CORSAIR FIELD — Santa Monica High School football came out big in a must-win game against Culver City on Friday, taking home the victory, 34-10, at Santa Monica College. The Vikings (5-4 overall, 2-2 Ocean League) rode the running game of Brandon Taylor, who racked up more than 100 yards and a trio of touchdowns.
“This is probably his best game in his career,” Samohi Head Coach Travis Clark said. “He gets the game ball on offense.”
Samohi kept Culver City silent in the second half. The four-time defending Ocean League champion Centaurs (5-4, 2-2) led the league in scoring before last night, with more than 35 points per game. Clark said his team, having had some rough second halves this season, came out stronger after the break.
“I just told them we got to turn it up five notches. We’ve got to focus,” Clark said, adding the past week’s successful practice, presided over by former Samohi head coach Tebb Kusserow, paid off.
Kusserow, Clark’s former coach when he played for the Vikings, helped out at some Samohi practices earlier this season, Clark said.
“We’ve been pounding the ball in practice. Pounding and pounding it,” Taylor said. “We went with Dr. Kusserow, … he was on me, he said be like a lion.”
Friday, though, Kusserow took a headset and a spot in the Corsair Field press box.
“He was up in the booth tonight spotting me, and he did a wonderful job,” Clark said. “He made a lot of good calls tonight. … He took control of a lot of the offense. I did the defense. We just tag teamed, and it worked out in our favor.”
Kusserow’s work with the offense was especially apparent Friday night, Clark said.
“That offensive and defensive line, they just came out and they just beat them up all night,” Clark said. “They finally played like the team they should have been all year.”
Samohi’s running game was on target from the start, with Taylor opening the game with a 7-yard run. Three plays later, the senior busted through the offensive line on a 4th-and-3 to get just past the sticks for a first down.
Clark’s gamble on the fourth down play would eventually lead to a 32-yard Juan Pavon field goal to put Samohi up 3-0 in the first quarter.
Culver City responded with a 42-yard field goal on the next drive.
Taylor would have just one major hiccup the entire night with a fumble late in the first quarter. Three plays later, however, the Samohi defense forced a fumble on a botched hand-off by Centaur quarterback Jordan Arrington.
Things started going downhill for Samohi from there.
Three plays after the fumble recovery and facing a 3rd-and-9, sophomore quarterback Rhys Gervais was sacked for a 10-yard loss by Centaur linebacker Ronald Jones.
Punter Donavan Citrowski dropped the snap on the ensuing punt, giving Culver City the ball on Samohi’s 8-yard-line. Culver City needed just two plays to punch the ball in for a Crae Taylor 3-yard rushing touchdown.
Then, on a drive that lasted nearly seven minutes, Samohi marched down field 80 yards for a touchdown to tie things up and begin a run of 31 unanswered points.
In the second half, Taylor proved he was a gift that could keep giving. He took the lionshare of the night’s carries, with fellow running back Kori Garcia seeing limited action on the offense after suffering an ankle injury Oct. 29 against Morningside.
With the game still tied at 10 and Citrowski up to punt, Samohi caught a break with a flag for roughing the punter, giving the Vikings a fresh set of downs. Four plays later, facing a 4th-and-4, Clark elected to go for it. Taylor took a hand-off, stumbling four yards picking up a fresh set of downs.
On the next play, senior wide receiver Kris Comas, his jersey being tugged by a Culver defender, caught a 19-pass for the Vikings’ second touchdown of the game.
Samohi poured it on in the final five minutes of the game, with touchdowns on a 1-yard keeper by Gervais and a 3-yard dive play by Taylor.
Culver City has faced the likes of Crenshaw High and Inglewood, both leaders in their respective leagues. In Friday’s loss, they scored their second-lowest total on the season. After the game, Head Coach Jamal Wright said Samohi was just as good as anybody the Centaurs have faced all season.
Clark was no less proud off his defense.
“The defense played a great game today,” Clark said. “They held Culver City to 10 points — that’s big.”
The win keeps the Samohi Vikings’ playoff hopes alive. The Vikings are currently in third place in the league, which receives two automatic bids with a possible wild card selection.
Samohi wraps up the season on Friday against Hawthorne at Corsair Field.
news@www.smdp.com
