With additional reporting by George Laase.
The .500 Culver City High School football team will take their high scoring show on the road Friday night to El Segundo to battle the undefeated Eagles at 7 o’clock in their second Ocean League game.
The Centaurs (3-3) will be trying to shake off last Friday’s 48-40 loss to Lawndale when they challenge El Segundo (6-0) on Homecoming night.
The El Segundo community gets behind their local teams, from youth sports to high school. The Centaurs expect a packed stadium and loud crowd.
The best way to quiet the crowd is to shut down the home team and to score touchdowns. Stopping the Eagles may be a problem but Culver City should be able to light up the score board with their team speed on offense.
The offense scored 40 points last week against a very good Lawndale team but it does not work when you give up 48.
The offense starts with sophomore quarterback Jonathan Martin. He has thrown for 1516 yards and 15 touchdowns with four interceptions. He has run the ball 59 times for 329 yards.
“He has come a long ways in just a short period of time,” said Coach Jahmal Wright. “We are expecting him to do a lot. We have put a lot on his shoulders.
“He is better every week. That is kind of scary.
Complementing Martin on offense are running backs Fred Poindexter and Cahlil Hooper, wide receivers Mason Mulvihill, Deven Osborne, Kyle Johnson , Justin Cox and Mekhi Ware. The offensive line is anchored by seniors Cameron Lowe, Kyle Mckiniss and Richard Yoshida.
Wright said that McKiniss and Yoshida “are having great years.
“We tried to groom them last year for this season. They are a good one-two punch. They complement each other. They are great young men with very good family values. They challenge each other in practice in friendly competition.”
When it comes to competition, El Segundo will be ready with senior quarterback Jason Kehl and junior running back Taz Tauaese who has gained 858 yards on the ground. The Eagles are ranked No. 5 in the CIF Western Division. They have only lost one game in the last 2½ years.
If the Centaurs can show the determination they displayed last week against Lawndale, they have a good chance of upsetting the Eagles. Although Culver City was behind the whole game they kept fighting back to keep the score close. “I liked the character we showed,” said Wright after the game. “We kept fighting. We showed grit. The team embodied what we have been saying all season. We tell them to never give up and keep fighting.”
Mr. Finley may be contacted at sfinley50@aol.com
Mr. Laase may be contacted at GMLaase@aol.com