In his five years at the helm of the La Jolla High football program, head coach Tyler Roach has always come up with ways to build and improve the Vikings’ football team.

Inheriting a team that underwent turmoil in 2015 after a player suffered a concussion, the coach resigned, and his successor only stayed one year, Roach, an all-league two-way middle linebacker/center in his prep days at neighboring University City High, instilled a will to win and placed a premium on top athletes who had to play both offense and defense throughout games, as he did.

He began to build a talented coaching staff where specialists handled defense, linemen, quarterbacks, and so forth.

Roach had a major voice in the direction of the Vikings’ offense. In an earlier stint as the team’s offensive coordinator, his tutee, quarterback Collin Rugg, set a CIF record with 46 passing touchdowns. As the offensive coordinator for La Jolla Country Day in his time away before returning, Roach coached QB Braxton Burmeister in a record-setting season.

As head coach, with his upgraded staff, he led La Jolla to its first Division III Southern California title in 2019 with talented quarterback Jackson Stratton, including the Vikings’ first CIF San Diego Section championship since 1993.

During the COVID nightmare of 2020 and 2021, the Viking coach rode the highs and lows of Division I commit Stratton, who was injured last year with a fractured scapula in his right (throwing) shoulder. The Vikings went 5-4 in non-league contests, but 0-4 in the tough Western League, where they faced three eventual state champions (Cathedral Catholic, Mater Dei Catholic, and Scripps Ranch).

Now, faced with another major transition as spectacular receiver Makai Smith, Stratton, and other leaders of the 2021 squad graduated and moved on, Roach is confronted with a transition with new junior quarterback Jackson Diehl, at 6 feet 2 inches tall, 170 pounds, returning senior running back Justin Scully, 6 feet tall, 195 pounds, and senior wide receiver Ryan Weinberg, 6 feet tall, 165 pounds, featured on the offensive side, and a whole slew of young athletes on defense.

The Vikings face crosstown-rival The Bishop’s School, which produced current Notre Dame University quarterback Ty Buchner, in the teams’ 2022 season openers on Aug. 18 at Edwards Field — a facility both schools share as their home field. La Jolla tried out some of its old and new toys in a scrimmage in the 12th annual San Diego Friday Night Lights Classic on Aug. 12, at Roach’s alma mater University City, versus the host school.

Quarterback Diehl got his first varsity competition after an offseason of practice, throwing to Weinberg and other receivers while relying on the bruising Scully, who rushed for 471 yards on 103 carries last year as a junior, for ground gains. Diehl connected with senior receiver Matthieu “Carrot” Princen for a 12-yard touchdown in the third quarter of a scrimmage that ended 20-7 in University City’s favor.

The real games start Thursday with La Jolla’s opener against Bishop’s at 7 p.m.