LJ b BB: Photos 11/25

Photos by Ed Piper

Brody Sessa (11) works against

Renel Fernandez (2)

of San Ysidro.

LJ b BB: Photos 11/26

Photos by Ed Piper

Guard Wyatt Olmert, senior

Conlan Rute, junior

Lee Mannheimer (23)

Liou Richardson (2)

Keivon Kashani (14)

LJ b BB: Photos 11/27

Photos by Ed Piper

Guard Leo Hawkinson

moves the ball in the

offense in the

first quarter against

Cyrus Sadri-Ahwazi

of Rancho Bernardo.

LJ's Wyatt Olmert (white jersey)

and James Ramm of RB

go to the floor for the

ball.

Soph Lino Maricic

Senior Michael Mahmoudi

Junior Leo Hawkinson

Captain Brody Sessa (right), a junior

Senior Seigo Lavinsky

Leo Hawkinson (4) tries to turn

the corner on the baseline

against Yryasb Kont (21).

LJ wrestling: Pre-Thanksgiving workout Tues., 11/26

Photos by Ed Piper

Climbing up the board

peg-by-peg.

Head coach Kellen Delaney demonstrates

a move in practice, using Joey Fio

(Braden's dad, in down position).

Another assistant, Joey Stofko,

sits in the background.

LJ b BB 50, Rancho Bernardo 47 - Madison Regional Rumble

Guard Wyatt Olmert (10)

of La Jolla tries to stop

Evan Woodland (0)

of Rancho Bernardo

in the second quarter.

(Photos by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

Junior guard Leo Hawkinson scored 17 points on 7 for 14 shooting from the field as La Jolla came from behind to defeat Rancho Bernardo 50-47 in the Madison Regional Rumble Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 27, at Madison High.

The Vikings won their seventh straight game to begin the 2024-25 season.

Coach Paul Baranowski's squad quickly found themselves behind a quicker, smarter ball-handling Bronco team in the first half. A fast break layup by Rancho Bernardo guard Brady Savage made the score 24-11 in favor of the Broncos to begin the second quarter.

La Jolla fought back, limiting mistakes, to get within seven, trailing 24-17 with 4:44 left in the second period.

In a difficult first half, it seemed the Vikings were not quite ready for Rancho Bernardo's quickness and athleticism. Vike Brody Sessa had a jump shot blocked midway through the first quarter, something he didn't have to worry about in Regional Rumble games Monday and Tuesday at Olympian High against less-skilled opponents.

But he came back to follow his own shot for a bucket at 17-9. Then he made two more baskets from La Jolla's low point in the first half to bring the boys from the shore within seven at 24-17.

Baranowski started a different starting lineup from the previous two days, with sophomore bigs Lee Mannheimer, at 6'7", and Lino Maricic, 6'4". He tried various combinations in the first half.

Vikes' Lino Maricic (24) applies

extreme pressure to

Luke Sanchez (23)

of  Rancho Bernardo.

LJ b BB 56, Lincoln 49 - Madison Regional Rumble Tourney

Vikes' Brody Sessa (11) goes to the floor

for the ball after Hornet Jaden Irasusta (30)

knocked the ball out of his control

in the second quarter.

(Photos by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

The Vikings built a 12-point lead late in the second quarter and into the third with the aid of Brody Sessa's long-range abilities. Then they dissipated all that--down to three points midway through the third period--before finishing a 56-49 win over Lincoln emphasizing ball security Tues., Nov. 26, in the Madison/Regional Rumble tourney.

Coach Paul Baranowski's team ran their record to 6-0 with their third win in the tournament, a fourth game to be played Wed., Nov. 27 at Madison High.

Sessa shot threes pretty free and easy in the second quarter, one of his favorite spots being the elbow outside the arc. Assistant Louie Velez, filling in for Hornet head coach Jeff Harper, could not find a way to stop the junior as he heated up.

La Jolla played with more intensity than for three quarters of its game the day before against San Ysidro. Guard Eyal Amsalem, asked about his willingness to dive on the floor for loose balls, said, "Rule 1: Coach (Baranowski) trained us to do this. We're dogs.

"Rule 2: Play your own game. Don't play down to the level of the other team." He smiled as he savored the scrappiness he and his teammates demonstrated.

At one point, Baranowski went to a five-guard alignment, including Sessa, who defends in the front court at 6'3" but who often brings the ball down court. Playing with the temporary lead, he subbed in the Vikings' bigs, 6'4" Lino Maricic and 6'7" Lee Mannheimer, for some impact underneath.

Seigo Lavinsky (1) protects the loose ball

before passing it one-handed--with his

off hand, his left--to a teammate

to go down the floor.

LJ b BB: Photos 11/25

Photos by Ed Piper

Viking Eyal Amsalem (0, left)

guards Richard Regala Jr. (3)

of San Ysidro.

Leo Hawkinson (4)

of La Jolla looks

for his shot.

Eyal Amsalem (0) contests

San Ysidro's inbound pass

against Gianni Costa (14).

LJ b BB 61, San Ysidro 36 - Regional Rumble/Madison tourney

Brody Sessa (11)

goes up for a basket

late in the game.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

La Jolla went on a tear from the 2:32 mark in the third quarter, outscoring San Ysidro 23-3 before a timeout with 5:32 left in the fourth quarter, to notch the team's fifth win without a loss in the young season.

The Vikings were ignited by their talented tandem of juniors Brody Sessa and Leo Hawkinson, the latter a transfer from St. Augustine. Sessa, the 6'3" guard, hit on three runners during the streak. Hawkinson, at 5'11, knocked down a nice fall-away in the lane late in the run.

"Me and Brody have a good chemistry," said Hawkinson after the win. He acknowledged that his team took a while to activate, after a hum-drum pace matching the Cougars basket-for-basket during most of the first three quarters. The score was tied, 24-24, when the Vikings' skein began.

The 61-36 victory Mon., Nov. 25 gives La Jolla its second win in the Regional Rumble, a tournament sponsored by Madison High. There are two more dates to play in the tourney this week before the Thanksgiving Day break.

The first three games for Coach Paul Baranowski's team are at distant Olympian High in the South Bay. The last contest Wed., Nov. 27, is scheduled for Madison's gym.

LJ b BB: Feeder program of local talent

By Ed Piper

Twenty years ago, Kamal Assaf was hired as the new boys basketball coach at La Jolla High two weeks before the Nov. 1 start of practice for winter sports.

At tryouts, a core of freshmen promised talent that Assaf and his assistants only had to invest time in coaching and developing until they were ready for varsity play.

This group became the nucleus of the 2007-08 Viking team that went on to win the Division 3 CIF championship.

"We used talent from the area. The pattern of continuity, development, and multi-sport athletes" became the blueprint for one of the best runs boys basketball teams at La Jolla ever enjoyed.

"Coach (Rick) Eveleth won CIF with Kent Eaton in 1981, then won again in 1983" with another group of student-athletes. But no Viking squad had won back-to-back titles in recent memory.

Assaf, now a middle school coach and classroom teacher at Bishop's, was able to accomplish that with his local feeder program--and he nearly won a third title in a row in 2009-10. (See previous article on that near-miss.)

"Jerrell Agnew was a D1 football player. Matt Jones was a volleyball player. Peter Sefton played water polo and baseball," remembered Assaf about those first tryouts right after he was hired in Fall 2004 in a conversation Sun., Nov. 24. "Spencer" Moyer came in for special comment, since he played a key role on the championship team as well.

"We shared athletes" among coaches at that time, Assaf said. It is much trickier to do that these days, as athletes play for club teams, as well as the school team, in their chosen sport. The multi-sport student-athlete is a rare species.

Jones went on to star in volleyball and is now the head women's coach at UC Santa Barbara. Sefton was named the Union-Tribune Male Athlete of the Year for his three-sport exploits during his senior year.

*  *  *

Assaf, ever the coach, repeatedly talked about the upcoming Bishop's-La Jolla boys basketball game Dec. 13 at LJHS. He helped develop the players for the Knights. He said it's going to be a good contest.

LJ b BB: Back-to-back CIF titles in '08-'09, almost a third in '10

By Ed Piper

I just put two photo posters on my wall above my computer: from the Viking 2007-08 and 2008-09 CIF D3 champion boys basketball teams. I was going through materials from all 20 years of my time following, then photographing, and finally also writing about LJHS sports.

And the Taylor Davis-led teams of Coach Kamal Assaf (still a classroom teacher at Bishop's) almost got away with a third title in 2009-10. Forward Jack Latta, to my recollection, was called for a 50-50 foul on a Mt. Miguel player shooting a three-pointer at the buzzer, and with three free throws to make two points, the Matadors narrowly won, 47-46.

It was a great run in the playoffs for a trio of years, and still stands as a highlight during my 20 years following La Jolla High sports.

When I began attending my granddaughter's games as a varsity cheerleader in Fall 2004, boys basketball was the king on campus. Eventually, I turned my camera both ways, from shooting my granddaughter and her fellow cheerleaders on the sidelines, to additionally taking shots of the players on the court.

Assaf was a voracious consumer of coaching knowledge, studying every video he could get his hands on and attending every coaching clinic he could drive to. Mike Haupt, the basketball coach at St. Augustine to this day and a close coaching colleague of Assaf, remembers reaching Kamal (who received his name from his parents' heritage), and finding Kamal was at another clinic. He just couldn't get enough.

On the court, these Vikings were good defenders who played in the clutch--obviously, if you don't play in the clutch, you don't go that far in the playoffs three years in a row.

Peter Sefton, a senior in 2007-08, was named CIF Player of the Year. He was 6'5". La Jolla didn't have a taller player in those years, and they made the most of their talent.

The best team of the three by record was the 2007-08 team, which built up a 24-9 record, nearly running the board in the Western League with a 10-2 record.

The Vikings played St. Augustine in the Saints' old hell-hole, a tiny, deafeningly-loud bandbox of a gym which played to the hosts' advantage. My wife had a panic attack during a game there from the noise, and we had to take an exit for her to reorient herself.

The students--all boys--had a seating area beyond the end court line, and when you were on offense, you had to face them as they mounted a wall of sound that was only amplified by the tiny quarters of the gym.

St. Augustine had a down year that year, going only 6-6 in league and finishing fourth.

Davis, a sophomore in 2007-08, was a junior the next year and became a leader along with Latta. The Vikes only went 5-6 in league, but they came alive in the four-level playoffs, to finish 17-15 with the title.

In 2009-10, when Assaf's band of aggressive defenders lost as time ran out. Latta averaged 18.7 points a game in the limited statistics available, and Davis 13.0. Ryan Mills was a 6'2" speedster who chipped in 6.7 points a game.

Max Greenberg was a starting guard who brought the ball up court against pressure on the latter two teams.

LJ wrestling @ RB Takedown 11/23

Photos by Ed Piper

Ian Fleming (L, 106 lbs.) gets post-bout

mentoring from Viking assistant

Vinny Iudici.

Ian Fleming (top, redhead) works for a takedown

against his Monte Vista foe.

Baby Kirwin Van Delaney

(with proud parents Coach

Kellen and wife Brenda)

nears his one-year

birthday Dec. 4. His first

high school wrestling

meet all-time.

Chase Weise (L) in action.

Freshman Chase Weise (126/132)

hears from Ryan Lennard.

LJ FB: The year in review

By Ed Piper

The true grit of the La Jolla High football team during the 2024 campaign showed up in the "Hank Hansen game" in week five--a 38-7 shellacking of down-the-road rival Mission Bay Sept. 20 after starting quarterback Hudson Smith was sidelined after banging his head against Rancho Bernardo, and the inner fortitude of the Vikings was put to the test.

While Hansen, normally an H-back, had had a week to prepare at the QB role leading up the Eastern League opener, fellow senior Ryan Kestler started off the contest against the Buccaneers with a bang on a 90-yard return of the opening kickoff for a quick 7-0 lead.

Then, after the defense quickly forced Mission Bay into a three-and-out, Hansen expertly managed the La Jolla offense down the field in a 12-play drive, scripted by Roach, that combined many of the Vikings' weapons: four carries by running back Aidan McGill, completions to receivers Kai Fukuda and Andre McLees Walker, and three keepers in which Hank called his own number.

The scoring drive was rapid-fire, it was physical, and La Jolla's emergency fill-in field general performed admirably as the black-and-red moved to a 14-0 lead before Mission Bay's players knew what had hit them.

This was La Jolla at its best, in a season that opened with three impressive wins over able opponents--Bishop's, Torrey Pines (their first game against each other since 1991), and Madison. The inevitable letdown came with a beating at Rancho Bernardo, whose athletes blossomed under NFL great/coach Eric Weddle after looking overmatched in 2023, accompanied by the forced inactive status of Huddy Smith after the head-bang.

The swoon carried through a narrow loss at Scripps Ranch, before moving into the "free-for-all" phase of the season with a 56-42 street-brawl triumph over winless Mira Mesa. Poor Francis Parker had to experience all the fury of the Vikings the next week, getting clobbered at its own Homecoming before prospective students and parents, in a total mismatch made possible by scheduling issues.

La Jolla's dying to self happened at the hands of Point Loma and former Defensive Coordinator Ryan Price, who dealt the Vikes a tough 34-20 loss Oct. 25, followed by University City's dominance the next week as the black-and-red struggled there a little bit in who they were and what they stood for.

Once again, a determined senior core, with Hansen, Kestler (playing all-league safety again), and giant Jett Thomas on the line leading the way, brought Roach's eighth team at LJHS to a CIF D2 first-round win over the bad boys from Madison (their second this season), who appeared to underperform this year, 27-15, on Nov. 8.

*  *  *

The Vikings, in their new reality as a team capable of powerful things under Roach as coach, however were no match for Helix and its running back, Pablo Jackson, in the second round of CIF. Jackson gained 275 yards going away.

But--to be said again, La Jolla has now been respected in the area as a strong football program for multiple years. The Southern California Regionals championship in 2019 was the highlight. In addition, several league titles have put trophies on the shelf for the Roach Vikings. This season was just a little up-and-down, needing more skillful decision-making and performance under fire on the field. That's what high school sports are all about: a learning lab of growth, just like a physical classroom for academics on campus.

LJ b water polo: Still more photos 11/19

Photos by Ed Piper

Oaks Christian fans view the action from

the upper deck of the sports complex

in Westlake Village.

Viking subs look on and swap comments

as the second quarter comes to a close.

LJ's Ryder Jankowski (R) puts pressure

on Yuri Dartyan of Oaks Christian.

Oaks' Yuri Dartyan (18) is defended

by Will Quesnell (8) of La Jolla.

LJ b water polo: More photos 11/19

Photos by Ed Piper

Will Quesnell (8, R) guards Kane Fogg (6).

Vike soph Ryan Murray (16) looks for passing

options against Oaks' Malloy Hambly (20).

Elijah Jones (9) is hounded by Lions'

Jack Lansing (3) on offense.

LJ b water polo: Playoff recap 11/19

Defender Harry Pearce (right) and goalie

George Gayner (rear) try to block scoring options

for Wyatt Williamson (9) of Oaks Christian

late in the second period.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

In the second period after La Jolla went down 5-2 to host Oaks Christian Tuesday, Nov. 19, the Vikings put on a mini-comeback led by Tor Martin, senior Trevor Kula, and Quinn Daniels to close the gap to two late in the quarter.

La Jolla coach Tom Atwell put the starting group back in the pool to begin the period. Within minutes, Martin, a junior, scored to put the Vikings within reach at 5-3.

Then, after the Lions--ranked third in the nation--countered with a pair of quick goals, Kula, a team captain playing his last high school game, fired one in the cage past Oaks Christian sophomore goalie Ryder Bjork, 7-4.

La Jolla's last gasp, as it turned out, was Daniels, a sophomore, scoring right after Kula to make the score 7-5, the Vikings edging closer.

That was with 1:53 left in the half. The visitors, who drove 150 miles one way for this first game in the Southern California Regionals, had given their best.

Coach Jack Kocur's squad, playing home matches on a lavish private-school campus in Westlake Village--though La Jolla's Coggan Pool has nothing to apologize for as a stellar facility--finished the half ahead 8-5.

Then, in the third quarter, Lion standout Camden Kocur, the coach's son, went on a tear, scoring four goals of a total of six by Oaks Christian in the period, building an insurmountable 14-6 lead and blowing the Vikings out.

The final was 15-7. La Jolla's outstanding Fall campaign came to an end, after a satisfying win over rival Bishop's in the CIF San Diego Section Open Division semifinals Nov. 12. That was when the graduating seniors shined, with the leadership of Fin Alford, Kula, Aiden and Liam Flanagan, captain Jackson Loyd, and Harry Pearce, among others.

That win, despite a loss in the finals Nov. 16 to eventual Open champion Cathedral Catholic, set Atwell's crew on the path to play at Oaks Christian.

The Vikes' Jackson Brown, a senior captain, was able to play in the cage part of the second half at Oaks Christian.

LJ b water polo 7, Oaks Christian 15 - So Cal Regionals

Photos by Ed Piper

Sophomore Quinn Daniels (13) of La Jolla

defends Oaks Christian senior Saul Biddle (4).

Viking goalie George Gayner (arms raised)

and Fin Alford (far left), along with Lions'

Kane Fogg (6), look to see what the call was.

Vike senior Harry Pearce (5) reacts to collision

with Max Burstein (rear) of Oaks Christian.

Trevor Kula (17) of La Jolla goes against

Wyatt Williamson (9).

Dexter Black (15) raises up to launch a shot.

Quinn Daniels (13)

Aiden Flanagan (10)

Tor Martin (11)

AJ Schoenberger