Samo football loses Homecoming game to Culver City 49-0

Samo football lost their last home game of the year 49-0 to Culver City High School on Oct. 23. The Vikings are still winless with an 0-8 overall record and 0-3 record in Ocean League with 2 more games left in the season.The atmosphere was electric before the game as the home section at Corsair Stadium was nearly full. Everyone could feel the emotions because it was not only senior night, but also the homecoming game.“Very emotional,” said offensive lineman Juan Castillo (’16). “Lot of things have happened throughout my life… This year means a lot to me and I want to leave it all [on the field].”As in most of their previous games, Samo started off with great defense. Culver had a slow start with their passing game, so Samo was able to force a turnover on downs. Even with the defensive effort, Samo was unable to get much on offense. At the end of the first quarter, Culver lead 7-0.Penalties were a downfall for Samo on both sides of the ball. The Vikings would often force a 3rd and long (third down with a long distance to get a first down) only to give Culver all the yards back by jumping offsides. Coaches were screaming for players to watch the ball, yet their cries were heard on deaf ears. Once Culver got themselves together in the 2nd quarter, their lead grew to 35-0 at the half.In the second half, Samo’s zone defense could no longer hold Culver’s offense and the air attack continued. Like most of the year, injuries crippled the Vikings, especially at the quarterback (QB) position. This lead to a revolving door of QBs that included wide receiver (WR) Uly Perez (’16), WR Jordan Maness (’16), and running back Deandre Parks (’16). Without a consistent man under center it was hard for them to get a rhythm on offense.It wasn’t all bad for Samo though. On offense the ground game worked for the most part, behind running backs Tony Dancy (17’) and Deandre Parks (16’). Also cornerback Jalen Jones was able to come up with another pick making it his 2nd straight game.In the end, Culver was able to complete the shut out at 49-0. The team’s pain was palpable on the sideline.“It was a tough game,” said Maness. “All the seniors were fighting,”Head coach Ramsey Lambert talked about the road ahead.“We have to get better,” Lambert said. “Next year, [we have to] stay health and get started right away.”Maness believes that in the future, Samo can be what it once was.“It was a rebuilding season,” Maness said. “It sucked that had to be our senior year, but the future [is bright]. Coach Lambert is great and the future [should be] great.”