LJ Fall sports: What a (half) week

By Ed Piper

La Jolla High has always strived for a high level of student-athlete performance and participation.

It really peaked this past half week, as Tom Atwell's boys water polo players took a solid 15-11 win from Torrey Pines Wed., Nov. 6, in the opening round of the Open Division playoffs.

Then, in day 2 of the three-day sweep, Amanda Warford's field hockey squad--ranked number two in the state--eked out a 1-0 cliffhanger over visiting Canyon Hills in the quarterfinals of the Open Division playoffs.

Two teams, two Open Division squads. Now, that's saying something right there.

And they both had "home" matches--granted, Coggan Pool is the setting for all CIF water polo. But. nonetheless, highly-ranked units played host to postseason games.

Finally, on Friday night, Nov. 8, a chilly one, Tyler Roach's football team got back at one of CIF's recent powers, Madison, with a fourth-quarter 27-15 comeback win in the first round of the Division 2 playoffs.

Not too bad for a school, much less a highly academic school like La Jolla High.

Three games in three nights. All victories. The half week that was.

Making more history here in the golden era of LJHS sports.

I don't remember experiencing a trifecta like this during my 20 years being around Viking sports.

For one, the football team is performing at a level it never did the first 12 years I was around La Jolla High sports (due to my granddaughter's enrolling at LJHS in 2004).

For another, as I have often written lately, Combs Warford has provided the long-term development of the field hockey program that former coach/A.D. Paula Conway could only dream about in her hurried schedule of responsibilities back then as a classroom instructor, athletic director, person with a hand in the U.S. Olympic development program at the former Chula Vista Training Center, and so forth.

And lastly, Tom Atwell continues to provide elite coaching and mentorship through the La Jolla United and La Jolla High water polo and aquatics program, now into its third decade of existence.