Vikings win league championship

Chase WohrleStaff WriterThe win against the Culver City Centaurs on Friday, Nov. 4 earned Samo the title of Ocean League Champions for the first time since 2001.Samo has had a reputation of making playoffs now and again — most recently in 2009 — however this is the first time in 10 years that they have won.The game itself was well fought, with a close score of 17-14. Senior running back Kori Garcia, who had received a mild concussion during the Beverly game and was unable to practice or play against Morningside on Oct. 28, scored the final touchdown with only three minutes and 53 seconds left in the game, securing the Samo victory.“It felt great to help my team with such a big moment like that,” Garcia said. “I just wanted to come back because I felt I needed to contribute to the team, and I felt like I did that against Culver.”The win against former league champion Inglewood during Samo’s Oct. 14 league opener inspired a new energy in the Vikings, and foreshadowed Samo’s eventual league championship. That success can be attributed to the talent of this year’s players.“I have not seen a team like this in a very long time,” linemen coach Chris Collins Sr. said after the Inglewood game.The contributions of two transfers, junior Sebastian Larue from Orange Lutheran High School and senior London Lewis from Servite High School, are part of what makes this season’s team different.“They’ve been a tremendous addition to our team,” head coach Travis Clark said, “just icing on the cake.”At 5’11” and 185 lbs, Larue is currently being scouted by multiple schools, such as San Diego State University, Arizona State University and Oregon State University.Larue can play wide receiver, safety and punt returner. Averaging six points a game and 18.48 yards per catch, he has proved his worth on the field, but he attributes the team’s success this year to Clark’s motivational influence.“It’s not just [the team], it’s us responding to Coach Clark,” Larue said.Also displaying a myriad of skills as a transfer, senior London Lewis has proved to be an important asset.  Lewis is 5’10” and 195 lbs, and utilizes his size to force his way through the crush of opposing players. His roles as running back and defensive line backer seem to come naturally to him. Lewis averages six tackles per game, .3 sacks per game, and 6.6 yards per carry offensively.“I just try to show the guys that you can go out there and face any team,” Lewis said. “They’ve brought the greatness out of me. I play hard for these guys, every quarter, every down.”Playing alongside these new recruits are the veterans of Samo Football, including running back Garcia, cornerback Dylan Muscat, linebacker-turned-defensive-end Chris Collins and linebacker Donaven Citrowski.“These boys aren’t juniors anymore,” Clark said. “They’ve reached their high school prime.The other factors that contribute to football’s success are current varsity starters, juniors Andres Meza, Peter Breceda and Steve Becerra, who have are all in their second  year of high school football. After their freshman year of football, the three joined track and field throwing shot put during their sophomore year and only returned to football this season. Out of the top five heaviest on the team, Bercerra (264 lbs), Meza (255 lbs) and Breceda (245 lbs) all make the list.“We really needed the shot put guys. We didn’t have any depth on the line,” senior lineman Noel Prasad said.In addition to the already strong senior presence on the varsity team, the infusion of juniors and sophomores into the team has allowed the Vikings to become versatile and resilient. Of the team’s 48 players, 24 are either juniors or sophomores and three are freshmen. The process of training these younger players with the future team in mind is in full effect.The Nov. 11 game against Hawthorne, win or lose, will have no effect on Samo’s title. Despite their secure position, the team aims to treat this game as any other.“Even though we are league champions, we have to come out hard against Hawthorne so we can stay in the race for the CIF Championship ring,” Garcia said. “If we lose, our rankings will drop and that will ruin our chances of a home opener.”In the CIF Playoffs, Samo will most likely come up against power house teams such as Chaminade,  Serra and  Arroyo Grande, depending on how deep into the post-season they get.This Sunday, Nov. 13, after all regular seasons have finished, CIF officials will decide the playoff bracket, and for the first time in ten years, Samo football will enter into the playoffs as champions of the Ocean League.cwohrle@thesamohi.com