LJ baseball 6, Imperial 5 - Lions Tournament day 4 (of 4) - 4/3

Viking pitching coach Koa Scott (sweatshirt) makes

a mound visit in the top of the fifth inning. Will

Griebe-Arzate (9, left) is in his fifth and last

inning of work; Ryan Kestler (far right)

will relieve in the sixth.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

It was the top of the seventh, and La Jolla--struggling with a 6-8 record, having lost two of three games in the Lions Tournament--was in danger of losing a 6-5 lead to visiting Imperial.

The lead had been gained only the half-inning before, when reliable Harper Lane stroked a flair to right-center to drive in Hank Hansen.

Lefty Ryan Kestler, after striking out two Tiger batters, had walked two more to load the bases. Gary Frank's Vikings were barely holding onto hope.

As the coach had said earlier in the week, "We've had some late losses in close games recently." Could La Jolla hang on?

Frank brought in Hansen to close the game. He had done it two days earlier on only five pitches to vanquish Rocky Mountain 3-2.

Imperial coach Javier Ramos inserted Antonio Urena, a freshman, to pinch-hit for Jacob Salgado. Hansen, the veteran senior, induced Urena to hit a weak infield bounder that Hank pounced on, ran halfway to first base, then underhanded the ball to Kestler, now back at his familiar first base spot, and La Jolla let out a giant breath of relief.

The Vikings won their second game of the week-long Spring break tournament Thurs., April 3, moved to 7-8 on the season, and looked forward to enjoying the rest of their week off from school. Eastern League play starts next Thurs., April 10.

LJ baseball: Something you may never see

LJ catcher Charlie Martin, wearing

a cast on his right arm, which 

underwent surgery, takes a sip

of Pink Edition Red Bull

during the fifth inning April 2.

Seagulls fly above.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

In the top of the fourth inning Wed., April 2, something happened I had never heard of.

Jon Angel Aguirre, a second baseman for Brawley facing La Jolla, was awarded third base after stealing second.

Huh?

As Rick Eveleth, handling the P.A. system for La Jolla, explained it to the crowd, Aguirre had the tag applied (by Viking second baseman Joseph Crudo) even though there wasn't a play.

"Safety" was the reason given for the call.

La Jolla head coach Gary Frank later shed some light on the incident:

"The rule in high school baseball is, no player can fake a tag on a baserunner if they do not have the baseball. The reason behind the rule is often times, a runner who is approaching a base will be slowing themselves down as they approach the base if they feel there is not going to be a throw to that base."

Frank went on to explain: "If a fielder fakes a tag, that runner...may end up trying to slide at the last possible instant, and may injure themselves on the base, or might even roll an ankle (or hyperextend a knee), because they weren't preparing to slide."

The coach elaborated, "So when Crudo faked that tag, the umpire called interference, and awarded the runner third base."

Professional players, Frank reminds us, "still today" use the play "to trick the runners into sliding, and keep them from being able to possibly take an extra base."

So there it is, straight from the horse's mouth.

Aguirre, the runner in the game with the Wildcats, scored from third on a sacrifice fly by the next batter, and Brawley scored four runs in the inning, on the Wildcats' way to a 13-4 win in the Lions Tournament.

LJ baseball 4, Brawley 13 - Lions Tournament - 4/2 - Day 3 of 4

Photos by Ed Piper

Hank Hansen (2) celebrates his two-run homer

in the fourth inning putting on the Viking horns.

Fellow senior Abel Delgadillo (left)

joins in the celebration. Reed Turner (21,

right background) was the pinch-runner

driven in ahead of Hansen.

Tate Preece of Brawley slides into

third base under the tag of Viking

Adam Lafever (1) on a wild pitch

in the fifth inning.

LJ baseball 3, Rocky Mountain 2 - Lions Tournament - Day 2 (of 4)

Vike rightfielder Harper Lane clubs a basehit

to right-center field to drive in two runs

in the bottom of the sixth. La Jolla

won, 3-2, over Rocky Mountain.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

Junior Harper Lane drove in two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, and senior lefthander Abel Delgadillo pitched two-run ball through six-plus innings, as La Jolla came from behind to beat Rocky Mountain (Fort Collins, CO), 3-2, on the second day of the Lions Tournament Tues., April 1.

It was no April Fool's joke, as Delgadillo was also helped by Lane's bunt earlier in the fourth inning. With Lane occupying first base after the bunt, and runner Carter Strauss advancing to third base, Lobo catcher Kaden Bauder-Tolar threw down to first after a dropped third strike against the Vikings' Travis Lancaster.

There was no cause to make the throw, since with less than two outs and first base occupied, Lancaster was automatically out.

But as soon as the catcher threw the ball, Strauss raced home from third to score La Jolla's first run and tie the score 1-1.

La Jolla is now 6-7 on the season. Rocky Mountain suffered its first loss of the season, falling to 6-1.

Said Viking coach Gary Frank on Lane's two-RBI knock, "Obviously, it was the game-winning hit. But it was also key for other reasons"--the team seeing they didn't have to lose late, and "huge for the guys to know they can come back."

Frank said the offense had struggled "mightily" in recent games, going 3-for-30 with 20 strikeouts in the last two games alone.

A special guest was in attendance at the game on the Muirlands field: Craig Woodall, the younger brother of Brent Woodall, an outstanding Viking scholar-athlete (Class of 1988) who died in the 9/11 tragedy in the Twin Towers in New York. Craig Woodall is the principal of Rocky Mountain High School.

La Jolla assistant coach Bob Allen said that the school and Craig had been trying to get him to the tournament and the field, and finally it occurred on this occasion.

Allen said that he coached Craig Woodall as a junior and senior, Class of 1991 (three years younger than his brother Brent), while head coach in baseball. Craig also played quarterback and wide receiver in football, and was a scorer in basketball under Rick Eveleth, who introduced him to the crowd midway through Tuesday's game.

A dramatic double play ended the game for the Vikings. Hank Hansen came in from shortstop to relieve Delgadillo with no outs, a runner on second. A strikeout later, DH Champ Rivera grounded out to Adam Lafever, moving over from second to fill in for reliever Hansen.

The runner on second, J.J. Johnson, broke for third. Viking first baseman Ryan Kestler fired the ball to third baseman Will Griebe-Arzate, who applied the tag to Johnson in a bang-bang, close play. The game was over, and Hansen had the save. It was Hank's first save of the season.

Ross Frank, the Lobos' pitcher, was throwing well, at about 82 mph, according to Allen, who said this was his reported speed. Until the bottom of the sixth, the righthander had limited La Jolla to the one run in the fourth.

LJ FB: Wins 4 of 6 7x7 games

By Ed Piper

In offseason action, the La Jolla football contingent won four of six 7x7 passing league games, played on Sundays at various locations. This activity wrapped up two weeks ago, according to assistant coach Chris Velez, in his sixth year of coaching the wide receivers and being in charge of recruiting.

Junior Carson Diehl is looking forward to a recruiting trip to Boise State. He ran his first race in track last week, Thurs., March 27, running a leg in the boys 4x100-meter relay against St. Augustine at home. Teammate and fellow sprinter Tate Phillips noted that at the meet.

Diehl is also competing for the Viking golf team, allowing his right leg to regain full strength and condition. Phillips is also a teammate in that sport.

According to Velez, quarterback Hudson Smith "has gained 20 pounds" and "grown an inch or two", which gives him much more mass and height as he stands behind his offensive line and looks out over the opposing defensive line in the fall. He's also got a year of quarterbacking the varsity under his belt.

The Vikings open their schedule in 2025 August 22 at Torrey Pines, which has a bone to pick with La Jolla, who put them away in a 21-14 win in the two schools' first meeting since 1993 during week 2 last fall.

LJ track @ 44th Sundevil Invitational - Mt. Carmel HS 3/29

Photos by Ed Piper

Jett Dailey (9th-grader) runs

in the 3200-meter. His time was

10:14.15. His PR is 9:56.23

two days earlier against

St. Augustine at home.

4x800m relay

Janae Stanley-Castillo (sophomore), far left,

waits to warm up for the shot put,

with her LJ coach, Darian Savage

(red shirt, second from right) in view.

Janae, though fighting a cold, throws a

warm-up shot before her events. She threw

31'9". Her PR is 32'2" in the Cerveny

Invite March 22 at Mission Bay.

Leilani Hill (left) takes the baton from Reese

Martin on the second leg of the 4x100m relay.

The Vikings ran a 53.09 time. Their PR

is 49.97 (two days before vs. OLP).

Reese Martin, preparing her start in the

4x100m.

Anastasia Volkov in the long

jump. The soph jumped

15'3.75" for sixth place.

Her PR is 16'3" at

the Viking Sunset Relays

March 8.

Peyton Gustafson (10) takes a break between

jumps. He long-jumped 19'9.75" for fifth place

in the huge meet.

Olivia Smith (left) leads the

4x100m relay team off the

infield after their race. Reese

Martin is on the right.

Hidden behind Smith is

Leilani Hill.

LJ track: Olivia Smith 'faves'

Olivia Smith, before

warmups Thurs., Feb. 27.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

Conversation on the infield before Olivia ran the 100- and 200-meter races at Edwards Stadium, LJHS, vs. OLP/St. Augustine Thurs., Feb. 27.

Favorite post-meet snack: Chick-fil-A

Favorite running surface: Mt. Carmel High - "best track in San Diego".

    La Jolla High's surface: "It's good. We only have six lanes, not nine. It's our home track, so we have to     love it."

Person you most admire or are inspired by: Michael Jordan. "But keeping it to track, Gabby Thomas" (Olympic gold medalist at the 2024 Paris Olympics in 200 meters, 4x100m relay, and 4x400m relay).

Favorite subject in school: English - "I like to read. I like to read fiction and talk about it."

Personal data:
--Senior at La Jolla High

--Wants to run in college, according to new LJHS track head coach Ben Martin
--ASB President (second year in a row from her family; her sister Payton served last year)

--Trailblazer - her sister was the first Black ASB president in La Jolla High's 103-year history; Olivia is the second.
--ASB Vice President last year

Olivia (in red jersey), with OLP competitors

before a relay race during the meet.