COMPTON — Bring on the Ocean League.
Santa Monica High School’s football team capped its preseason with a big 41-16 thrashing of host Compton Centennial on Friday.
The win improves Samohi to 4-1 this season and gives Head Coach Travis Clark confidence heading into Ocean League play which begins this Friday at home against rival Inglewood.
“We needed that win,” Clark said after last week’s first loss of the season that came at the hands of Valencia. “We didn’t play as well as we could have, but I’m happy with it.”
Despite the lopsided final score, it was Centennial that struck first. Running back Shavony Drew opened the scoring with a 14-yard run. Centennial would successfully convert its two-point conversion giving them an early 8-0 lead in the first quarter.
Samohi wasted little time in responding when senior quarterback Christian Salem found junior wide receiver Sebastian LaRue on a three-yard pass to cap the subsequent drive. The catch was of the highlight reel variety as LaRue would snag the pass with one hand. The extra point was no good preserving a fleeting lead for Centennial.
The combo of LaRue and Salem weren’t done. On the very next Samohi possession, the two would hook up again, this time for an eight-yard scoring pass that put the Vikings up for good.
For good measure, Salem would score on a quarterback keeper late in the second quarter that gave the Vikings all the insurance they would need. Salem finished the night with three touchdown passes and another on the ground.
“I’m feeling pretty good,” said a humble Salem. “But, we could have done better.”
Salem, aware that the league season lurks, said that the win helps solidify the team as it heads into the most crucial part of its schedule.
“We’re not where we want to be,” he said, “but, we’re getting close.”
While Clark and Salem look to the future with guarded optimism, Centennial head coach Jimmy Nolan was impressed by the way the Vikings played on Friday.
“We got beat by a better team,” Nolan said flatly. “We came into it knowing how good they were.”
Nolan was pleased with his team’s effort early in the game, but was disappointed to see his team “give up” once Samohi began to build a big lead.
In his second year at Centennial, Nolan has guided the Apaches to a 4-1 record, something that gives him hope with their league season also set to begin this Friday.
With the preseason fading into the past, Clark and his boys are now focusing on hosting Inglewood on Friday. Inglewood defeated Samohi last season en route to a league title.
This season, Inglewood hasn’t fared quite as well as the Sentinels have struggled to a 1-4 record with the most recent setback coming against Palos Verdes on Friday.
Despite its record, Clark, who was once an assistant coach at Inglewood, isn’t ready to write them off quite yet.
“I know those guys,” he said, “so I know they are going to be aggressive.”
He added that the Vikings have set the table and now have nothing but league play between them and a return to the playoffs for the first time since the 2009-10 season, which was Clark’s first year with the team.
“It’s going to be a tough matchup,” wide receiver LaRue said. “But, we’re ready for them this year.”
daniela@www.smdp.com