By Melody Hanatani
Daily Press Staff Writer

SAMOHI While CIF postseason play has ended for five of Santa Monica High School’s athletic teams, the varsity football team begins its postseason tonight against Palos Verdes.

Head coach Zach Cuda’s Vikings wrapped up the regular season last Friday at Hawthorne High School, trouncing the last-place team in the Ocean League, 55-18. They play a tough Palos Verdes at a neutral site — Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach.

Santa Monica joins Beverly Hills and Culver City high schools in representing the Ocean League tonight. Culver City plays Leuzinger High School, which received the at-large bid for the Bay League, while Beverly Hills will play Redondo High School, the number-two team in the Bay League.

It is the first time the Vikings are in the playoffs during Cuda’s two-year tenure as head coach. He’d spent the three previous years as an assistant under former head coach Michael Burnett.

The football team is the latest Samohi athletics squad to make the playoffs, a successful season in which all fall sports teams gained postseason berths.

Both girls and boys cross country teams were eliminated last Saturday, as were the water polo and girl’s volleyball teams, which fell to Santa Ynez. Both water polo and girl’s volleyball had advanced to the second round. The girl’s tennis team was also bounced from the second round, falling to San Marcos High School on Nov. 6.

A SHOT AT REVENGE

If the Vikings want to avoid being the next school casualty, they will have to make it past a strong Palos Verdes team that finished at the top of the Bay League with a 7-2-1 record, its tie coming against Beverly Hills, which beat Samohi in October.

The Vikings could also have a chance at revenge against Culver City, which beat Santa Monica last month in a close contest. The two teams are placed in the same bracket and could face each other in the semifinals at the end of the month.

Samohi had a strong offensive performance last week, scoring eight touchdowns, three of which came from senior wide receiver Taylor Wright. Senior quarterback Ryan Katz threw for 164 yards, completing 11 of his 19 passes.

If Samohi wins tonight, they will move onto face the winner of the Gahr-Lancaster game next Friday.

melodyh@smdp.com