By Jon Haber
Special to the Daily Press

SAMOHI Security had to hold Santa Monica fans back from storming the field at Warren High School in Downey Saturday when the Samohi boys’ soccer team (26-0-1) made history by topping off its undefeated season with a Division IV CIF-SS championship.

“It was impressive. We had a great turnout from our stands behind us,” Samohi head coach Frank Gatell said. “Not only did [the fans] watch the boys make history, but having them be part of it made it even better.”

The 2-0 victory over Jurupa Valley of Mira Loma (20-3-4) marked the end to an incredible season by the Vikings. Samohi dominated teams all year, suffering their only tie in a 1-1 match against Crespi of Encino. The Vikings won the Ocean League championship and carried their momentum into the playoffs, where they pummeled their opponents by a combined score of 18-0.

Gatell credits the team’s strong play to the defense.

“Defensively, we did a great job,” the coach said. “That’s one of the reasons the offense can do so well. The defense reassures the offense with their play and says ‘hey go score goals, we got it covered back here.’”

The defense protected the two-goal lead in the second half thanks in large part to senior goal keeper Alex Kovacs, who made two big saves when Jurupa Valley tried to put together a late-game attack.

“It’s just a reaction,” Kovacs said of his saves. “I honestly don’t remember anything from the game. Something in me just fires, and I go.”

Samohi senior forward Alessandro Canale scored the Vikings’ two goals, both assisted by senior midfielder Artur Jozkowicz. The second goal came with 12 minutes remaining in the game and gave Samohi some breathing room with little time remaining.

“I definitely had a sense the game would be over [after the second goal],” Canale said. “It would have been hard for Jurupa Valley to come back. We fought hard all game.”

After the game was over, the boys realized their season-long goal had finally become a reality.

“My team definitely sacrificed a lot throughout the year,” Canale said. “I was happy with my team’s play, and I just wanted to celebrate the victory”

Kovacs said, “It means a lot [to make history]. It’s something we, as a team, have been striving for the whole year, taking one game at a time.”

Now, the team has a chance to embark on a new journey.

CIF officials have implemented a new CIF-SS division state championship tournament in 2008, which allows high-ranking southern section teams to compete for a state championship. The tournament is divided into three divisions based on school population.

Samohi is in Division I with seven other teams. The Vikings will take on Newbury Park (12-5-4) at Santa Monica College tonight in a quarterfinals matchup for their first crack at a state championship title. The game is set to start at 5 p.m.

“Everyone is very excited. We just want to keep playing,” Canale said.

Gatell is happy his team gets one last chance to play together and have fun because no team has ever had this opportunity before.

“We’re just going to the players and saying go out there and enjoy it,” Gatell said. “It’s something new and it’s there for us to take. We wanted to win CIF, but now with this new competition it’s like we’re going for the cherry on top.”

CROSSROADS GIRLS BASKETBALL

Samohi wasn’t the only high school in the city making history over the weekend.

The Crossroads girls’ basketball team (20-7) defeated Sierra Canyon of Chatsworth (22-5) at Walter Pyramid in Long Beach Friday to capture the school’s first ever girls’ basketball Division V A CIF-SS championship.

“The most important thing for the girls was the history part of it,” Crossroads head coach Kevin Cormier said. “We accomplished one of the biggest goals we had set for us in winning our first ever CIF title.”

The Roadrunners held control throughout the entire finals match, defeating the Trailblazers 63-50. The victory marked the third time this season Crossroads defeated their Delphic League rival.

Crossroads made their march to a CIF championship look quite easy, outscoring playoff opponents by a staggering 137 combined points. According to Cormier, everything clicked for the girls at the right time.

“As far as the playoffs were concerned, offensively and defensively, we really started playing well,” Cormier said. “Our whole mantra once we got to the playoffs was our defense would be our offense, and the girls really focused on defending.”

The key to the Roadrunners’ final victory was rebounding. Crossroads used its low-post advantage in grabbing nearly twice as many rebounds as the Trailblazers. Seniors Kristina Murray, 17 rebounds, and Alexa Palacios, 12 rebounds, set the tone in the post.

“We limited them to one shot and got two or three shots on our end,” Cormier said. “That allowed us to play into our tempo, and that would be the deciding factor.”

Senior Shannon McQueen led the Roadrunners offensively, scoring 22 points. Senior Megan Baer added 15 points and Murray chipped in with 11.

The Roadrunners’ played Exeter Monday for a chance to make an appearance in the CIF-SS regional finals tournament. The score was not available at presstime.

The winner of that game will play La Hoya Country tonight in San Diego at 7 p.m.

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