The Samohi Vikings football squad celebrated its seniors on Oct. 27, with the team’s veteran class taking the field for the final regular season performance of their Vikings careers. The Vikings fell to Culver City on home turf, 27-26, but will have another chance at victory this coming Friday.
In the regular season finale, Culver City jumped out to a 20-0 lead in the first quarter and held the lead through a valiant Vikings comeback attempt. The Centaurs’ balanced offensive attack ended with 316 total offensive yards, 178 in the passing game and 138 in the rushing game. The Vikings also took a balanced approach, finishing with 301 offensive yards (151 passing, 150 rushing).
Sophomore quarterback Wyatt Brown was efficient in the final regular season affair, completing 14 of his 18 attempts for 151 yards and two touchdowns. Hooking up with Payton Seals and Caden Mccallum on touchdown throws, the sophomore also ran two scores in himself, showcasing dual-threat abilities. Seals was a continual target of Brown’s throughout the evening, catching 9 balls for 87 yards and a score.
In the rushing game, Mccallum finished his final regular season contest with 120 yards on a robust 5.5 yards per carry, also catching two passes for 17 yards and a score. The defense was anchored by seniors Jayden Montanez and Theo Naessens-Dowling, who combined for 16 tackles, 4 tackles for loss and 2 sacks.
During the 10-game regular season, the Vikings jumped out to an impressive 5-0 start with wins over Calabasas, El Segundo, West, Sylmar and Hueneme. District play brought some challenges, with the team dropping four of its final five contests, including a 27-0 home loss to Palos Verdes, a team that went undefeated in 2023. The Vikings’ district victory came on Oct. 6, beating Peninsula 33-26.
Brown was the conductor of the offense during his sophomore campaign, completing an efficient 69.5% of his passes for 2,149 yards and finished the regular season with a 17-9 touchdown-interception ratio. Of the 17 passing touchdowns, 9 of them went to junior Griffin Seals, who caught 59 balls for 866 yards along with the 9 scores over 10 games.
Mccallum reached 1,000 rushing yards for the season in starting duty, carrying the ball 192 times for 1,000 yards exactly, along with 13 rushing scores. He also caught 20 receptions for 168 yards and 2 touchdowns. The senior was a two-way force for the Vikings, finishing the regular season with the most tackles on the squad, 65 total tackles and 26 solo. Junior Charles Cravings was the team’s top ballhawk in the secondary, snagging 7 interceptions for the squad.
Credit: Thomas Leffler
On Friday, the 6-4 Vikings will play host to 7-3 Santa Ana in a CIF playoff matchup, a team that finished first in Orange League play in 2023. The Saints glided through many of the season’s victories, including a 70-0 win over Saddleback and a 49-0 victory over Calvary Chapel. The Vikings will face a Saints offense led by junior receiver Christian Ramos, a deep ball threat who caught 45 receptions for 943 yards and 10 scores this season. Senior Charles Hughes is the rushing leader for the Saints, breaking over 100 yards per contest with 1,051 yards and an astounding 20 touchdowns.
The Vikings’ clash with Santa Ana will begin at 7 p.m. at Samohi.
Samohi Football
Vikings vs Culver City
Culver City wins 27-26
Passing: Wyatt Brown (#7, Sophomore): 14-18, 151 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Caden Mccallum (#5, Senior): 22 carries, 120 yds, 5.5 YPC
Wyatt Brown (#7, Sophomore): 10 carries, 30 yds, 3.0 YPC, 2 TD
Receiving: Payton Seals (#14, Sophomore): 9 rec, 87 yds, 9.7 YPC, TD
Griffin Seals (#15, Senior): 3 rec, 30 yds, 10.0 YPC
Caden Mccallum (#5, Senior): 2 rec, 34 yds, 17.0 YPC, TD
Defense: Jayden Montanez (#88, Senior): 10 tackles (4 solo, 6 asst), 2.5 Tackles For Loss, 1.5 Sacks
Theo Naessens-Dowling (#4, Senior): 6 tackles (2 solo, 4 asst), 1.5 Tackles For Loss, .5 Sacks
Devin Lee (#17, Junior): 5 tackles (4 solo, 1 asst)
Caden Mccallum (#5, Senior): 5 tackles (2 solo, 3 asst)
Isaiah Fernandez (#22, Sophomore): 4 tackles (1 solo, 3 asst), 1 Tackle For Loss
Charles Cravings (#3, Junior): 3 tackles (1 solo, 2 asst)
Carlos Gonzalez-Melchor (#44, Senior): 3 tackles (1 solo, 2 asst)
Payton Seals (#14, Sophomore): 2 tackles (2 asst)
Jeremy Guerrero (#10, Junior): 2 tackles (2 asst)
Griffin Seals (#15, Senior): 1 tackle (1 solo)
Manny Lares (#24, Junior): 1 tackle (1 solo)
Samuel Reynoso (#45, Junior): 1 tackle (1 solo)
Kidus Woldegiurogis (#8, Senior): 1 tackle (1 solo)
Mason Oliva (#72, Senior): 1 tackle (1 asst)
Darian Hawkins (#20, Sophomore): 1 tackle (1 asst)
Special Teams: Wyatt Brown (#7, Sophomore): 2/4 PAT, 2 punts, 88 yards, 44.0 YPP
Davis Solis-Valdovinos (#9, Senior): 2 Kickoff Returns, 39 yds, 19.5 YPR
Charles Cravings (#3, Junior): 1 Kickoff Return, 21 yds, 21.0 YPR
Samohi Boys’ Water Polo
Oct. 23: Vikings vs Redondo Union, Bay League 3rd-Place Game, Vikings win 8-6
Darragh Flanders (Senior): 4 Goals
Joaquin Auger (Senior): 2 Goals
Pablo Rivera-Clark (Senior): 1 Goal
Ethan Fitzgerald (Junior): 1 Goal
Oct. 26: Vikings vs Malibu, Vikings win 12-3
Next Game: Tuesday, 3:30 p.m.- Vikings vs Burroughs/Burbank
Samohi Cross-Country
Oct. 25: Vikings and Lady Vikings at Warrior Mile- West Torrance High School
Boys’ 1,600-meter open
Landon Kozmor (Junior): 4:31.62, 14th overall
David Ervin (Senior): 4:36.60, 19th overall
Brody Wilkes (Senior): 4:43.23, 39th overall
Peter Jarvis (Junior): 4:43.51, 40th overall
Kingsley Lin (Freshman): 4:44.07, 43rd overall
Nico Lombard (Senior): 4:44.62, 47th overall
Emerson Hill (Sophomore): 4:50.86, 65th overall
James Faries (Sophomore): 4:51.75, 68th overall
Leo Lucente (Sophomore): 4:54.49, 79th overall
Jacob Ovadia (Junior): 5:02.88, 104th overall
Ajax Haendel (Senior): 5:02.91, 105th overall
Luca Lombardo (Senior): 5:05.11, 111th overall
Jackson Mayeda (Sophomore): 5:09.52, 125th overall
Alex Gonzalez (Senior): 5:11.36, 134th overall
Kenneth Walden (Junior): 5:12.52, 140th overall
Tobin Palmer (Sophomore): 5:13.35, 143rd overall
Lev Goldstein (Freshman): 5:14.85, 151st overall
Ian Oakes (Freshman): 5:16.63, 157th overall
Phineaus Pitts (Freshman): 5:17.49, 161st overall
Daniel Ostrovsky (Sophomore): 5:19.12, 175th overall
Lucas Yarmand (Junior): 5:21.46, 188th overall
Gavin Bao (Freshman): 5:26.48, 209th overall
Senam Turner (Freshman): 5:30.14, 221st overall
Brandon Kirbyson (Sophomore): 5:31.65, 225th overall
Sean Milne-Morrow (Freshman): 5:33.30, 228th overall
Yungbihn Douglas (Sophomore): 5:34.09, 232nd overall
Shayl Khatod (Sophomore): 5:35.53, 238th overall
Will Ellison (Freshman): 5:36.40, 241st overall
Mario Ducille (Freshman): 5:36.84, 243rd overall
Luke Shimahara (Sophomore): 5:40.61, 253rd overall
Russell Ma (Sophomore): 5:41.14, 255th overall
Girls’ 1,600-meter open
Makena Weybright (Sophomore): 5:33.04, 23rd overall
Selin Kocataskin (Freshman): 5:44.78, 39th overall
Shenandoah Markos (Sophomore): 5:44.85, 40th overall
Ruby Dembo (Sophomore): 5:53.00, 57th overall
Maggie McLaughlin (Freshman): 5:56.05, 60th overall
Charlie Llorente (Freshman): 5:56.20, 62nd overall
Sofia Santoyo (Freshman): 5:56.59, 63rd overall
Ellie Holmstrom (Senior): 5:58.05, 68th overall
Harper Snyder (Junior): 5:58.34, 69th overall
Addy Fiore (Freshman): 5:58.60, 70th overall
Marina Shickler (Sophomore): 5:59.10, 71st overall
Ava Roker (Junior): 6:08.24, 83rd overall
Claire Baboujon (Sophomore): 6:11.92, 87th overall
Olivia Rizzo (Senior): 6:19.37, 101st overall
Josephine Gelinas (Senior): 6:19.63, 102nd overall
Ariella Castillo (Freshman): 6:21.65, 106th overall
Ava Anaya (Freshman): 6:26.09, 117th overall
Vera Robinson (Freshman): 6:28.72, 124th overall
Brooklyn Tarin (Freshman): 6:30.51, 129th overall
Sylvia Minzenberg (Junior): 6:30.87, 130th overall
Rudy Rudgard (Freshman): 6:31.48, 133rd overall
Carla Santini (Junior): 6:38.48, 149th overall
Hadley Mathews (Junior): 6:41.05, 153rd overall
Lila Beal (Freshman): 6:45.83, 165th overall
Georgia Rowe (Sophomore): 6:55.54, 191st overall
Sierra Abronson (Sophomore): 7:01.39, 200th overall
Next Meet: Thursday- Bay League Finals, Redondo High School
