Football kicks off the 2019 season

With new head coach Matthew Kirk, the boys’ varsity football team ended last season with a 4-6 record and a 2-3 Ocean League record, a similar record as the previous season. Hoping to build off last season, Kirk and his team plan to make great strides this year by enforcing new offensive tactics. “We added something called air-raid concepts. We added some of that stuff, and we are now able to run the ball at a two back and what we call three back, and our offensive line is a little better than last year. I feel like we’re able to run the ball more this year, so those are two big things that we changed offensively. Defensively, we’re the same,” Kirk said.Using their new air-raid system, the team has started their 2019 season against Compton and West Torrance High School, ending in a loss of 14-26 against Compton and a victory of 34-29 against West Torrance.  After a close game against West Torrance, the Samo team intends to strengthen not just offense, but also defensive plays.“We need to improve on executing on both sides of the ball, not just offense,” said Jalen Cobb (’20).Kirk points out that some star players, like Cobb who is a wide receiver, are expected to make a large impact on the team this season, including new quarterback Anthony Arnou (’20), receivers Donovan Parks (’20) and Kayden Thomas (’20), along with running back Bryce Smith (’20).Varsity home games are typically on Fridays at 7 p.m. at SMC, while Junior Varsity and Freshman home games can be watched at Samo’s football field. The next home game is a varsity game on Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. against Godinez Fundamental Highschool at Samo.