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Tale of two quarterbacks – David Handler (16) stays in the pocket to pass while Armani Rogers is a scrambler. Photo, George Laase.
Penalties and mistakes once again are the main topic of Culver City High School’s 35-14 loss to Paramount last Friday night.
A broken record, the same old song.
[img]2175|right|Steve Finley||no_popup[/img]Now the Centaurs (1-3) will deal with the suspensions of seven players for violating team rules. They did not play against Paramount. They also will miss this Friday’s 7 o’clock home game against a good Bishop Amat team.
Worse, one of the suspended players is All-CIF star Stanley Norman.
“Our backs are against the wall,” said Culver City coach Jahmal Wright after the Paramount game. “We need to come out fighting. With the suspensions and the mistakes, we are looking adversity in the face.
“Like I said at the beginning of the season, we are young, and young teams go through growing pains. It hurts but I have faith in this team.
“Obviously we are not overlooking Bishop Amat. But when we start Ocean League play in two weeks, we will fight for the league championship. We will try to make the playoffs. That is our goal.”
Mistakes and penalties have hurt the Centaurs throughout this opening month. but last Friday the communication between the quarterbacks and the receivers was terrible. Both quarterbacks, sophomore Aramni Rogers and senior David Handler, look good one series and turn the ball over the next.
“Tonight both the receivers and the quarterbacks were not on the same page,” said a frustrated offensive coordinator Aki Wilson after the loss to Paramount.
“When the quarterbacks are on the money, the receivers run the wrong routes. When receivers run the right routes, the quarterbacks miss the assignments. What really bothers me is this: We practice hard every week. We do the right things in practice. But on Friday nights, we make too many mistakes.”
If the Centaurs expect to beat Bishop Amat, players and coaches will all have to work together. “We know they have one of the best programs in California,” said assistant coach Cornell Myles. “We have to be ready to compete at the highest level.
“We have the talent. We just need to put it all together on the field.”
Culver City athletic director Tom Salter is a former head coach at Bishop Amat, which has 79 players on its roster. Culver City has 49.
The Lancers are led by senior quarterback Koa Haynes who has passed for 1, 396 yards and 13 touchdowns. The Lancers put their running game in the hands of Anthony Camargo, who has rushed for 319 yards. The 6-3, 200- pound running back averages 6.79 yards a carry.
Culver City’s defense has played well in the first four games. If the offense can be more consistent, the defense can gain much needed rest. The defense is on the field too long. Remy Grundy, the Centaurs’ best defensive player, was injured during the Paramount game. At 6-1, 295 pounds Grundy may be lost for the season.
Mr. Finley may be contacted at sfinley50@aol.com
