La Jolla High’s football team had a blast last Friday night at home, scoring a 24-14 win over neighboring University City (UC) in the school’s annual Blast-Off contest.
Before a crowd estimated by some at more than 2,500, the Vikings and Centurions battled in a closely contested game that was not decided until the very end.
UC opened the scoring in the first quarter with a long drive capped by senior Royce Pollard catching a 7-yard pass from senior quarterback Brooks Dougherty (missed extra point).
For the remaining three quarters, La Jolla’s offense rode the strong inside running of fullback Ja’Rood Watson to move the ball down the field. The 6-foot-2-inch, 260-pound junior punished the Centurions with several large gains in which he broke numerous tackles and dragged players for extra yardage. Watson, the son of Viking defensive line coach Ernie Watson, finished the evening with 15 carries for 112 yards and two touchdowns.
The Vikings had two drives in the second quarter that resulted in two scores. Watson capped off a 55-yard drive with a powerful 15-yard explosion right up the middle.
Sophomore kicker Yoshi Rathman kicked a perfect onside kick that was recovered by junior defensive back Spencer Moyer, which resulted in Andres Liera hitting a 37-yard field goal from the difficult right hash mark to extend the lead to 10-6 La Jolla, which is where it stayed at halftime.
Throughout most of the third quarter, both teams were stingy with yardage, which resulted in several punts by both teams. Toward the end of the quarter, senior Blake Shelburne hit a nice 44-yard punt that was downed at the 1-yard line by linebacker Brendan Cummings. Two plays later, senior defensive end Philip Stewart forced a fumble in the end zone where he and senior nose tackle Richard Moore fell on the ball for a Viking touchdown.
UC responded on a 1-yard run by junior running back Alex Scarlett. The Centurions then went for two and easily converted when receiver Demetrius Barksdale took in a pass from Dougherty, narrowing the score to 17-14.
La Jolla (2-1) put the game away when Watson finished off the scoring on a run around the right side to make it 24-14.
La Jolla senior linebacker Kevin Jones finished the evening with seven solo tackles and three assists, as did junior linebacker Tony Sandoval. Moore finished with four solo tackles and five assists, as well as two quarterback sacks. From his safety position, Shelburne had six solo tackles and two assists.
“I thought that this was a great high school football game,” La Jolla High Head Coach Dave Ponsford noted. “Both teams should be proud of their performance. It was a game that could have gone either way.”
La Jolla’s JV and freshman teams also picked up wins.
La Jolla returns to action this Friday in El Centro against Central High. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
La Jolla Country Day won its second game of the season to go to 2-1 (loss was forfeit) with a 56-12 win over Capistrano Valley Christian (CVC).
The Torreys rolled to 208 yards through the air and 276 on the ground in the victory.
Senior QB Matt Mulligan had an outstanding night, completing 9-of-14 passes for 167 yards and three touchdowns.
Mulligan was especially effective after junior cornerback Damian Bagby recovered an Eagle fumble on the CVC 40 with just under three minutes remaining in the first half. Mulligan led his team down the field, throwing a 3-yard TD to senior TE Mark Schu with four seconds on the clock.
Reserve QB Zack Kusnir went 3-for-3, passing for 41 yards and a TD. Seven LJCD receivers caught passes in the contest, including TE Jamie Coleman who caught three balls for 60 yards.
Alex Maire led all rushers with 111 yards and a TD, while Colin Tuck smashed out 72 yards and two TDs.
Chris Birks led all Torrey tacklers from his outside linebacker position with eight tackles (five solo).
LJCD next sees action on Friday when it travels to Army Navy Academy for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff.
The Bishop’s School (2-0) rolled to another win with a 39-7 triumph over visiting Villanova Prep last Saturday night.
QB Tommy Wornham threw for 214 yards and a pair of TDs. Chase Jensen had a pair of catches for 59 yards and a score. Jacob Kelly added a 72-yard TD reception and Michael Strauss added a 59-yard TD run. Tim Costello connected on field goals of 30 and 40 yards.
On defense, lineman Zach Franz had 10 tackles and Patrick Carrillo had nine. Mike P. Jensen, Costello and Nicky Cox each had an interception.
“Our defense came to play,” Bishop’s Head Coach Mike David commented. “I was very impressed by the physical play of our team.”
Bishop’s travels to Webb High School for its next contest on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.