Samohi needs to upset Centaurs for a playoff bid
SAMOHI — After suffering three straight losses, including a 35-0 shellacking by perennial powerhouse Los Alamitos High School, the Santa Monica Vikings are looking to keep their playoff hopes alive.
They’re also out to make a statement — that they won’t go down without a fight.
This week may not seem the ideal opponent in which to make that statement, however. Not only will the Vikings (3-4), led by junior quarterback Ryan Katz, have to take out the undefeated Culver City Centaurs (7- 0), they’ll have to do it on Homecoming Night in front of what is sure to be a capacity crowd at Santa Monica College’s Corsair Field.
“It’s definitely going to be the biggest game of the season for us,”Katz, 15, said during practice Wednesday. “We’ve struggled the last couple of games, had some tough losses, but we’re feeling pretty good as a team right now. We’re fired up for Homecoming.
“We’re ready to come out and put all of the pieces together.” In his first year as coach, Zack Cuda, who is joined on the staff by his twin brother Conrad, has seen his fair share of ups and down this season, however, he is confident that his players are beginning to believe in themselves, which could make for an interesting finish.
“I do this job for a lot of reasons, but specifically to teach young men lessons on how to be successful in life,” Cuda, 28, said. “This year, we’ve been faced with a lot of adversity in a lot of different ways. A lot of what we’ve been talking about in our program is the way in which one deals with adversity defines who they are. Do we just pack it in because we may not make the playoffs? Even if we win out that still doesn’t guarantee us a spot, so does that mean we just give up?
“We’ve had some bad breaks,but you know what,we are still going to come out and play hard because that’s who we are,” Cuda added.“We’re successful people. That’s the message we’ve been sending all year and we’re beginning to see some signs.”
On offense, Cuda is looking for a balanced attack that will be bolstered by the return of power running back Louis Adeyemi, the team’s leading rusher, who has only played sparingly since fracturing his hand in a loss against Morningside High School. Adeyemi, who has rushed for 769 yards in just 80 carries, is expected to be 100 percent entering into tonight’s game.
“Having Louis back will definitely be a big plus,” said Katz, who has passed for 986 yards, with 11 touchdowns and three interceptions. “He’s such a leader on the field. He always brings it. We’re a very close team and with all the work we’ve put in over the summer and now, we’ve gone too far to just quit now. Everyone’s spirits are up and were ready to roll for Homecoming. We know there are going to be a lot of people in the stands... we want to make sure that we show our Samo pride.”
If Adeyemi can have a productive night, that should open up the defense for Katz to throw the ball to his two favorite receivers — Geo Allen and Jon Dunn, with three touchdowns apiece. Allen has 19 catches for 323 yards. Dunn has 16 catches for 254 yards. The defense will be looking to put pressure on Centaur quarterback Darius Banks, a level-headed junior who is comfortable in the pocket, having thrown for 2,413 yards and 30 touchdowns, with just four interceptions. Banks is bolstered by a receiving corps that is regarded as one of the best in the conference.
Defensive coordinator Conrad Cuda has switched from a 4- 4 defense to a 4-3, with two safeties watching the deep ball in an attempt to shut down Culver City’s heralded passing game.
“Culver City likes to spread out the defense, so we have to show them different looks and bring pressure on every play,” Conrad Cuda said.
With four sacks between them, defensive ends Jah’Herb Johnson and Nick Mays will have to make Banks uncomfortable by slashing through the offensive line, while linebackers Max Monbouquette and David Naylor, with more than 60 tackles apiece, will be expected to stuff the middle, protecting against short passes and the run.
The two may also be called on to blitz Banks, hoping to force him into making mistakes and turn the ball over.
Culver City can put points on the board, so keeping their offense off the field will be key to a Viking victory.
“Coming in with a losing record, we know we have a lot to provide and what better way to do that than to defeat one of the best teams out there, and on Homecoming. It’s perfect,” said defensive captain and free safety Cameron Collins, a senior. “The defense has been holding strong, we’ve been hitting hard and we’ll be ready Friday night.”
Tonight’s kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 27, 2006. Read the original PDF.