It’s fair to say that the Mission Bay football team is turning heads right now. A 4-0 start to the season will tend to do that.

Coming off a week that saw the Bucs dismantle Sweetwater 35-14, QB Charlie Hutchinson threw for 4 TDs, and their defense recorded five sacks; everything seems to be clicking at just about the midway point of the 2023 season.

With last week’s win, the Bucs not only find themselves undefeated but also ranked inside the top 25 in the San Diego Section Power Rankings done by MaxPreps and currently ranked as the No.1 team in DIII by MaxPreps.

“I’ve been telling the team that every week is CIF for us,” said Mission Bay head coach Greg Tate. “Going undefeated wasn’t a goal we had set for ourselves before the season; the was and still is to win league, get into CIF, and win a CIF title.”

However, Mission Bay’s undefeated record will be placed to its toughest test on Friday night when they host the Vikings of La Jolla High at 7 p.m. The Vikings, a DII team, have put together a 2-2 start to the season and possess the offensive firepower and in-the-trenches strength to go toe to toe with the Bucs.

“La Jolla is an extremely talented team and a tough matchup for us,” said Tate. “Their QB Jackson Diehl is a threat anytime he has the ball in his hands. While on the outside, they have some serious dogs in Hank Hansen and Carson Diehl at WR.”

With the length of the Bucs DBs Gavin Girouard, Isaah Whitehurst, Shane Brushie, and Jayden Bailey combined with coach Tate’s play of press-man coverage, the battle between the Bucs corners and the La Jolla wideouts could be the difference in Friday’s game.

But for Tate, the biggest battle of the game in his mind will be played in the trenches and in the box between the La Jolla offensive line led by Jett Thomas. “The Vikings O-line, and specifically a guy like Thomas, is powerful,” said Greg. “Even if we are able to slow down the passing game they still have a line that they can just flat-out run behind.”

The Bucs who will figure largely into slowing down the run will be the LB duo of Cadden Taffe, who Tate calls the QB of the defense, Orlando Castillo, and Jacob Morgan. The trio has been run stuffers all season and leads Mission Bay and the team in tackles combining for 70 total tackles and 6 TFL this year.

“What Hutch (Charlie) is on the offensive side of the ball Caden (Taffe) is on the defensive side of the ball,” said Tate. “We have a lot of new and younger guys and he’s the guy that gets everyone lined up, he knows all the play calls, adjustments. At times he even comes up with defensive looks we should run on his own, he’s like a player-coach out there.”

The showdown between Mission Bay and La Jolla will be 7 p.m. on Sept. 15, at Mission Bay High School.

PHOTO BY STEVE SIDELL