By Melody Hanatani
Daily Press Staff Writer

HAWTHORNE For Santa Monica High School, an entire football season comes down to the match-up tonight against Hawthorne High School.

Sporting a 2-2 Ocean League record, the Vikings still control their own destiny as to whether they will make the CIF Southern Section playoffs. A victory over Hawthorne, which sits alone at the bottom of the league, will seal their ticket to the postseason.

James Swain’s Hawthorne team comes into the season finale winless, shut out in several games and losing contests by an average of 38 points a game.

But regardless of their past, the Cougars will hold home field advantage in tonight’s game against a team that has yet to win on the road.

“They’ve got some good athletes that can make plays,” Samohi head coach Zach Cuda said on Thursday. “We definitely have to show up and play well on Friday.”

The offensive unit will be led once again by senior quarterback Ryan Katz who threw four touchdown passes last week against Inglewood High School, including a 35-yard pass to wide receiver Jon Dunn, who made a diving catch in the end zone during Samohi’s 44-21 victory.

“Jon just made a beautiful catch in the end zone,” Cuda said.

The Vikings set the tone for the game early on, scoring 28 unanswered points in the first half and scoring on four consecutive drives after punting away their first possession. They added to the lead in the beginning of the third quarter when during the first play of the drive, Katz threw a short pass to wide receiver Taylor Wright who stormed down the field for an 82-yard touchdown.

Cuda noted that the Sentinels tried to avoid throwing the ball during the first half, leaving the Vikings at ease to protect against the rush without worrying too much about the passing game.

“Our linebackers were able to pin their backs and come after (running back David) Freeman,” Cuda said.

According to CIF rules, the top three teams in a given league will make the playoffs. Pending a victory tonight, the mix would include Culver City, Santa Monica High School and either Beverly Hills or Inglewood high schools. If the Vikings win tonight, they’ll learn on Sunday which team they will face in the postseason.

But before the players can break out the sparkling apple cider, the Vikings will have to get through the Cougar’s 52 defensive scheme, a style that they have had trouble facing in the past, including Venice High School, which beat Samohi 33-7 in September.

Hawthorne has also showed skill on special teams in recent games. Hawthorne’s special teams returned a kick-off for a 93-yard touchdown on the opening play against Inglewood, Cuda noted.

While Hawthorne does have a few bright spots, the Cougars have struggled on both sides of the ball, getting shut out in five games. The beleaguered Cougars defense has given up an average of 42 points a game, a total they will have to improve if they are to stay in the game against the high-scoring Vikings.

While the defense has progressed throughout the season, the offense has been taking longer to develop, Swain said. The team suffered a setback early on when the offensive line coach left the team for medical reasons. The problems continued when leading rusher Marcus Allen, who shined in preseason play, was sidelined with an injured big toe. The injury has somewhat affected Allen’s game ever since, Swain said.

But despite the mounting losses, the team seems unfazed.

“We’re 0-6, 0-7 and 0-8 and they keep coming back,” Swain said. “It’s been a learning process ... and while we do take a step back here and there, for the most part, I think they’ve learned a lot of lessons well.”

melodyh@smdp.com