Samo strides into the CIF semifinals

Chase WohrleStaff WriterSamo football will compete in the CIF semifinals after the Nov. 25, 29-24 victory against the Ventura High School Cougars.The Cougars provided a tough match for Samo, and the final score was incredibly close. Throughout the game, turnovers were consistent on both sides, and both teams played tenacious defenses."We gave them a lot of turnovers and set them up with a lot of opportunities," Coach Travis Clark said. "But my kids have been resilient all year; that defense is special."Senior cornerback Dylan Muscat emphasized the unity of the Samo defense, while also commenting on its faults against Ventura."It's not just one person, the defense is a system," he said. "We prepared for the run all week but they came out hard and that's where they stuck it to us."With Culver City High School's 51-28 victory over Righetti High School, Samo and Culver City will square off against each other in the semifinals on Dec. 2."They don't want to lose on their field twice, they want revenge," said Clark.Although he believes Culver City's investment in this game will make it a tough one, Clark is excited because both teams are prominent in the Ocean League."We talked about this, [Culver City] coach Wright and myself, and we said '[the Ocean League] has to represent in the playoffs,'" Clark said. "And here we are, playing each other twice."The next game will be the CIF semifinals against Culver City on Dec. 2 at Culver City High School.cwohrle@thesamohi.com