The sixth-seeded La Jolla Country Day football team stomped all over Calipatria 45-0 in a Division IV first round CIF playoff victory on Nov. 19. Sage Burmeister got the Torreys (8-3) rolling early on. In just his second start at running back, the sophomore busted off a long touchdown run in the opening minutes and added another 23-yard score with 7:22 remaining in the opening quarter. “We had three running backs that were injured,” said head coach Jeff Hutzler. “That’s why he was starting.” Burmeister finished with 204 yards on 19 carries and staked LJCD an early 14-0 lead. With the Hornets defense loosened up, Torreys quarterback Ruben Pena went to work. With 1:10 left in the first quarter the senior dropped back, pump-faked right then rolled left and found sophomore receiver Tyler Sheflo, who went up high and reeled in a nine-yard touchdown catch for a 21-0 lead. “We had to keep everybody focused. We didn’t want to lose focus,” said Pena, who completed 10 of 12 passes for 153 yards and four touchdowns. Country Day tight end Nick Schlossberg got into the scoring act next when he took a Pena pass and dove into the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown, giving his team a 28-0 lead with 8:34 left in the first half. Schlossberg then made an impact on the defensive side of the ball, blocking a field goal attempt toward the end of the second quarter. The junior finished with a team-high six tackles. Pena took advantage of the turnover by connecting on a stop-and-go route with senior wide out Anthony Torres for a 35-0 lead with 10 seconds left in the half. “It’s my signature route, I knew I could beat him and Ruben threw a perfect pass and I caught it,” said Torres, who finished with 50 yards on four receptions. LJCD kicker Hunter Khaleghi had a solid game making all six of his extra point tries and nailing a 42-yard field goal in the third quarter. Yossi Stein capped the game’s scoring when he grabbed a Pena pass near the sideline, stiff-armed a defender and bolted into the end zone for a 31-yard score. Stein finished with 81 yards on three receptions. The win marked the seventh in the Torreys’ last eight games. It also propelled them into a second-round match up against third-seeded Francis Parker (4-6) Friday, Nov. 26 at 7 p.m.
