LJ BB 38, Scripps Ranch 55

Gaynor Blackmon (3) defends against a Scripps

pass while Tony Coan tries to get out from

under in action Feb. 3.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

There is no joy in Mudville, as La Jolla's boys basketball team dropped its fifth straight loss, 55-38, Tues., Feb. 3, to a Scripps Ranch team that the Vikings had beaten in the first round of Western League play. Each of those losses have come after leading scorer Reed Farley went down with a sprained ankle at the end of a 53-52 win at Bishop's Jan. 16.

La Jolla trailed by only two at halftime at Scripps, 24-22. But as has become the familiar script in the last quintet of games, the Vikings did not have the go-power to stay with their opponents in the late going or the ability to overcome a lead with defensive stops and offensive scores.

Coach Paul Baranowski held a long postgame team meeting in the visitors room just off the court in the Scripps Ranch gym. When players emerged, senior guard Ladd Castellano voiced some of the Mudville frustration when he said, "We were (only) down by two at halftime. Our mindset is holding back, that we're not going to win."

The 6'2" two-guard said, "More people need to jump in and attack. I feel like people are holding back because Reed is injured."

Faces were grim in the team room, as La Jolla has watched its once-sparkling won-lost record, which at its heights stood at 10-4, plummet to 11-10 overall, 2-6 in the Western League. The Vikings players showed up before knowing they could very well be in the game--even against tough opponents--and know they had a good chance to win.

But now there is no joy in Mudville, as the mighty Casey has struck out. Lately you don't see the anticipation, the expectation of winning a few of these. LJHS has been competitive, but not strong enough to give its opponents a real scare.

The Vikings, in the latest installment, went down early, 16-8, in the first quarter as Falcon lefty guard Dhru Patel began to light them up with threes. Castellano had an acrobatic drive down the lane, banking the ball off the backboard as he contorted his body sideways against two defenders to score, trailing 6-4.

Morgan Albers sank two free throws, but Fish connected on a long-range missile. Guard Gaynor Blackmon, handling Farley's point guard duties, scored at 16-13 but couldn't convert the free throw for a three-point play.

Big man Mark Rawdin, who continues to show moves at the lower boxes, scored with his back to the basket on the left side and La Jolla was only down 16-15. The first quarter ended with the locals leading, 19-18.

The Vikings took the lead for their one and only time, other than Castellano's first basket of the game, at 20-19 to start the second quarter when Rawdin grabbed Ladd's blocked shot in the air and lobbed it in from close range.

As Castellano said later, the Vikings played "horribly" in the first and third quarters, falling to Patel's southpaw jumpers to 33-22, then 36-23, at which time Baranowski called an abrupt timeout.

The coach juggled several players, benching big men Rawdin and Alex Pitrofsky for much of the second half and inserting sub Johannes Osypka and guard Tony Coan. Eddie Parker came in off the bench.

Unfortunately, all La Jolla could do was swap baskets with Scripps Ranch down the stretch when the red and black needed a stop. The lead in the fourth quarter, only eight at 43-35, increased to 11 at 49-38 and ballooned to the final margin of 17 points, 55-38.

The Vikings, formerly looking to be in the hunt after beating Scripps Ranch and Lincoln at the start of league play, though a cut below St. Augustine, are now looking up at Mission Bay, Cathedral Catholic--which upset the Saints in their first-round rivalry game a week ago--UC, and even the Falcons with only four Western League games left to go before the CIF playoffs. One observer pointed out that the lower the Vikes drop, the tougher their first-round playoff opponent will be.

"We just lost it towards the fourth quarter," said Rawdin after the postgame meeting. Asked why, he responded, "We stopped playing hard."

Guard Daniel Hemming got a rare minute of play at the end, and said, "It felt good, but losing never feels good. We're on kind of a losing streak. Hopefully, it will pick back up."


Copyright 2015 Ed Piper

LJ wrestling: Update

Early action against the Saints. La Jolla wrestler on left.

(Photos by Ed Piper)

First-year head coach Kellen Delaney says he's learning the administrative side of coaching wrestling, while continuing his technical work with his staff of coaches and wrestlers on the La Jolla grappling squad.

In previous seasons, including the 2012-13 Western League championship season in which the Vikings sent several wrestlers through the City Conference and CIF Section levels of competition, Delaney served as one of the assistant coaches, along with his friend and roommate Ryan Lennard.

Lennard has gone on to pursue his passion besides wrestling, which is strength and conditioning, as the coach in that area on the La Jolla High campus. So he's pretty occupied with that, though cognizant of what's going on in what is now Delaney's wrestling program.

"We don't have any varsity wrestlers," Delaney confided at the Vikings' dual meet at St. Augustine Jan. 21. "They're all newcomers."

In other words, against other teams, wrestlers are put into the varsity lineup of weight classes to carry on dual meets. But as far as skill level and experience, even the boys put on the varsity are novices and just learning their craft. Others compete as the junior varsity.

La Jolla is rebuilding the program after the number of experienced wrestlers dropped a year ago. The great thing is that every one of the wrestlers who showed up on the St. Augustine campus two weeks ago for the Vikings got to wrestle in the dual meet, either at the varsity level or on the JV's. That is what high school sports are for--to learn and grow. Why can't it be an incubator for kids to learn new skills?

Head coach Kellen Delaney (R) and assistant use body

English to communicate moves to their wrestler.

Action was on St. Augustine High campus.



I had never attended a pre-meet weigh-in before. Each wrestler, in turn, for each team had to stand on the electronic scale and have his present weight recorded. If he didn't meet the maximum weight for a weight class, he had to "wrestle up" at the next weight class.

Coach Walter Fairley, who is assisting Delaney and who formerly was an assistant principal at La Jolla High until he retired two years ago, explained a fact about CIF rules on weight. At that point in the season, a wrestler got two pounds allowance for growth--I think the initials on the weight recorder's clipboard were "GW" for "growth weight". That's kind of cool. There's nothing like that in the sports I played eons ago, basketball and baseball.

Delaney is the right kind of guy for the coaching position temperament-wise. While personable, he is calm, steady, though highly motivated during matches, which can be seen in his intense shouting of instructions to the wrestler grappling at the time. Fairley and the other coaches present themselves in the same way. Great models for our young people.

There is another aspect to the wrestling culture, which I began to learn about during Timmy Cundiff's years, his graduating in 2013. Timmy and his family are friends of our family. You can see this brotherhood, family atmosphere. Not macho. Connected. The guys hang around one another. They are humble, even if they're really good at what they do on the mat. They look out for one another.

In this respect, I really like the practice before each wrestler's match in which the whole team gathers around him, lays on hands, and shouts his name in unison to send him into competition. It's a visible sign of unity as well as support for the individual. Very cool.

Kellen Delaney says that by next year, with a year of experience, there will be wrestlers on the team at both the varsity and JV levels. It keeps building. Stay tuned.


Copyright 2015 Ed Piper

LJ b soccer: Update

Viking defender Will Curtis (leaping in black

uniform) contests for ball in 4-0 loss at

Point Loma Jan. 29. (Photos by Ed Piper)

Continuity is the name of the game if you're going to build consistency in a program.

Look at La Jolla's boys soccer team. There is plenty of talent: The super sophs, Daniel Estrella and Lukas Keeling, are two of only four Vikings who have scored a goal this season.

James Penner, another offense-enhanced player, has been out quite a bit thus far, first with club team obligations, then shortly after with injuries.

On the other side of the ball, on defense, La Jolla also has plenty of juice. It's not for lack of talent.

By the way, Lukas had a hat trick (three goals) within five minutes at the start of LJHS's game against Mount Miguel to close out pool play in the Coronado Invitational in December. Coach Marco Gonzales pulled him out of the game immediately, to give others a chance at some of the scoring opportunities.

The Vikings played two Open Division teams in their first two games in the Coronado tournament, Hilltop and Poway. They played them close. The games were 2-1 and the like. I know that soccer doesn't have high scores like basketball, where you can just flip the ball up and it might go in. But these were well-played games.

I think, one, the Vikings brought talent, and two, they wanted to play well for Gonzales, their new coach.

Forward Daniel Estrella speeds ball toward attacking zone

with agile ball skills versus the Pointers.

Now, with Gonzales having to shepherd the JV's in place of another coach, varsity assistant Victor Zendejas has been piloting the varsity during the last several games. The players respond to him, they respect him, and he is vocal in a positive way on the sidelines during games, shouting encouragement as well as technical advice.

That's part of the rub: Zendejas, following Gonzales, through no fault of their own or the players', following last year's one-year coach and gone, following two coaches that preceded them in the couple of years before that. There hasn't been one coach over a period years since I started covering the team almost a decade ago.

The kids are all right. They just need continuity, which is my original statement. You see Estrella, Ole (pronounced like the Spanish "Ole" at bullfights) Cassidy, an import from Norway, Keeling, goalkeepers Alexei Sebald and Eric Vela, and the others respond well to their coaches. Many or most of these players have played youth soccer and club soccer. They're at a relatively high level of proficiency in ball skills, knowledge of strategy, and soccer I.Q., which is in vogue language these days.

All you need to add is water, and they grow. The water is having the same coach more than one year in a row. I hope Gonzales and Zendejas can return next year. It would be so good for the program. Zendejas, a fiery pepperpot, older than Gonzales who can act as a kind of colleague and mentor, joined the varsity coaching staff after the season began.

I see La Jolla playing other teams, who have a comparable level of talent. They are competitive. With the same structure in place over a period of time, the cream will continue rising to the top. I'm not saying the Vikings will be in the Open Division playoffs next year if Gonzales and Zendejas return. But it will be a move in the right direction.

By the way, it's a pleasure to cover the present La Jolla program, writing and taking photographs. The players use appropriate language, are respectful, and accept the leadership of the coaches. It's good to see these future leaders in our society headed in the right direction. Without this, what would be the point of high school sports--to prepare players for college, then for the pros? I don't think so. As a high school teacher, I am big on cultivating the whole person--student, athlete, and citizen. Citizen-athlete. How's that for a term?


Copyright 2015 Ed Piper

LJ g BB 37, Lincoln 26

Jenna Harmeyer (R) and Rebecca

Saul (behind) gang up on Lincoln

ballhandler in big win.

(Photos by Ed Piper)

Right before La Jolla basketball fans' eyes, girls like Abby Hoffman and Rebecca Saul are blossoming in their confidence and skills on the court. Propelled by these fireplugs and the persistence of veteran captain Jenna Harmeyer, the Vikings won a major moral victory, 37-26, over visiting Lincoln Fri., Jan. 30.

La Jolla employed a harassing full-court press later in the game, which caused fits for the harried Hornets. The red and black also deployed a withering man-to-man defense, which forced Lincoln to cough up numerous turnovers and yield breakaways by the host team.

LJHS led 31-20 with five minutes left in the third quarter. Despite the fact neither team could hardly buy a bucket at times during the low-scoring affair, the Vikings scratched and clawed and crept ahead each time Lincoln counter-attacked.

The full-court pressure, which was especially effective in subduing the inexperienced Lincoln ballhandlers, was applied by Harmeyer, Saul, who is only a freshman, Ward, and others for key stretches. Kate Miller is showing an increasing poise and comfort level in games. Sara Tajran was seen applying good, hard man defense on the guards she covered.

Tall Satori Roberson grabbed key rebounds and even exhibited some ballhandling skills taking the ball down court. Hoffman, in particular, showed new abilities to bring the ball down the floor, taking some of the pressure off Harmeyer, who continued her intensity and verve.

Vikings' Sara Tajran (white uniform) on the

attack in La Jolla's smothering defense

against the Hornets.

A social highlight after the game was Carter Simington's standing in the gym as basketball players returned following their post-game meeting. He held a sign saying, "Jenna ASB?", asking Harmeyer to go to the ASB Ball Feb. 7. Jenna, of course, was one of the last team members to come out. She smiled as she saw the sign and Simington. Thankfully, her answer was yes, as friends took photos of the couple and a reporter videotaped the interaction.

Carter, a fellow track team athlete with Harmeyer, described before Harmeyer appeared the screw placed in his leg to repair damage near the end of the football season last fall. He had to sit out CIF playoff action as a result. He will be aware of his leg at the ASB Ball as he dances on the repaired leg, which he said he can feel from the effects of the injury and subsequent surgery.

He was understandably nervous before the senior guard came out of the tunnel and read his placard entreaty, likely more nervous than he was before any football game the past season. Jenna didn't appear surprised. Someone said she had a heads-up on what was waiting for her inside the gym.


Copyright 2015 Ed Piper

LJ g soccer 1, Coronado 0

Jessie Penner (R) accepts congratulations after goal

with minutes left in first half against Coronado

Fri., Jan. 30. The Vikes made it stand up for a 1-0

victory. (Photos by Ed Piper)

Sophomore Jessie Penner netted a goal in the 39th minute of the first half--with only minutes to play in the period--and La Jolla made it stand up for a 1-0 Western League win at home over Coronado Fri. afternoon, Jan. 30.

Penner is all smiles after

scoring her first half goal.

Copyright 2015 Ed Piper

LJ BB: Update

Viking big man Alex Pitrofsky (R) has the underside,

while teammate Mark Rawdin has back of the ball

as they battle Hornets for rebound. (Photo by Ed Piper)

You have to play the hand that you're dealt.

That's an aphorism taken from card-playing that says reality can be ever so cruel.

For the La Jolla High boys basketball team, circumstances aren't cruel. The players are still relishing playing, the coaching staff is still giving its all, and friends and families are eating it up in big doses, like at the Lincoln-La Jolla game Fri. night, Jan. 30.

Senior guard Ladd Castellano played his heart out. Frequently, the blond two-guard could be seen slapping his hands in frustration, or grimacing with the emotion that accompanies desire, motivation, and a will to do all one can in the face of adversity.

Half of the Vikings' Twin Towers, Alex Pitrofsky, shows game-by-game his increasing shot-blocking ability, athleticism in stretching out and taking up space near the key, and working to get better at the offensive end.

Short-stuff guard Gaynor Blackmon carried a lot of the Vikings' ball-handling duties in the continued absence of point guard Reed Farley. In the last two weeks, the senior headed to matriculate at the University of Colorado in the fall has probably logged more playing minutes than he did in the previous several games combined. Gaynor's a nice guy, appealing as far as his short stature amid much taller opponents. The occasional fan asked, "Who's that little guy?"

La Jolla took a tough 54-32 loss, dropping them further in the Western League hunt. But, you know what, they played as hard as they could. They didn't quit. They were just beat by the superior athleticism on the part of the visiting Hornets.

The Hornets are not a great team. But they were plenty good enough to disappoint the large, loud home crowd egged on by the increasingly visible La Jolla High band, which occupied the upper level of stands in the LJHS Big Gym and played the fight song repeatedly throughout the boys contest.

One week earlier, on Fri., Jan. 23, the band played throughout the girls game that was part of the Friday boys-girls doubleheaders.

The Vikings went down early, 13-2. They were struggling. Lincoln's outside shooting is suspect, but the Hornets' superior quickness and jumping ability are not. However, the red and black fought to get back in the game. Coach Paul Baranowski used key timeouts to reset and instruct, and he coaxed, cajoled, and encouraged in the way he consistently does. La Jolla trailed at halftime, 28-13.

Noteworthy recently have been senior guard Zach Duffy's contributions in setting up the offense and bringing the ball downcourt, again with Farley out. Duffy played probably the best ball of his varsity career in the last week. It wasn't as apparent against Lincoln, but he still used deceptive quickness. He didn't hit a key three the way he has in previous games. But it's not for lack of focus and heart.

Mark Rawdin and Pitrofsky as Twin Towers is a variant that Baranowski employs. La Jolla hasn't had this much height in several years, so the rebounding and shot-blocking they provide is unique. On one sequence with the Hornets, first Rawdin stuffed a shot, then Alex followed with his own block on the same possession by Lincoln. You have to appreciate the effort evident in that. As Mark said recently, "How about when Alex and I play at the same time?" They have gotten individual coaching from the assistants this year.

Mark, 6'4" or so, pulled down a respectable six rebounds. Pitro added five. Alex, 6'6" and growing, blocked three shots. Rawdin "faced" one. With eight points, Pitrofsky had a stat line of 8/5/3--not bad.

Ladd led scoring with 14 points.

Gaynor had a "wow" statistic: seven steals. That's a lot.

There are still three weeks left in the league schedule, then CIF playoffs. Viking fans, take heart.


Copyright 2015 Ed Piper

LJ Cheer: Stunting

Captain Reign Salas (R) and her

Viking cheer teammates

let loose with some spirit

during the girls basketball

halftime. (Photos by Ed Piper)

One of many things that was so refreshing at the boys-girls basketball doubleheader at La Jolla High Fri., Jan. 30, was the reappearance of stunting by the LJHS Cheer squad.

The girls (and one guy, Sean Nelson) also performed their choreographed routine at the halftimes of both the girls varsity game and the boys varsity game. If this has happened before, it hasn't been frequent.

The cheerleaders were grinning, loud, and pretty precise in their steps and motions, and it added a lot of energy to a fun, healthy, energetic night.

The Vikings' cheerleaders hadn't done stunting--the pyramiding on one another's shoulders to build towers, and the like--since losing their previous cheer advisor back in the sixth week of the football season, the middle of October.

New Cheer Advisor Mia Kelley promised in an initial phone interview that the girls would be stunting during Western League basketball games, and next year "they will be competing" (in cheer competitions against other schools' cheer squads).

Kelley delivered on her first promise, and a month later, the Vikes broke out their stunting skills for the first time in three and a half months. It was a good show. (View the photos on my sports photo website, ljhssportsbyedpiper.shutterfly.com.)

Halle Trimm (at

top) goes vertical

as the "flyer" in

her first appearance

as a Vike cheer-

leader.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the basketball court--cheer squads spent the entire two games lined up at opposite ends of the gym while cheering--the Lincoln cheerleaders brought their usual loud, foot-stomping style with them. It's a whole different style of cheer, and it adds a lot of flavor.

My granddaughter Alexis was a cheerleader on La Jolla's team from 2004 to 2008. She is African-American, Italian, Sicilian, Russian, Jewish, and the whole kit-and-caboodle. She was often one of the few African-American cheerleaders on the squads she served on during her years at La Jolla High. She always enjoyed the camaraderie and the competition between the rival schools' cheer squads. What I mean to say is, I think of her when I see the Viking and Hornet squads out there pounding out with their distinct styles. It presents a positive outlook for our teenagers, it's a place where they can get loud and burn off some energy, as my parents used to say, and the whole community gains from the interaction and exchange.

By the way, Ashley Monzon, the Vikings' cheer advisor prior to this year, came up and said hello at the basketball games at Cathedral Catholic High School Tues., Jan. 27. She is leading the dance squad there. Mia owes a big debt to Ashley for the health of the cheer program at LJHS. When Ashley arrived five years ago, she had to establish some new rules and clean house. Then-Assistant Principal Bev Greco was a part of that new regime that helped bring out more positives and decrease some of the negatives of the program at that time.


Copyright 2015 Ed Piper