SPORTS SHORTS: News from La Jolla High School VIKINGS

LJHS-Vikings-Ship-Logo-Red-BlackBy Ed Piper

•••La Jolla High School varsity girls basketball Head Coach

David Westhem

announced that his assistant coach this past season,

Johnnie Horne

, will be the new head coach of the Vikings for 2014-15.

Westhem, in his second year at the helm, guided the Vikings to the Division III CIF Finals game. Westhem said he would remain on staff as assistant coach. His daughters,

Ashley and Sierra Westhem

, played for him at LJHS.

The announcement was made at the team’s year-end awards banquet at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club on May 2.

Westhem also revealed that LJHS, as a result of its successful season (it went 19-12 and captured the Western League title), has been

moved up to Division II

beginning in 2014-15.

•••

Groundbreaking for the new football field playing surface

will take place in October, according to LJHS sources. Permanent visitor stands, a new building for coaches’ offices, and a new tennis pavilion are included in the plans.

The Vikings football team will complete its home games during the fall season, but at season’s end, the entire stadium will be off-limits as construction takes place for the next 18 months. The football team will have to play its entire 2015 season via away games at other schools.

Physical education classes will be held in the gym and other locations during the 18 months of construction. According to athletic director

Paula Conway

, construction could not begin immediately after the graduation ceremony on the field in mid-June because of the way contracts are written.

••• Record-holding three-point specialist,

Sophia Sowers

, will be recognized May 13 at the San Diego Unified School District’s board meeting for achieving the highest grade-point average among girl basketball players in the district this year. Sowers will be saluted as part of a kudos to the entire team, according to Coach Westhem.

•••Seniors

Sierra Westhem

and

Sophia Sowers

were named members of the North-South basketball all-stars for the recent game held at Francis Parker School.

Coach Westhem quoted Bishop’s Coach

Marlon Wells

as saying the two players were the first LJHS girls ever named to the North-South all-star squads.

•••

Madeleine Gates

, a 6-2 center and Vikings sophomore, was named First Team All-Western League. Teammate

Sierra Westhem

was named Second Team All-Western League for 2013-14.

••• Senior

Sophia Sowers

, who plans to attend Whitworth College in Washington in the fall, was named MVP of the girls basketball team for 2013-14 at its awards banquet May 2.

••• Shortstop

Brett Volger

set a Vikings’ baseball record for most games started in a career by registering his 104th start in a game at Mission Bay High School April 25.

With every subsequent game in which he starts, he sets a new record. A May 2 win over Point Loma High upped the record to 106 starts in a career.

Volger began his freshman season in 2011 playing at second base. A short time later, coach

Gary Frank

swapped him with shortstop

Tyson Youngs

1. Ever since then, he has been the Vikings’ starting shortstop.