SAMOHI — They may have played their final high school game, but a few seniors are still reaping the benefits from their time on the gridiron.
Quarterback Garret Safron, linebacker Luke Zelon, wide receiver Mike Smith, defensive lineman Keelan Malone and punter Jake Schmidt were all named to the Ocean League first team recently.
While not official, Santa Monica High School’s Head Coach Travis Clark said that a source close to the selection process told him that Zelon was named to the All-California Interscholastic Federation’s first team on defense and Safron made the second team at quarterback. The teams are expected to be announced next week.
Clark said he’s happy to see his seniors earn recognition and is currently trying to help the talented crop of players find colleges to play for in the fall. Zelon is the most heavily recruited of the bunch with a number of schools including Washington State, Iowa State and Harvard showing interest in the versatile player who has played on both offense and defense throughout his time as a Viking.
Senior wide receiver Chris Featherstone was named to the second team.
A number of Samohi underclassmen were also honored by the league.
Junior offensive lineman Joel Ramos was named to the first team as well as sophomore defensive backs Dylan Muscat and Kori Garcia.
“Ramos deserves it,” Clark said. “He was stellar. He really anchored our line all season.”
Junior defensive lineman Terrance Sadler was named to the second team.
While Samohi will lose the services of a number of talented seniors, Clark is intrigued by his younger players.
“We have a lot of talent,” he said, “a lot of youth.”
Samohi finished the season 4-7 overall and 3-2 in league. They were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by Palmdale.
