At times, bottling up the athletic Lincoln Hornets can seem similar to trying to control the pinball in a pinball game. The La Jolla Vikings found this out the hard way in attempting to contain a Lincoln ballclub loaded with athleticism and team speed during a tough 37-24 loss in a non-league football game at La Jolla’s Gene Edwards Stadium last Friday, Oct. 3. The Hornets got on the scoreboard first on touchdown runs by Davon Dunn (12 carries, 91 yards, 1 TD) and Keith Patterson (8 carries, 64 yards, 2 TDs) to give Lincoln an early 14-0 first quarter edge. The Vikings would come right back in the second quarter behind an 18-yard touchdown run by Robbie Beathard (11 carries, 80 yards, 1 TD) to bring La Jolla within seven at 14-7. A 17-yard touchdown pass from Ronald Yell (7-of-16, 177 yards, 1 TD) to Dunn (1 catch, 17 yards, 1 TD) and a 25-yard field goal by Marcquel Rogers (4 PATs, 1 FG) extended the Hornet lead to 24-7 heading into the locker room at the halftime intermission. In the third quarter, after Dunn had returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown for Lincoln, the Vikings answered back when Yoshi Rothman (2 catches, 78 yards, 1 TD) hauled in a 63-yard touchdown pass from Henry Nawahine to cut the gap to 31-14. “On that particular throw, Henry got away from a quick pass rusher that we didn’t block,” La Jolla coach Dave Ponsford said. “He stepped up in the pocket and made a play. Yoshi’s a kid that’s a good athlete and a kid that’s worked real hard. We’ve had a core group of about a dozen guys that have dedicated themselves to getting better in the weight room.” The hard work paid off for the Vikings in the fourth quarter when Lee Abelkop (3 PATs, 1 FG) converted a 34-yard field goal and Matt Jones hit pay dirt on a 46-yard touchdown run to trim the margin to 31-24. Unfortunately for La Jolla (2-3), that would be as close as the Vikings would get, as Patterson would pretty much seal the victory for the Hornets (4-0) on a 42-yard touchdown run late in the fourth period. Lincoln’s E.J. Madyun carried 11 times for 84 yards, while Yell added 6 carries for 40 yards. Madyun (1 catch, 14 yards) also caught a pass from Yell, as did Jonathan Simpson (1 catch, 52 yards) and John Jacquess (1 catch, 16 yards). Bryce Tabb had 7 carries for 74 yards for the Vikings.