CHULA VISTACHULA VISTA — Sprinting up and down the La Jolla Country Day sideline Saturday afternoon for the Div. 3 championship game against Grossmont High, waving a Torreys flag, was 71-year-old Lee Sawyer. Or as he’s known on campus: “Flag Man.”
Sawyer is in his 41st year at the school, where he works as the grounds manager.
“He keeps things nice and clean,” said a LJCD trainer.
“I’ve been ing this team when nobody knew ,” said Sawyer, midway through the Torreys’ 73-34 win at Southwestern College. “Now, we’re on the map.”
Sawyer wears a blue LJCD jersey, normally with the No. 1.
“I’m the No. 1 fan,” said Sawyer.
But for Senior Night on Oct. 27 against Francis Parker, LJCD two-way star Jaden Mangini asked him to wear his No. 2. Sawyer has obliged ever since.
“I call him ‘Ironman,’” said Sawyer. “Mangini’s a loving, respectful young man.”
A pretty good football player, too. The Naval Academy-bound Mangini was responsible for 10 TDs, rushing for four and throwing for six. He ed for 414 yards and rushed for 115.
Sawyer said he’s retiring in June, but he’ll continue his “Flag Man” role.
“I’m supposed to be on the sideline,” he said.
the leg, please
Sprawled on the Southwestern College turf, posing for pictures after the win, LJCD lineman Luke Givens sported an ice pack on his left wrist and was holding a turkey leg in his right hand.
The turkey leg was supplied by offensive line coach Marco Scavuzzo. Anticipating a win and mimicking the late John Madden’s tradition of awarding turkey legs on Thanksgiving Day games, Scavuzzo bought six turkey legs for his players.
He deep-fried them Saturday morning, stuffed them in a backpack, snuck them past security, then busted them out after the game. A LJCD alum who walked on as an offensive lineman at USC, Scavuzzo wanted to honor the players for their hard work, including practicing on Thanksgiving morning.
“I’m just all about creating culture, positivity and fostering a positive attitude for football and life in general,” said Scavuzzo.
Asked how the turkey leg tasted, Givens said, “Amazing, especially after this win.”
Century celebration
La Jolla celebrated its 100th season of football in style, facing Del Norte in Saturday’s late Div. 2 championship game. That first 1924 Vikings team was offensively challenged, shut out six times, averaging 3.3 points in a 1-7-2 season.
Tyler Roach’s team this year didn’t need Google Maps to locate the end zone, averaging 34.8 points going into the title game.
QB with legs
La Jolla dual-threat QB Jackson Diehl earned himself a sweet nickname this season: “Vanilla Vick,” an ode to former Atlanta Falcons star Michael Vick. Diehl’s stats backed up the moniker.
Going into Saturday, Diehl had ed for 2,130 yards and 27 TDs against five picks. As for his legs, Diehl had rushed for 1,234 yards and 15 TDs.
Of the nickname, Roach said, “I think he’s embraced it.”
An assistant coach slapped the handle on Diehl last season.
Said Roach, “He broke a couple tackles and had a little swag to it.”
Hitting the high notes
La Jolla Country Day RB/DB Reign Villareal was thrust into action even before kickoff, singing the national anthem. A 5-foot-7, 130-pound senior, Villareal said he has been singing in choirs and musicals “my entire life.”
Villareal said he was “a bit nervous” before kickoff. He didn’t practice the anthem during the week, but in pregame warm-ups he mentally rehearsed the words and notes.
Asked to give his performance a grade on a 1-10 scale, Villareal said, “An eight. I wanted to sing it higher but my range wasn’t there.”
The audience approved, giving him a rousing ovation.
Kicking up a storm
La Jolla Country Day’s cheerleaders began the day doing one leg kick for every point the Torreys scored. As the points piled up, the girls started tiring a bit, requesting an amendment to the routine.
“They started pleading early on,” said cheer coach Christine Mitchell, who doubles as the Torreys’ head athletic trainer.
The cheerleaders actually got a break when LJCD scored 35 points in the third quarter. That was when the cheerleaders went to the other side of the field to the Grossmont cheerleaders.
By the end of the game, the squad was performing one jump for every 10 points. A running clock in the fourth quarter helped, too.
Said Jordan Jones, a sophomore cheerleader, “We’re all exhausted.”
No keeping him out
One of the draws to high school football is the pure ion displayed by the players. Take Chula Vista RB/DB La’Darrion Perkins. Perkins left in the first half of Friday’s Division 4 championship loss against Mount Miguel because he was seriously sick.
On the sideline, medical personnel checked Perkins’ eyes. He threw up blood. Later cleared to return, Perkins rushed 12 times for 100 yards, led the team with nine tackles and scored the Spartans’ last TD on a 46-yard run.
About returning to the game, Perkins said, “I knew I had to get back out there because the team needed help.” Of his TD run, he said, “It felt good but it wasn’t enough to bring the game home.”
Norcross is a freelance writer.
