Junior linebacker-tight end Mical Bailey had three quarterback sacks and a pass deflection and the La Jolla Country Day (LJCD) football team shut out the Tri-City Christian Eagles (8-3-1), 56-0, in the quarterfinals of the San Diego Section’s CIF Division V Playoffs at Country Day last Friday, Nov. 27. The Torreys (10-1) got on the scoreboard on the first play of the game when senior wide receiver-linebacker Connor Gerhart (five catches, 154 yards, two TDs, one blocked punt, one fumble recovery) gathered in a pass from Ruben Pena for a 70-yard touchdown. That gave LJCD an early 7-0 lead with 11:38 left in the first quarter. “Ruben’s a player,” Torreys coach Jeff Hutzler said. “He loves to play.” Montell Allen (16 carries, 119 yards, three TDs) can also play a little. On Country Day’s second possession of the contest, Allen (two tackles, nine assists on defense), a 6-foot-1, 210-pound senior running back-linebacker, hit paydirt and rumbled in for a 10-yard touchdown run. The drive covered 64 yards and advanced the LJCD advantage to 14-0 with 4:53 remaining in the first period. “Montell had a heck of a game on both sides of the ball,” Hutzler said. As did Pena. On Country Day’s third possession of the contest, Pena, a junior, called his own number on a quarterback keeper. The end result was Pena ending up in the end zone on a 36-yard touchdown run to extend the Torrey edge to 21-0 with 3:03 left in the first quarter. “We responded well,” Hutzler said. “The last time we played Tri-City Christian (a 44-21 win) in October, it was only a six-point game after two periods.” This time, after another touchdown run by Allen (two yards) and touchdown passes by Pena to Gerhart (32 yards), Bailey (24 yards) and freshman wide receiver-defensive back Sage Burmeister (12 yards) in the second quarter, the Country Day cushion was 49-0 heading into the locker room at halftime. “Our guys showed a lot of determination,” Hutzler said. “They played hard and smart. I’m proud of them.” After the intermission, it was more of the same as Allen added another touchdown run (nine yards) with 3:10 remaining in the third quarter to pretty much seal the Torrey victory. In addition to accounting for four touchdowns, Pena also completed 7-of-8 passing attempts for 202 yards passing and carried the ball seven times on the ground for 55 yards rushing. “Ruben played well,” Hutzler said. “He wants the ball in his hands. He’s got a great attitude. He’s been getting better every week. He took over as a starter when Derek Hatfield separated his shoulder.” Hatfield, a senior, saw his first action since October. He came in on Country Day’s opening drive of the second half and completed 3-of-3 passing attempts for 20 yards passing. “Our seniors came to play,” Hutzler said. “This is their last game on this field ever. They knew that.” The Torreys will meet Francis Parker tomorrow night, Dec. 4.