Winners of nine straight and playing some of, if not the best, football in San Diego County for the last three months, La Jolla Vikings had all the wind behind their sails heading into the CIF Div. II championship game vs. Del Norte High last week.

Yet, the Vikings title hopes were put on ice as La Jolla fell to Del Norte 31-15. It was a loss for the Vikings that featured several uncharacteristic mistakes, such as drops, missed blocking assignments, and failures to capitalize on opportunities.

“We just didn’t play our best game in the big moment, which is always disappointing,” said La Jolla head coach Tyler Roach. “We dug ourselves a hole with a bad first quarter. We played pretty well after that, but we couldn’t finish and capitalize on our opportunities.”

For a team that, all season, had been known for starting fast on offense, the Vikings would come out rather sluggish. Things offensively would start strongly, as Jackson Diehl and Aidan McGill would help the Vikings march down the field on the opening drive. However, things would take a turn when WR Kia Fukuda, who appeared to be heading for the end zone, had the ball jarred free at the 1-yard line, where the Nighthawks would recover.

In their drives following, they would go three and out twice and even fumble a kickoff return that would set up the third TD of the first quarter for Del Norte.

Equally as uncharacteristic as the La Jolla’s slow start on offense was the play of their defense. A unit that excelled at both generating takeaways and limiting explosive plays would allow two 50-plus-yard touchdown passes in the first half. The combination of the two would loom large in putting the Vikings in a 24-0 hole with under two minutes to play in the half.

Before the half, La Jolla would find a sign of life, as with just one second to play in the half, Diehl would connect with Hank Hansen (above) for a 10-yard TD pass, making it a 24-7 game and possibly swaying the momentum the Vikings way.

“That score right before the half swung a little momentum our way, and it made us feel like we had a chance to get back in the game.” noted Roach, “But in the second half, we just couldn’t punch one in, and capitalize.” As Roach noted, the opportunities to crawl back into the game were right there, namely in the team’s first two possessions of the second half.

On the first drive out of the half, La Jolla looked poised to tack on another score when Diehl threw to a wide-open Nick Sebro on a crossing route. However, the ball glanced off his fingertips on what would have been a walk-in touchdown. Nonetheless, La Jolla would still drive down the field after the drop inside the Nighthawks 15-yard line. However, they would ultimately be stuffed. Turning the ball over on downs and coming away with zero points.

La Jolla’s defense, however, would quickly force a three-and-out, getting the ball back to the offense and giving them another shot to put points on the board. The La Jolla offense would yet again drive into the red zone. But they would be denied again, turning the ball over on downs.

“We felt as a staff that if we got the ball and could punch one in out of the half, that it would put all the pressure back on Del Norte, and they would tense up and play a little differently,” commented Roach. “But that first drive we felt we needed to feel like we were truly back in the game and we couldn’t take advantage. That was the story of the night.”

La Jolla would strike for one more late score with less than three minutes to play in the game on a TD catch by Carson Diehl, but it would be far too late.

The loss in the title game is the lone blemish on what was otherwise a remarkable 2023 season for La Jolla. With a final record of 10-3, winners of the Eastern League, and a CIF Div. II runner-up finish, there was still plenty to be proud of.

“I told the guys it’s a tough pill to swallow and you should feel some emotion, especially those seniors who may have played their last football game. But it does not take away from what we accomplished as a group this season, how far we came, and how extremely proud I was of the guys,” said Roach. “This is a special group, and I’m extremely proud of them, the way they fought, and everything they accomplished this season.”

PHOTO BY DAVID FRERKER