The 2023 Torrey Football season was certainly one to remember. We made an incredible playoff run and for the first time in school history, the Torreys won the Division 3 San Diego Championship.
Our season started off with a tough loss to Chula Vista, but punishing practices helped us focus on a big win the next week against Crawford. With that win, our momentum changed. Team activities included extensive team bonding–we believe those connections helped us win the title. The team didn’t always find success. While we won the next three games, we fell short against both Bishops and Santa Fe Christian. Those losses affected our morale, but we worked together to stay positive and finish out the season strong consciously. And it worked! We won our last two league games and entered the playoffs as the 6th seed. Three playoff games followed: Morse, Westhills, and Fallbrook. That Fallbrook game, with its back-and-forth scoring and overtime, was the most amped and competitive game we played all year. The game was nearly over, and Fallbrook had the chance to tie it with a field goal that would have taken us into double overtime. However, instead of tying the game with a field goal and going to double OT, Fallbrook went for 2 points in an effort to secure the win. Of course, we weren’t going to let that happen. As soon as the ball was snapped for a quick inside run, we all ran straight toward it. We ended up pulling the running back twenty yards in the opposite direction. And with that, we made it to the D3 Championship!
Everyone was dialed in the following week of practice as we were preparing to take on the #4 seed, Grossmont. Not only was that the biggest game of our careers, but one of the most fun ones any of us can remember. Even though our season ended with a loss to Banning High School (Los Angeles) in the state playoffs, the season was still a significant success: a historic championship performance, a new CIF record for points scored in a game, and LJCDS’s first D3 Football title. The season was one to remember! Next year, we’re going to be in Division 2, and we are excited to meet–and defeat–our new opponents.
