Building a strong program over the years, the La Jolla Country Day (LJCD) School girls volleyball team knocked off perennial power The Bishop’s School Saturday to claim the CIF Division IV crown at Cathedral High. With its 25-20, 21-25, 25-23, 25-22 victory, the top-seeded Lady Torreys captured their first CIF crown in six years. The win also meant a season series lead for LJCD over Bishop’s, as the two compete in the Coastal League. Key players for LJCD included Gillian Howard (seven blocks) and Mollie Rogers (19 kills). “It was a great team effort with all the players contributing to the win,” LJCD head coach Peter Ogle commented. LJCD had advanced to the finals with wins over Escondido Charter and Francis Parker. The Lady Torreys then prevailed Nov. 24 over Anaheim Connelly, beating the visitors 25-12, 25-11 and 25-9 in the first round of the Southern California Regional playoffs. They will host Visalia Central Valley Christian on Saturday, Nov. 28, at 7 p.m. Bishop’s was led by Ina Kamenova, who turned in 39 assists. The Lady Knights then defeated the host L.A. Foshay on Nov. 24 to stay alive in the Southern California Regional playoffs. They will host Whittier Christian on Saturday, Nov. 28. On the football field, La Jolla High opened CIF play last Friday night with a 38-32 victory at home over Palo Verde Friday. “Our offense was very productive and allowed us to control the game,” La Jolla High head coach Rey Hernandez noted. “Palo Verde had an explosive offense and we failed to play effectively on defense.” La Jolla quarterback Zac Zlatic ran for a 62-yard touchdown and threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Braden Fudge. Hernandez noted that Fudge (Western League kicker of the year) also did an outstanding job with all the kicking responsibilities and kicked a 45-yard field goal. Matt Petch added a 19-yard touchdown run and Garret Christenson scored La Jolla’s other touchdown on a 4-yard run. La Jolla’s defense was led by Andrew Hollyfield, who was in on six tackles and recovered a fumble. Pierce Poynter had a key interception and blocked a kick for the Vikings in the winning effort. The Vikings will travel to Valley Center this Friday for a 7 p.m. quarterfinal game, making it the second time they meet Valley Center this season. “We lost a hard-fought game to them in the season opener,” Hernandez said. “Valley has had a great year and is 9-1 with their only loss coming to Oceanside.” In Division V action this Friday, both La Jolla Country Day School and The Bishop’s School will host second-round games.