inventory_2 Archive: Fall 2010 - Spring 2014
Track underclassmen overwhelm Hawthorne
Samo's track and field team triumphed in their season opener against Hawthorne, placing first in every event."It was kind of like a dress rehearsal," coach Tania Fischer said. "It was just our opener to work out the kinks to see if our relays are doing well."
Softball looks to the future after losing five of six games
After losing five out of six games, including the home opener against South Torrance on March 11, and El Segundo on March 16, girls' softball is motivated to improve quickly.
Boys’ Basketball team ends season with a six-game winning streak, earns playoff berth
“We came together at the right time,” junior Jordan Walker said. “We started fighting for each other during the mid-way point of our league season and played as one instead of as individuals. We’re all glad we got back on the right track before it was too late.”
Girls’ soccer wins league despite dissappointing loss
The Lady Vikings have ended up victorious and remain the champions of Ocean League. Since Samo left the Bay League in 2003 and joined Ocean League, the girls have been atop the proverbial pyramid. This year they continued the tradition of winning Ocean League, but unfortunately for the first time lost one game to historic rivals Beverley Hills.
Seniors Julia Glanz and Lizzy Lyons sign National Letters of Intent
The “National Letter of Intent” certifies that a student athlete will attend an institution for at least one academic year. Lyons will be attending Fresno State and Glanz will be heading to the University of Arizona next fall. Both will be receiving full scholarships.
After Wrestling’s winless season, League finals breathe new life into six wrestlers’ CIF hopes
Out of the fray, six Vikings emerged with their season hopes intact: juniors Chris Abdullah, Enrico Cascio, Gianni Forster, Omar Solorza, and Buzi Turner, along with senior Wesley Evans. Sophomore Spencer Gordon qualified as well, but due to an injury sustained in his final match, he will be unable to compete at CIF.
Girls' water polo secures a spot in CIF
Ending their regular season at 13-12, and going 7-3 in the Ocean League, girls’ water polo will move forward into the second round of the CIF playoffs after their win against Hemet.
Athlete of the Issue: Lauren Nadel
After eating Babybell cheese from her packed lunch, she takes the wax wrapper and molds it into a figurine. Her creations are highly detailed and vary from giraffes to “gang-bangers.”
Vikings’ undefeated record earns home field advantage for CIF
From the beginning of the year, this team has had the potential to recreate the success of the famous ’08 squad – now is the time for these boys to prove that they can play under pressure and win when it really counts.
Starved for victory, Samo wrestlers feed off middle school programs
"There is no clear leadership, no one wants to stand up for the captain's position" junior Gianni Forster said, "[Without] the senior leadership, it has been harder to practice, harder to focus, and harder to compete."
Samo defeats Hawthorne, seniors’ season ends without playoff berth
The night before facing Beverly, the stress of playing their last possible game affected some seniors more than others. Timmy Lozano reflected on the possibility of a loss.“I’m never going to relive these memories,” he said.On the other hand, senior Terrance Saheim saw it as just another game.
Athlete of the Issue: Tess Walther
Walther began playing volleyball in fourth grade at John Muir, and debuted as an outside hitter for her club team freshman year. At Samo, Walther continued to play as an outside hitter, and was promoted to the school’s varsity team as a sophomore — unusually early. However, when senior year came around and the team needed a setter, Walther took on the challenge.
Volleyball’s promising season ends
The girls went into the match confident. But, as the match progressed, Samo made errors and began to break down.Although the team had a successful season, their second round match against Lancaster ended in an unfortunate loss 25-22, 18-25, 10-25, 21-25.
Tennis battles Beverly, qualifies for CIF
The match was close — seemingly every one of Samo’s wins was followed by a loss. But in the end, the pain of losing two weeks prior drove the Vikings to victory.
Football earns first league victory
After a poor defensive game by Samo, a victory was shortly out of reach on the last play of the game. The final score was 12-19.Aside from excessive penalties the main reason for this loss was Samo’s defense.
Juniors in the driver's seat: the quest for league supremacy
As pressure and intensity increase, the boys’ water polo team continues to power its way past competitors as they find themselves well in reach of the League Champion title. Though for their hopes to become reality, each player realizes that better defensive playing becomes more crucial each match.
The man behind the mustache: Nick Salazar
“Our captain doesn’t have to be the fastest. It’s about creating harmony and creating leadership,” coach Tania Fisher said.“It’s a hard thing trying to balance being captain with being a top member of varsity. It definitely makes it harder to focus,” Salazar said.
Cross-country on the trail to victory
The squad pulled off a substantial victory, placing first as a team. Salazar was the first to trounce the hill running, an impressive 17:07. Right behind him came junior Andrew Capron, finishing with an equally admirable 17:15.
Volleyball defeats league rival Beverly
With the crowd going crazy and Samo on fire, Beverly was silenced. Continuing their roll they went on to sweep Beverly in the third. Despite many bad calls, the girls overcame them and drilled kills and focused on passing with senior libero Lindsey Nakatani making great pancakes to lead her team closer to the victory.
Girls’ tennis fights through the rain, loses to Beverly Hills
“I think we went in very confident because of our previous wins, maybe a little overconfident,” senior and co-captain Lucy Walsh said. “I think it was that we weren’t thinking about tennis, we were thinking about winning. We need to think more about the fundamentals of the game in order to succeed.”
Football drops league opener after overwhelming victory
Even though Samo was crushed in its Ocean League opener to Inglewood, 28-7, it can take solace in the previous week’s victory over Compton Centennial.
Girls’ volleyball on a roll, loses to Windward
Going into the second game they made an uncharacteristic eight serving errors and gave up momentum to the Culver City team. It looked as if Samo was heading towards their first loss. The Samo bench looked unusually nervous, but steeled themselves for the second game.
Greenies find early success
“Last year we had better cohesiveness, but this year we’re having more fun. I think we’re positioning ourselves well for our league drive, which starts in October,” coach Matthew Flanders said. “We could have won those games, but we were having problems with over-aggressive players.”
Girls' Cross Country has room to grow
After their first two races where the team was unfortunately divided between grade levels, the varsity team was finally able to pull off a cooperative win at their first league meet at Kenneth Hahn park. They placed first, beating the Beverly Hills girls’ team, which has been a long-standing rival of the Lady Vikings.
Girls' Volleyball rebounds after initial loss
After losing to El Segundo Wednesday, Samo was hungry for a win. In the end they defeated Morningside in a 25-2, 25-8, 25-3 demolition. Most of Morningside’s points came from Samo’s serving errors.
Athlete of the Issue: Kris Comas
Even though he is small, he still works hard. In this respect, his inspiration is DeSean Jackson. “He reminds me that I still have to push hard [and] don’t get down because you’re small.”Comas’ size makes him faster, and makes it easier for him succeed on the field.
Vikings’ efforts not enough for Valencia
The excessive turnovers in the game played a big role in Samo’s loss, according to Clark.“The cons obviously were the turnovers. That’s just difficult to overcome,” Clark said.Ramos agreed with Clark, saying “We had about seven turnovers, and you can’t win a game with seven turnovers.”
Girls' Tennis inches past Mira Costa and El Segundo, falls to Harvard Westlake
“In the Harvard Westlake game, my girls were not focused. But against Mira Costa, they moved better because of their commitment and practice."
In the face of loss, Escalera remains positive
Difficult though it may have been for him to step into the position, Escalera still gleans an obvious pride and pleasure from his participation in Samo athletics. A longtime football coach and former high school athlete, he harbors a deep-rooted belief in the power of sports to improve individuals and unite communities.