LJ b BB 55, Patrick Henry 65

The LJHS school band and flag team perform
during the first half of the Vikings'
game against Henry. (Photos by Ed Piper)
 

By Ed Piper

Division 1 is hell.

And the Vikings haven't even faced the big boys yet.

La Jolla's boys are now 0-2 in a rough return to the Western League, reconfigured as a Division 1 conference this year. They dropped a 65-55 decision at home to Patrick Henry Fri., Jan. 5.

Looming in the Vikes' next three games are Cathedral Catholic, St. Augustine, which is ranked third in the county, then number-one Mission Bay.

Yikes.

Before a crowd that included their school band, flag team, and cheerleaders, Coach Paul Baranowski's beleaguered squad--coming in having lost six of their last seven games--played the Patriots to a 41-41 tie through three quarters.

But then senior Jayden Holloway scored four baskets as Henry pulled away to their second victory in the first week of league play. La Jolla had no rejoinder, as the team's defense sputtered, yielding eight straight points at one point.

Junior forward Langston Aron has seen
a lot of playing time as a reserve
since being activated following
a knee injury the first month
of the season.

The Vikings' Evan Brown fought the good fight, canning six points in the period.

But a three-pointer by lefty Aiden Alfino, a sophomore, to put the Patriots up 60-47 with 1:12 remaining was pretty much the dagger that ended chances for the hosts.

For La Jolla, lifted by the energy in a loud gym at home for the first time this season, Behzad Hashemi led with 14 points, including a trey of three-pointers--unfortunately, none in the final period--with backcourt mate Jacob Ohara scoring 11 points, all in the first half.

Ohara, until Henry coach Jason Bryant's team made a halftime adjustment, was able to slip behind the defense for four baskets in transition.

Freshman Diego Solis provided the home crowd some excitement in closing moments with a pair of three's. The 5'7" lefthander totaled eight points. Brown finished with seven points in a performance that showed the junior extending himself, despite missing some layups underneath.

"We got back on defense" to stop Ohara, said Holloway, who had 16 points for Henry. Asked how it feels to be 2-0 in league play, the 6'2" Patriot captain replied, "It feels good."

Said Bryant, "Defensively, we got good stops. That led to transition buckets." Bryant, who coached Lincoln to the state title in a previous stint, highlighted senior Zach La, a reserve who scored 10 points, besides Alfino, the sophomore. "That's two guys who came in off the bench," Bryant commented.

Alfino led all scorers with 17 points, which included five baskets from beyond the arc.

As the Henry coach stood in the visitors' team room off the upper deck of the Big Gym, with his team seated in the tiny cubicle after their victory, he was asked what he was going to impart to his team to prepare them for their game Tues., Jan. 9, at top-ranked Mission Bay. He replied, "Toughness. Get the 50-50 balls."

LJ wrestling: Austin burns in 23 seconds

There wasn't a lot of time to accumulate points, as
132-pounder Elliot Austin pinned his opponent
from Cathedral in a mere 23 seconds.
(Photos by Ed Piper)
 

By Ed Piper

Elliot Austin, a veteran of martial arts, continues to hone his wrestling skills as he pinned 132-pound opponent Jack Gemmingen of Cathedral Catholic in a brief 23 minutes Thurs., Jan. 4.

The match passed so quickly, that a media photographer present at La Jolla's dual meet at Cathedral Catholic was temporarily occupied and failed to get a single attempt at an action photo of the senior wrestler.

"I went in thinking, 'I train harder than they other guy, and my coaching is great,'" said Austin, when asked about his mental approach going in. "I was thinking, 'Win.'"

He added: "That's what I do." (Win.)

The Briton, who moved to Southern California with his family when he was younger, described his successful operation against the Don wrestler like a surgeon. He used a front headlock. Here's how he described the lead-up: "I grabbed his legs. I cradled him, and squeezed."
 

Elliot Austin (R) chats with teammate Faress Zwain (L)
after the two ignited La Jolla with back-to-back pins
against the Dons. Zwain wrestled at 138 pounds.

Later, after teammate Faress Zwain followed Austin's fall with a pin of his own at 138 pounds, and the two touched base, Elliot called out to this reporter: "Ed, I have a quote for you. 'All it takes is pure heart and determination.'" That, for the senior wrestler, is being effusive. He doesn't normally talk it up on match day.

Earlier, before weigh-in, Austin said that he plans to drop a weight class and wrestle at 128 pounds. Each weight class receives a two-pound bump during the season, allowing wrestlers to carry that extra weight. And, with the weight that he is presently carrying, the senior said, "I'll only have to go down one pound."

After a dizzying blur defeating several opponents in the prestigious El Cajon Valley Invitational Meet in December, he was named the Outstanding Wrestler in the lower weights for the tournament. Coach Kelley Delaney said he didn't remember any wrestler from La Jolla receiving such an honor in recent history.

LJ wrestling 45, Cathedral Catholic 9

By Ed Piper

La Jolla's wrestlers provided a dominant performance in the first of what were originally scheduled to be four straight Wednesday league dual meets, taking Cathedral Catholic down on its own mats, 45-9, Thurs., Jan. 4.

The Vikings were keyed by three straight pins, by senior Elliot Austin at 132 pounds, Faress Zwain at 138, and Justin Close at 145. Super heavyweight Isaiah Torres, at 285 pounds, then followed with his own pin to close out the meet.

Head Coach Kellen Delaney's ever-improving group also benefitted by a 9-4 decision by Chase Maisel, a 126-pounder, over his opponent.

"A little nervous," said Close, who used a throw and a half-Nelson to achieve his pin in one minute, 45 seconds, when asked how he felt during the school day leading up to the match. How did he deal with that feeling? "I just kept doing my schoolwork."

Said Zwain of his fall, which came with three seconds left in the first two-minute period, "I focused, and I did what I've always done."

Asked to elaborate, he said, "(Be) determined and compete like in practice."

Austin was his usual lightning in pinning his opponent in a mere 23 seconds. (See separate story.)

The dual meet at Cathedral was originally scheduled for Wed., Jan. 3. However, Delaney said that the Dons rescheduled the meet for Thursday, because of students just returning to school after New Year's following the winter break.

Also, Mission Bay has apparently folded its wrestling program, according to Delaney, cancelling the dual meet scheduled at the Pacific Beach school Wed., Jan. 10.

LJ b BB: Photos 1/3

By Ed Piper

LJ wrestling 45, Cathedral 9 - Photos 1/4

By Ed Piper

LJ b BB 45, Lincoln 54

Guard Jacob Ohara (4) led the Vikings
with 12 points.
(Photos by Ed Piper)
 

By Ed Piper

La Jolla looked pitiful after a 10-day layoff on Lincoln's home court in the first half, generating only 10 points. The Vikings managed a mere three points in the second quarter.

But then the visitors showed some signs of life after speedy guard Behzad Hashemi entered the game in the middle of the third quarter, cutting a 17-point lead to eight.

However, La Jolla didn't have enough gas to finish, falling to the Hornets 54-45 in the Western League opener for both teams.

Hashemi sat the first two and a half quarters. Then, when he was inserted, the Viking offense machine kicked on, with fellow guard Jacob Ohara ignited to make drives to the basket and La Jolla looking more confident overall with their floor general in place.

Lincoln, a poor free-throw shooting team, showed its vulnerability as La Jolla repeatedly fouled to stop the clock down the stretch. But senior leader Raquan Everett, averaging 20 points a game, held off Coach Paul Baranowski's team with drives and ball control.

Junior Otto Lenz suited up for the first
time on the LJHS varsity, a welcome
sight after a toe injury.

With 2:45 left in the third quarter, the Vikings trailing 32-15, Ohara, the 6'1" guard, scored on a driving layup. Fouled on another drive, Jacob made one of two free throws.

After forward Charlie Gal sank one of two charity tosses, Ohara stole the ball and scored again, but missed the and-one free throw. La Jolla trailed by 11.

After Gal hit a three-pointer with 43.7 on the clock, the red and black closed to within eight, where they ended the quarter. They weren't able to edge any closer, as they gave up their first league loss.

Everett, a 6'4" guard-forward, finished with 30 points to lead all scorers. Ohara led the Vikings with 12 points. Gal had 11, Nick Hulquist 9, and Hashemi in his short stint 8.

La Jolla won't get too many free wins in the Western League, with Patrick Henry coming at home Fri., Jan. 5, then Cathedral, St. Augustine, and top-ranked Mission Bay in short order.

The Vikings fell to 6-7 after starting the season 5-1 as winners of the Hilltop Invitational. Lincoln, meanwhile, was winning the championship of the Chula Vista Holiday Tournament. The Hornets' overall record is now 9-2.

LJ b BB: Outlook

By Ed Piper

La Jolla's basketball team has a greater probability of winning the CIF Division 1 championship than Helix or Western League opponents Patrick Henry and Kearny, according to the San Diego Section website rankings.

The Vikings, entering league play Wed., Jan. 3 with a 6-6 record, received a 7.9 rating, better than Helix's 7.7, and far ahead of Henry at 3.9, and Kearny at -2.5.

MaxPreps, owned by CBS Sports, was started in 2002 and is used by the CIF San Diego Section for seedings in the playoffs come Feb. 18.

La Jolla, winners of the Hilltop Invitational Tournament to begin the season, is led by guards Jacob Ohara and Behzad Hashemi, averaging 12.1 and 11 points per game, and senior forward Charlie Gal, who has 12 points and 8.3 rebounds a game.

Ohara, a senior, was named Most Valuable Player of the Hilltop tourney, while his backcourt mate Hashemi, a junior, was named to the All-Tournament team. Behzad is also contributing 4.3 assists and 2.1 steals per game.

MaxPreps uses an algorithm to figure its rankings. At the top of the heap, Torrey Pines, 13-2 on the season, is ranked most probable to win the section title, while Foothills Christian is second with a 10-5 record. Mission Bay and St. Augustine, two other Western League opponents for the Vikings, sit third and fourth in the latest predictions. Lincoln (8-2) is 15th, with Cathedral Catholic (5-6) 16th. Those teams are also in the upcoming Western League lineup for La Jolla to face.

La Jolla comes in 18th, Helix at number 19, with Henry 22nd and Kearny 23rd.

The biggest surprise is probably Cathedral, a private school that can lure prep prospects with the promise of free tuition at the Catholic school, situated on a university-like campus off Highway 56. The Dons lost their seven-footer, Brandon McCoy, via graduation, and seem to be struggling. However, it can be at this point that teams jell after finding their footing in pre-league and tournament play during the month of December.

The Vikings open Western League play at Lincoln. The Hornets are led by 6'4" senior Raquan Everett, averaging 20 points a game. Fellow senior Torrance Farr, a forward, averages 16.6 points. A sophomore, Maruise Allen, contributes seven points a game. Akili Butler, a junior, chips in 4.3 points a game.

If the CIF playoffs were to start right now, based on the CIF website predictions, La Jolla would be the 10th seed in a 16-team Division 1 bracket, playing its opening playoff game on Lincoln's home floor.

The top eight teams from Division 1 go into the Open Division playoffs in late February. All 16 remaining teams in the division enter the Division 1 playoffs, so the Vikings are guaranteed a spot in the bracket. They will be fighting for league success, as well as post-season seeding, with the 44 days of Western League competition commencing Wed. evening, Jan. 3.