Samohi Football Gets Passing Grade

One would think that a lopsided victory to start the season is cause for a wild celebration. Yet players on the football team seemed after shutting out Lawndale Leuzinger 35-0 in Friday night at .

That's because the win was merely the first step on what Samohi hopes is a long road all the way to the . They aren't champions yet, but the Vikings sure looked the part against the overmatched Olympians, who rushed for -8 yards in the first quarter and were held to 20 yards of total offense in the first half.

Senior quarterback Christian Salem, making his first start, was poised as can be and had command of the offense from the first huddle. He completed only two passes, but one was a 35-yard touchdown to wide receiver Sebastian Larue in the third quarter that capped the scoring.

"I felt great, I felt relaxed, but I'd rate the performance a B-minus," Salem said. "We had a few missed opportunities. My timing could've been better. We have high goals."

Vikings Coach Travis Clark had nothing but praise for his quarterback, who has waited three years to be the starter and so far is making the most of his opportunity.

"He's down on himself but I thought he managed the game extremely well," said Clark, who hopes his third season with the Vikings proves the charm. "Some of those passes were right on the money and the receivers didn't adjust to the ball."

Salem did not need to throw the ball much because Samohi's running game was churning out five to six yards per carry, led by Kori Garcia, who had 93 yards and two touchdowns in eight carries. Fellow senior London Lewis added 55 yards and two touchdowns in 12 carries. 

"We'll do whatever it takes to win," Salem said. "The run was working so we stuck with it tonight, but there will be times when I'm going to have to throw more. When they need me I'll deliver."

Samohi seized the momentum right away when Leuzinger's Winner Watts fumbled the opening kickoff and Vikings senior Chris Collins pounced on the loose ball at the Olympians' 33-yard line. Garcia scored on a seven-yard run four plays later.

The Vikings forced Leuzinger to punt from the 6-yard line on its next possession. Noel MacDonald bobbled the low snap and shanked the kick, which rolled dead at the 8. However, the Vikings couldn't punch it in and settled for a 25-yard field goal try, which Juan Pavon missed.

"I'll have to look at the tape, but I'd give us about a 'C' because we won the game," Clark said. "We left so many plays on the field and when you get inside the 10, you should score every time. We're not trying to be a third-place team, we want to be a championship team."

Samohi got the ball right back when Lewis tipped a pass intended for Olympians receiver Devin Christy and it fell into the arms of Marquis Moss, who raced up the sideline and was shoved out of bounds inside Leuzinger's 1. Lewis plunged over the goal line on the next play and Samo had a 14-0 lead with 3:05 left in the first quarter.

Garcia ended the Vikings' next drive with a five-yard run early in the second quarter and Lewis scored his second one-yard touchdown to increase the lead to 28-0 with 2:03 left in the first half.

In accordance with a new CIF rule, a running clock was used in the fourth quarter, with Samohi up by 35 points.

"I'm not opposed to it [the running clock]. I understand why they're using it, and it can keep things from getting out of hand," Clark said. "I've been on the losing side of these scores too and I don't have a problem with teams trying to score. If we can't stop them, that's on us."

Chad Wheeler, the Vikings' 6' 6", 265-pound defensive end, wreaked havoc in Leuzinger's backfield all night. Collins shed his blocker and shot the gap to deliver a punishing hit on Watts. Matt Rus-Kosa had an interception but officials ruled him out of bounds. 

"The defense did what I thought it could and kept the donut on the board," Clark said. "It helps to have a legit Division I prospect like Chad out there. He was all over the field."

Next up for the Vikings is their annual "Battle by the Beach" with Palisades at SMC. Samohi has had the upper hand in the rivalry in recent years, and Clark wants to keep it that way. 

"Starting now I'm thinking about Palisades," he said. "This game is done and it's on to the next one. They were tough last year and I'm expecting them to be even better this time."

Palisades lost its season opener to El Camino Real, 24-21, Friday in Woodland Hills.

Score by Quarters

1

2

3

4

Final

Leuzinger

0

0 

0

Santa Monica

14

7

0

35

Scoring Summary

Santa Monica -- Garcia 7 run (Pavon kick), 9:49 left in 1st qtr.

Santa Monica -- Lewis 1 run (Stahler kick), 3:05 left in 1st qtr.

Santa Monica -- Garcia 5 run (Stahler kick), 8:21 left in 2nd qtr.

Santa Monica -- Lewis 1 run (Stahler kick), 2:03 left in 2nd qtr.

Santa Monica -- Larue 35 pass from Salem (Stahler kick), 7:13 left in 3rd qtr.

Records: Leuzinger 0-1, 0-0; Santa Monica 1-0, 0-0.