Samo takes its third loss of the season against Lawndale

On Friday, Oct. 18, participants of senior day, Samo football and marching band fanatics alike flooded the home game at SMC against the Lawndale Cardinals. The audience was brought with an onslaught of emotions after performances from the marching band were followed by a disheartening loss of 0-35. Lawndale boasted their skills after an early touchdown and successful kick-off made by safety Makell Esteen (’20) less than five minutes into the game. Even after multiple incomplete passes, Lawndale’s defense prevailed and Samo faltered in scoring any touchdowns.  Things were looking up after Samo linebacker Elijah Smith (’20) tackled the Lawndale offense and quarterback Anthony Arnou (’20) carried well throughout the first half. However, Samo could not pull through and were continuously stopped by the Cardinals’ last minute touchdowns, leaving the score 0-21 at halftime. The Samo Marching Band performed an encouraging set for the Vikings, and Samo started to up it’s game. An interception by running-back Bryce Smith (’20) at the start of the third quarter sent the crowd into a frenzy. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough; Lawndale scored two touchdowns in the second half, winning the game 0-35. “Lawndale is a good team that is the defending CIF and state champions, so this one loss does not define our entire season. Our defense played relatively well and gave us good field position on multiple occasions. A few key offensive players suffered injuries earlier in the season as well as one during the game, but the main issue that night was our offense: we have to play more as a unit and work to make our game plan less predictable and more effective,” Arnou said.  With two games left and an equal set of losses and wins, the Vikings are even more determined to succeed.  “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.  The Lawndale game was the last home game of the season. The next away game will be a rivalry game against Beverly at Beverly Hills High School on Oct. 25 at 7 p.m.