The mark of a good coach is to be able to make adjustments when his team is in a must-win situation.
Culver City High School head football coach Jamal Wright made the right moves at the right at the right time last Friday night.
Wright replaced struggling quarterback Xan Cuevas with 6-foot-5, 230-pound junior David Handler, and he used 6-foot, 225-pound linebacker Winner Watts on offense as a blocker.
Those changes in the lineup helped the Centaurs beat a good Morningside team 14 to 13, keeping Culver City’s playoff hopes alive. “We were just trying to find a way to get the job done,” said Wright after the victory. “When things are not working, you have to find a way to shake them up.”
The Centaurs will need to continue to shake things up if they expect to a beat a 2-7 Beverly Hills team on Friday at home. Kickoff is set for 7 o’clock. “We will have a tough game against Beverly Hills,” said Wright. “We just need to rally the troops and leave it all out on the field. It will be Senior Night. I know our seniors are not going to let Culver City down.” The Centaurs are 5-4 overall and 2-2 in Ocean League play.
Beverly Hills is led by running back Jordan Wagner and three good receivers, Eli Sachs, Jared Forman and Austin Towns. On defense they rely on the leadership of Ole Woods.
All season long the Culver City coaching staff has talked about getting big plays from their big-time players. Last Friday night their wish came true. Their best offensive player, Julius Wilson, stepped up and made a terrific run in the fourth quarter to help the Centaurs beat Morningside.
Culver City’s defense also stepped up. Linebackers Keishawn Haley and Watts played spectacularly.
“This was real big game for us tonight,” said Watts. “The defense always plays hard. I am really proud of them. We give a great effort in practice and that carries over to the games. We showed a lot of team work.”
Now if the offense can only keep pace with the defense, the Centaurs may be ready to make another playoff run, as they did last year. “We need to cut down on our turnovers and execute to offense better,” said offensive coordinator Aki Wilson. “We turn the ball over a lot when we are in scoring position. We need to get our offense flowing in the right direction and get our confidence back.”
If the Centaurs beat Beverly Hills they will have a 3-2 record in league play and they will take sole possession of third place. If Morningside beats Inglewood, they will also be 3-2. But, because of Culver City’s win over Morningside, the Centaurs would move into third place and hope for a playoff seed.
Mr. Finley may be contacted at sfinley50@aol.com
