Football looks to next season after missing playoffs
David E. Huunzicker / Contributor
Myles Lee (’28) catches a ball and creates space for a first down against Palos Verdes Peninsula at home on Nov. 1.
The Samo Vikings’ football season officially started on Aug. 23 with their 26-0 win against Chino Hills High School. After ten games in the regular season, the Vikings ended with an overall record of 4-6 and a record of 1-5 in the Pioneer League. Coming off a strong ’23-24 season where Samo made it to the CIF finals, the Vikings worked to reciprocate that this season. Head Coach Carter Paysinger reflects on the outcome of this season, and how he strives to build character outside of the game. “It was a tough year for us but in many ways, it was a successful year because there were a lot of kids that did nice things,” Paysinger said. “We have the same goals every year, we bring our program on life lessons, and we want to hammer on those life skills to become better people than we were before the season started.” Before the official league season started, Samo played five non-league games. Three of those games resulted in victories against Sylmar, Hueneme and Chino; the other two resulted in losses to West Torrance and Laguna. Although the Vikings built up some momentum throughout those wins, they still fell short of making the CIF Playoffs. The Vikings’ official league games started on Oct. 4, with an away game against North Torrance, taking a close 14-21 loss after North Torrance completed a 13-yard touchdown. With a victory against South Torrance, Samo improved their record from 0-1 to 1-1. Giovanni Crabtree (’25) contributed two touchdowns along with Charles Cravings (’25) who contributed five receptions, leading the Vikings to victory.
David E. Huunzicker / Contributor
Jaxon Lee (’26) makes a move on a defender leading to a first down away at Torrance on Oct. 26.
Team captains Charles Cravings, Samuel Reynoso (’25), Jeremy Guerrero (’25) and Ezra Klein (’25) led the team through this 2024 season during their final year at Samo. Captain Samuel Reynoso shared his favorite moment in his last season as a Samo Viking. “My favorite game has to be against Chino because it was my last first game with the program and with the team. It was a great way to start the season out with a huge win,” Reynoso said. The team finished off their season with a 13-49 loss against Peninsula, concluding the Vikings’ 2024 season. Paysinger looks to next season, highlighting Samo’s next year’s senior players. “Next season we can expect a lot from juniors Wyatt Brown, Payton Seals, and Jackson Nelson, who brought out a lot this year and who we can expect to see great things from next year,” Paysinger said.