SAMOHI Though it’s still early in the season, the matchup tonight between Santa Monica and Venice high schools might be reflected on as the battle for the title of best in the west.
Coming off a dominating performance against a sluggish Palisades Charter High School last week, the Vikings look to improve to 3-0 when they take the field with their neighboring rivals tonight at SMC’s Corsair Field.
Samohi controlled the Palisades Dolphins during the impressive 35-0 win on Sept. 14. Senior Quarterback Ryan Katz threw for a total of 117 yards, completing eight of 11 passes, while junior tailback Vince Lawrence rushed for a total of 106 yards. The defense was perhaps the most impressive, limiting Pali to three first downs in the game, never allowing them to cross the 50-yard line.
Middle linebacker Max Monbouquette led the team with 14 tackles, adding to his gaudy season total of 26 tackles.
“We really tried not to look past Palisades and make sure we didn’t repeat the mistakes in week one (against Hueneme High School),” said Coach Zach Cuda. “When the horn (went) off on Friday, we started to think about what to improve on to be ready for Venice.”
The Vikings will have their hands full against the 2-0 Gondoliers who will be playing on two weeks rest, coming off a bye week.
Led by Coach Angelo Gasca, the Gondoliers enter tonight’s game also at 2- 0, its most recent victory coming on Sept. 8 in a 35-27 victory over Taft High School. The Gondoliers have won the last four decisions against Samohi, winning last year’s game 48-23 at Venice High School.
For the seniors that have never won a game against their local rivals, tonight’s game will be a chance at revenge.
“We definitely want to be the senior class that goes out with a win against them,” Monbouquette said.
The team has been working on shoring up offensive holes that appeared in the first game against Hueneme when it turned over the ball twice — once on the 8-yard line and then on the 12-yard line, both of which came from quarterback/center exchanges.
The experienced Gondoliers offense is led by senior Quarterback Richard Ragland, star running back Curtis McNeal and wide receiver Jerry Johnson, Cuda said. The team also returns a bulk of its defense from last season.
Monbouquette is optimistic that the Vikings will come out victorious, a game the players have had on their minds since last year’s defeat.
“This is one of the big ones, if not the big one,” he said. “I couldn’t be more excited and more prepped.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 21, 2007. Read the original PDF.