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Centaur kicker Nico Melendez watches his winning field goal sail in overtime. Photo, George Laase.
Culver City High School’s dramatic 17-14 victory over Santa Monica last Friday night was a tale of three football games in one.
The Centaurs took a 14-0 lead into halftime. Santa Monica scored two touchdowns in the second half to tie the score and force overtime.
The home team Centaurs dominated the overtime period and won the game on Nico Melendez’s 20-yard field goal. The win moved Culver City into sole possession of first place in the Ocean League with a record of 3-0.
The Centaurs (4-4 overall) must stay focused and win their next two league games, against Morningside at 7 o’clock on Friday at Coleman Field, Inglewood, and at Beverly Hills the following Friday, Nov. 8, at 7 o’clock.
Their No. 1 priority was to beat Santa Monica, the defending league champion.
“Biggest win of the season,” said coach Jahmal Wright. “Fight through adversity. Play together as a team. Don’t point fingers when something goes wrong. That’s what I have been preaching to this team since the beginning of training camp.
“Play one play at a time. Find a way to get the job done. This game tells the story about our season. We have been up and down. If we stay together, though, good things will happen. We grew up tonight.”
Santa Monica came into the game having outscored their last two opponents by a combined score of 117 to 6.
“I love these kind of games,” said assistant Centaurs coach Cornell Myles. “This is the best way to play high school football. When we win, we practice better. This was a big win in a lot of ways. We just want to keep the party going in the right direction.”
One main reason the Centaurs are riding a three-game winning streak is their defense. “They are playing outstanding football,” said Myles. “The offense needs to catch up.”
Linemen Marco Cardenas, Fred Wadibia and Steven Serrano, linebackers Remy Grundy, Jeremy Marrero and Anthony Polk and defensive backs Kevin Beacham and Reynard Saxon have played very well.
“This game meant the world to me,” said Grundy, a senior. “It was the first time in my four years at Culver City that we have beaten Santa Monica. It was also special because this was Senior Night.”
Grundy made two big plays late in the fourth quarter that put the game into overtime. “Those stops gave us the momentum we needed in overtime,” said Grundy.
The real hero of the night was Melendez. “Honestly this feels amazing,” he said after kicking the winning field goal. “My punting was not very good, so I had to make up for it.”
Melendez received good advice from his coach and from his father.
“Nico was a little nervous,” said kicking coach Greg Goodyear. “I told him, ‘Keep your head down. Think about your fundamentals, your mechanics.’
“Everyone was trying to come to him before the kick. I told them, ‘Stay away. Let him concentrate.’”
Melendez said that before the game, his father told him, ‘Play with confidence. Don’t worry about the big crowd.’”
To beat a good 5-3 Morningside team the Centaurs will need to play better offensively. Morningside is 2-1 in the Ocean League.
“Even though we did not play well in the second half, we were able to get that key first down in overtime,” said offensive coordinator Aki Wilson. “We are going to have to protect the quarterback better. Just because we beat Santa Monica does not mean we have won the league.”
Mr. Finley may be contacted at sfinley50@aol.com
