LJ FB 7, Cathedral Catholic 49 - 10/9

Freshman receiver Zakai Jackson (6) takes

a completion from QB Brody Bukich (not

pictured) as 245-pound Don Matijs Beals (44)

pursues him early in the third quarter.

Zakai went out with a left shoulder injury

after being tackled on the play.

(Photos by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

Cathedral Catholic brought its traveling road show to Edwards Stadium Fri., Oct. 9, with a fan following that filled the visitors' stands and was loud and vocal throughout the game. Honor Falaave, the five-star wide receiver with the $2.4-million-dollar NIL deal as a senior in high school, was held out by his future school, USC.

But receiver Isaac Cook wasn't a bad substitute. Neither were defensive end Jordan Lilo, who weighs in at 245 pounds, Austin Trudell, 6'4", 290, or the younger offensive linemen who came in once the game was settled in the second half who ranged in size from 250 to 300 pounds.

The beautiful thing was that the hosts gamely fought the steamroller for the first quarter and a half, limiting Don quarterback Koa Smith-Mayall (whose mother said he is going to make a "gameday campus visit" to UA Birmingham) and his number-three-ranked minions to two touchdowns at that point.

Vikings Joseph Crudo, Zach "Snacks" Gergurich (at 245 pounds the rare LJHS'er with that much heft), Kali Deberry, Sean Bannon, and several others visibly extended themselves in one of the team's best efforts this season. Defensive Coordinator Stephen Dixon, being wished "good luck" before the game, said, "We'll need it." So nobody was discounting the challenge of Head Coach Tyler Roach's scheduling Cathedral this fall as a non-league encounter.

Don receiver Isaac Cook (4) runs outside

for a 20-yard touchdown in the second quarter

after Nehemiah Lauifi intercepted a pass

by LJ QB Brody Bukich. Cathedral

went up, 21-0, with 6:56 left in the half.

The springs got jarred loose from the Vikings' focused efforts to be smart and physical when Don Nehemiah Lauifi intercepted a Brody Bukich pass down the middle that got tipped and flew into the air with 7:07 left in the second quarter. Lauifi gobbled the pick up and ran it from midfield to the La Jolla 20. From there, Cook cruised into the end zone on a pass from Smith-Mayall for a 21-0 lead.

The score at halftime was a respectable 28-0--things could have been much worse--before a running clock was instituted early in the second half after Willie Flores' two-yard plunge for 35-0.

La Jolla, after being denied a touchdown when a completion to Nico Bardaro and a run by Deberry both fell short--the visiting crowd roaring at each stop--finally got on the board when safety Bryson Grant intercepted backup QB Gavin Rossi and ran the ball in, untouched. That made the score 42-7.