The Culver City High School football team knew what was coming last Friday night, but they could not stop it.
They knew the unbeaten Lompoc High Braves have one of the best running attacks in California, led by four outstanding running backs and a powerful offensive line. The result was a 49 to 6 loss to Lompoc in the second round of the CIF playoffs.
Lompoc will play Serra, who beat Santa Monica 58 to 6 to set up a terrific CIF Division V semi-final showdown.
The Centaurs, who finished the season 7 and 5, played hard but were no match for Lompoc, winner of two CIF titles and 32 games in a row.
“They did exactly what we expected them to do,” said head coach Jahmal Wright. “It’s real frustrating to know what’s coming and you can’t stop it. We knew they were a good team. This is a testament to their coaching staff and their players. They have a scheme, they believe in it and they run it to perfection.”
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Centaurs’ senior linebacker Winner Watts (9) stops Lompoc’s Lavon Coleman at the goalline. Photos by George N. Laase.
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Centaurs’ senior wide receiver Sydney Dorsey (l) converts short Xan Cuevas pass into a 22-yard gain
The Centaurs stayed close in the first quarter, scoring 6 points to Lompoc’s 14. After that, it was all Lompoc. They scored 14 in the second quarter, 14 in the third and seven in the fourth. “If we had scored seven points every time we were in scoring position early in the game, we could have made a statement,” said offensive coordinator Aki Wilson. “But we scored six points on two field goals instead of 21 points.
The lack of offensive production kept the defense on the field to long. By the third quarter, the Culver City defense ran out of gas. During most of their five losses this season, the breakdown was on offense. “We moved the ball, but we just could not punch it in,” said Wright.
That was the same pattern in key league losses to Santa Monica and Inglewood. The offense would move the ball but mistakes would stop them from scoring.
Despite the score, the Centaurs impressed Lompoc coach Andrew Jones. “Culver City is extremely athletic,” said Jones. “We had to adjust early to their team speed. They had our full attention. Those guys kept me up all night. We knew we had to establish the run to keep their offense off the field.”
Lompoc ran for 379 yards and five touchdowns.
Now the Centaurs look forward to next season. “Our future is bright,” said Wright. “ We played a lot of sophomores this season, and our Junior Varsity won the Ocean League. We need to replace our senior offensive line and our senior quarterback and key seniors on defense. But we will put our best foot forward.”
Culver City hopes to improve next year on offense under the leadership of 6-5, 230-pound junior David Handler. “I feel great about next year,” said Handler after the loss to Lompoc. “I need to work hard in the off season and get ready for next year. We have a lot of players coming back, so I am excited.”
“We have several key players coming back on offense,” said Wilson. “We will expect a lot from Stanley Norman, Donovan Davis, Brandon Hassan and Handler.
“We will be alright on offense next year.”
If the Centaurs expect to get back to the top of the Ocean League they will need to improve in every phase. With Wright and his staff, the Culver City football team is in good hands. “This is Culver City football,” said Wright. “We don’t rebuild, we reload.”
