Football plans for the playoffs

On Friday, Oct. 25th, the Vikings football team had their second to last game away against the Beverly Hills High Normans. After suffering consecutive losses against Culver City and Lawndale, the Vikings not only persevered against Beverly, but controlled the game entirely, ending with a 52-9 win. This win gave the team confidence, setting the stage for a pivotal regular season finale against the El Segundo Eagles on Friday, Nov. 1st. The game was to determine whether the Vikings made the 2019 Division XIII CIF Southern Section High School Playoffs. With an Ocean League record of 3-2, an overall record of 6-4 and a close 28-20 win over El Segundo, the Vikings were able to give themselves a playoff berth. The last time Vikings football made CIF playoffs was 2014, and this year’s season marked the first winning record the program has had in the last 6 years. Despite this success, Quarterback Anthony Arnou (’20), a star player on the team, found it more important before the last El Segundo game to remember their losses as a way to stay focused on their aspirations to compete in CIF.  “Lawndale is a good team that is the defending CIF and state champions, so this one loss does not define our entire season. That being said, we are now looking to finish the season strong and secure a spot in the playoffs, something this school hasn’t had in quite a few years,” Arnou said.   Arnou was vital in head coach Matt Kirk’s implementation of new offensive tactics such as an air-raid system that focuses on passing rather than rushing. The team also focused on improving defensively even though the tactics haven’t changed since last season.  “It’s a progression of what Coach Kirk brought to this team in 2018. Our team is all in. It’s really not about defense or offense, it’s knowing that we have been coached to win and holding ourselves and each other accountable. We feel the support and we owe it to our coaches, our family, and our teammates to go out there and leave it all on the field,” Linebacker Ian Gomez (’20) said. The Vikings look to bring this camaraderie into Division XIII CIF playoffs on Nov. 8th against St. Bernard High School.