the Jason Carter era, took his players to the lower field (softball field) for their first fall training.

Returning senior quarterback Jackson Diehl (right)

warms up early in practice.

Center Logan Bonnett (foreground) hikes to

QB Hudson Smith. Bonnett is expected

to help anchor the offensive line this season.

Smith, a sophomore, throws

in practice. Coach Tyler Roach

said two weeks ago, "He can spin it.

Wait and see." Roach said both

Smith and Diehl will play

in the early part of the season,

with Diehl even lining up

as a receiver.

LJ FB: 2nd-to-last preseason conditioning w/o pads 7/26

Mason Powers (right), Class of 2022, coaches up

some of the prospective receivers in drills

Wed, July 26. (Photos by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

Freshmen have a play introduced

during offseason practice July 26.

Junior Hank Hansen bites

a nail while listening

to instructions during

conditioning July 26.

D.C. (Dorian Crawford, left, back to camera)

directs sprint competition that requires

leaping a hurdle over-and-back, over-and-back

then sprinting down and back, midway

through Wednesday's workout.

Freshman coach Craig Gagliardi (front left)

speaks to his charges during workouts.

Antonio Riggins (center), strength-and-conditioning

staff under D.C. at D.C.'s facility in Kearny Mesa,

demonstrates another stretch with Viking

hopefuls.

LJ FB: Max weight-lifting testing 7/25

By Ed Piper

Junior Wyatt Boczanowski (lying on bench) gets tested

for max weight he can lift by "D.C.", Dorian Crawford,

a strength and conditioning specialist. There was

a loud roar from his teammates, surrounding

the lifting spot.

Shawn Moseley (bench-pressing) gets tested for

max weight.

Goleta Today 'Yesterday'

By Ed Piper

When I was a 23-year-old sports editor, my second job out of college, in 1977, I got my biggest scoop as a reporter.

I scooped the Santa Barbara News-Press, the biggest newspaper in the area. Phil Whalen, the AYSO commissioner and native of Ireland, and I hit it right off when he asked if my paper would run game box scores of the AYSO youth soccer games--the Santa Barbara News-Press had said "no".

I said "yes". I checked with my editor, Barbara Phillips, 32, the only one of us young reporters not in their twenties, and she said to go for it.

Well, on a weekday evening--we at the Goleta Today being a weekday morning newspaper--Phil called. It was a little before 9 p.m., with our 10:30 p.m. deadline coming up when my sports pages (usually one and a half pages of newsprint) had to be done.

"Santa Barbara is going to get a new pro soccer franchise," Phil told me. They were going to be called the Santa Barbara Condors. (They lasted a couple of years.) He had connections throughout the (then) tiny soccer community in the Santa Barbara area.

I went down the row of desks (we worked in a converted auto dealership off Los Carneros Road in Goleta, a mile or two from the UCSB campus) and told Barbara about Phil's tip. She knew all about my friendship with Phil, considering the youth box scores she willingly okayed for print some months earlier. Parents would drive up to Goleta a few miles away from Santa Barbara just to buy the paper, even extra copies. It increased our tiny circulation on those days. Barbara was only too happy to be part of that.

Again, she said to go for it. We vacated the top of the main page in the sports section with the paste-up room people, and told them we were totally redoing it. I typed out (on my manual Underwood typewriter) a headline: "Pro soccer team comes to SB". Some readers later complained that you don't substitute "SB" for Santa Barbara. I still went for it.

I wrote up a story with the Condors franchise announcement. This is the biggest thing we newspaper people do--go to print with a story before our competitors. That's what a scoop is.

The Santa Barbara News-Press was an afternoon paper. So they complained later that the Condors' announcement went to a dinky paper that came out in the morning. They didn't announce the pro soccer move until their edition the next afternoon, after our morning paper had already come out.

That's the story. We called our competitor the "Santa Barbara News-Suppress". They were old and stodgy. But they were the newspaper everybody in town read.

The reason I mention it now is that the News-Press just declared bankruptcy Friday (July 21), after 155 years of publication. A month ago they went to digital only. It didn't last. We're in a major era of change with the digital phenomenon.

And one other thing: my title above, "Goleta Today 'Yesterday'", refers to the one or two times our printing presses broke down and that day's paper didn't come out. In the newsroom on those days, we joked that the Goleta Today was the Goleta Yesterday.

LJ FB: Season outlook 7/24 one month before

Viking lineman Sawyer Moseley,

6'5", recovering during

coach Antonio Riggins' stairs

workout Mon., July 24.

(Photos by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

Shortly, succinctly, this is Viking head coach Tyler Roach's outlook on the 2023 football season--here on July 24, a month before the first game:

"We're going to play ball and win some games."

Strengths and areas to improve on for La Jolla's 2023 squad?

"Strengths? Our offense should perform well. We've got a lot of returners, starting with the quarterback position. We have some good competition and some receiver depth, which we're excited about. So I think, offensively, look for a lot of success. To be further ahead than we were early last year.

"Defensively, we've got some key guys back. A couple of newcomers that have really shined this offseason that we're really excited about. I think a key will be those guys coming together and jelling quick. We'll play a pretty aggressive style of defense, which I think we'll see. Guys flying around."

Senior QB Jackson Diehl (left)

chugs up another set of stairs

in preseason workouts

Mon., July 24.

Three-year starter Logan Bonnett

hops up a set of stairs

in conditioning workouts.

LJ FB: 4 key players + 1 other

By Ed Piper

La Jolla High head football coach Tyler Roach's comments on some key players Fri., July 21:

Senior Logan Bonnett (front right) during Viking

beach workout at Marine St. July 20.

(Photos by Ed Piper)

Logan Bonnett, senior: "Logan's a stud. He'll be a three-year starter for us. This will be his first time starting on defense as a linebacker. Will be, obviously, a key two-way guy for us. Kind of the tone-setter, physical, emotional guy, plays hard, works his tail off. Lead-by-example kind of guy."

Sawyer Moseley (right) during

a transition in preseason football

workouts July 18.

Sawyer Moseley, senior: "Sawyer is going to be kind of the anchor in the trenches. He'll be a returning starter, as well. on both sides of the ball. Will be a key guy. We're going to ask a lot of him. But he's the guy who can kind of carry that load on the line, and look for a big season from him."

Jackson Diehl throws in a passing drill

with receivers July 18.

Jackson Diehl, senior: "Diehl's been a phenomenal leader this offseason. Obviously, he's a returning quarterback. We're asking him to do a lot on the football field, not just be quarterback, be an athlete. So in the offseason, he's lined up as a receiver, catching touchdowns, throwing touchdowns. So he's going to be that slash guy who can do a lot for us. And obviously just a captain, leader of the team."

Hank Hansen, junior: "Hank's a stud. He had a breakout year last year as a sophomore. He's also a stud baseball player, too, so just a dynamic athlete. His brother (Dane) has come through the program, so I have known the family a long time. A great attitude, whatever he can do for the team, and again, will have a big year. He's playing some defense for us this year for the first time, as well."

Plus one--"someone you'll be hearing a lot about":

Carson Diehl, sophomore: "Carson's a talented kid. He's had a heck of an offseason. We knew he was going to be a talented kid."

LJ FB: Marine St. beach workout

Photos by Ed Piper

Viking assistant coach Antonio Riggins (R) leads

varsity prospects, including Logan Bonnett (center),

through agility drills on the beach at

Marine St. in La Jolla Wed., July 20.

Lineman Jett Thomas (right) is among the varsity

players who hopped their way down the beach

in sand workouts July 20.

Hudson Smith (right), a sophomore quarterback,

takes part with teammates in activities.

Carson Diehl (front left), a sophomore, and other

upperclassmen warm up before competition

among Viking team members.

Junior Jack Long (front right) is among LJHS

football players at Marine St. workout. Long

was an all-league wrestler as a sophomore

in winter 2022-23.

Riggins shows "hops" in demonstrating

the next drill for varsity players

in the sand. Riggins triple-jumped

over 48 feet while a student

at Cal State San Marcos in 2016-2020.

Sawyer Moseley stretches it out during a breather

in the beach exercises.

Junior Hank Hansen (right), expected to be

a two-way player at receiver and linebacker,

enjoys the grind in front of lifeguard seats

at Marine St.

LJ FB: Bonnett the big cheese

 

Logan Bonnett (far right, during workouts July 19)

figures to be a mainstay for the LJHS football

team in Fall 2023. He goes 6'1", 225 pounds.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

When asked who would be key players and leaders for the 2023 La Jolla High football team, Viking head coach Tyler Roach singled out senior Logan Bonnett, a three-year starter; two-way lineman Sawyer Moseley; senior Jackson Diehl, the returning starting quarterback; and junior Hank Hansen, looking to play receiver and free safety.

"And while you're at it, since you're going to hear a lot about him, Jackson's brother, Carson Diehl," continued Roach. "He could be a two-way player."

Bennett, 6'1", 225 pounds, has been a stabilizing force on the defense as a linebacker since his sophomore year in 2021, coming out of the COVID pandemic. He'll also take his slot at center, initiating the offense on each play as he hikes to the older Diehl.

Moseley, a 6'5", 210-pound presence, played all 12 games last year and totaled 41 tackles on defense. He also had a sack.

Hansen, also a starter for the Viking baseball team as a freshman and sophomore, snagged 33 passes in 2022, piling up 502 yards, second on the team only to the since-graduated Ryan Weinberg.

LJ FB: Looking ahead to Big Bear Camp Aug. 4

Viking coach Tyler Roach works with linemen on

blocking drills, including junior Jett Thomas (in red shirt).

"He has received multiple D1 offers," said Roach

of Thomas Mon., July 17.

(Photos by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

Viking football hopefuls continued their resumed workouts Tues., July 18, after a no-contact period in early July that precluded training as a team.

LJHS head coach Tyler Roach spoke of the start of two-a-day workouts beginning Mon., July 31, in a conversation with a reporter on Mon., July 17. He noted that the annual team Big Bear camp would take place at the end of the first week of official practice, from Fri., Aug. 4, through the team's return to La Jolla Mon., Aug. 7.

Team position players took part in "indies"--independent drills--in workouts Tuesday, as quarterbacks threw to receivers, offensive linemen worked on blocking and other skills, and a punter went through his paces blasting kicks downfield during the early part of practice at 7:30 a.m. at Edwards Stadium.

Returning senior QB Jackson Diehl throws

to receivers running routes in a practice

drill Tues., July 18.

Soph QB Hudson Smith prepares

to lob a ball to Diehl during

passing and receiving drills

in a workout July 18.

LJ FB: Workouts resume

Returning QB Jackson Diehl (second from right) and

junior Leed Smoole (second from left) were among

the 60 boys doing agility drills early Monday morning,

July 17, on the Edwards Stadium surface. Diehl

passed for 2,225 yards and scrambled for

another 171 in his junior campaign in 2022.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

6:25 a.m. LJHS football coach Tyler Roach pulled up near the side gate on Rushville.

6:31 a.m. The first two football players showed up, after a no-contact/no-workout period.

7:03 a.m. After Roach's reminder to get their athletic clearances in advance of regular season practice beginning July 31--"32 days till kickoff" against Bishop's--returning senior quarterback Jackson Diehl helped lead 60 boys into a planned two-hour workout without pads on the surface at Edwards Stadium.

After "getting a good stretch", at 7:20 athletes were divided into "JV's and freshmen"--to do agility drills outside the weight room at the southwest corner of the complex--and varsity on the main field.

"It's almost feels like we've never been away," remarked Roach to a reporter. The early morning weather was cool, about 66 degrees, with no wind, and the sounds of seagulls on the light standards and elsewhere surrounding the field.