Beyond the End Zone: Lights out

Final score: La Jolla Country Day 61, Maranatha Christian 21.

Key plays: Maranatha Christian fumbled away two possessions in the first quarter. LJCD converted them into one-play touchdown drives, scoring on a 51-yard run by RB Cole Goldklang and a 6-yard run by QB Braxton Burmeister. Goldklang also caught a short pass from Burmeister and turned it into a 73-yard TD midway through the second quarter. The Torreys had a 38-0 halftime lead.

Quotable: I just want to get into the end zone as many times as I can, said Goldklang. Every time I touch the ball I have the end zone on my mind. That meant full speed all the way.

Key stats: Brown had two interceptions in the game, the first two of his four-year high school career. Burmeister completed 13 of 20 passes for 265 yards and three TDs.

Next up: LJCD plays at top-seeded Holtville, a 34-26 winner over Calvary Christian, in Fridays semifinals. Holtville is the Division V defending champion.

Quotable, too: I was happy with the way we played, but weve got to play better next week, said LJCD coach Tyler Hales. We cant fumble the ball going into the red zone (which they did on the games first drive). We cant get stupid penalties that got us off the field on a couple of drives. ... Weve got to treat every week like a championship game. If we dont win, then we arent moving on.

Making history: This was the first football playoff game in school history for Maranatha, which was playing 8-man football three years ago.

Let there be lights: Maranatha Christians field does not have permanent lights, so the Eagles have to bring in portable lighting for each home game during the season. Maranatha AD Steve Whitley was actually scrambling this week to come up with the 10 light stands that lit up the field against LJCD. The company he had used all season didnt have any lights available. They were sold out because of the time change, said Whitley. Who knew lighting came at a premium after we turned back the clocks? Whitley said it costs $1,100 a game to bring in the lights, plus the cost of gas to run each generator. He said its worth it: Id rather have a home game (than play off campus), and if we can break even Im totally happy with that.

Whats with the grass stains? Hales said earlier in the week he expected the Torreys to play with a chip on our shoulders after getting a No. 5 seed in Division V. The Torreys believed their strength of schedule should have been enough to earn them a higher seed and a home game. That wasnt how things came out with the new power rankings used for playoff seeding. That means the road to the finals is entirely on the road. Perhaps the biggest shock at Maranatha was playing on real grass for only the second time this season (the other was at Castle Park High).

Finishing kick: LJCDs Grayson Lyman got plenty of exercise in the game running on and off the field for kickoffs and extra points. Turns out that was nothing for Lyman, who also competes on the Torreys cross country team. He finished 11th on Friday afternoon at the Coastal Conference championships, clocking a 17:37 on the 3.1-mile course at Kit Carson Park. LJCDs Julius Diehr was the winner.

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Beyond the End Zone: Lights out