Samohi Football Coach Eyes League Title

This week marks the first of two-a-day football practices at , and third-year . The Vikings missed the CIF playoffs last fall, but he believes they have the potential to win the Ocean League championship. Clark, a 1986 Samohi alumnus, talked to Patch about the year ahead following Monday afternoon's practice:

Patch: How does this group compare to last year's team?

Travis Clark: This is my third season and I'm proud to say we're better now than we were when I got here. This is definitely my deepest, most talented bunch and it's not even close. We've got seven or eight seniors that started with me as sophomores. Like any coach, I'm always seeing stuff we can improve on but the focus right now is on our conditioning. How you finish a game and how you finish the season is the most important thing.

Patch: Given your schedule, what will you be satisfied with as far as wins and losses?

Clark: There's no doubt we can win eight games. That's not to say we will, but we won six games last year and we're much better, so I see no reason why we can't [win eight]. Obviously, the goal is to win them all, but it'll probably take eight wins to win league and that's our main goal. We were left out of the playoffs on point differential last year and that doesn't sit well.

Patch: How do you size up the Ocean League this year? Which is the team to beat?

Clark: It'll be a battle right down to the last game. Inglewood went 5-0 last year and they still have [receiver] Derrick Woods, who's one of the top players on the West Coast, but they've lost like seven Division I players. Coach [Stephen] Thomas and his staff did a great job last year. Culver City really set the bar and has forced everyone else to get better. They've always got athletes and they're dangerous with that "Wildcat" offense. Beverly Hills has solid coaching, they get the most out of their guys. I hear Morningside and Hawthorne have improved, too. There's no "easy" night in our league.

Patch: How will your nonleague schedule prepare you for league?

Clark: Very well, I hope. It's a tough schedule. We open with three at home, which is good. Leuzinger first, then we play Palisades and that's a team that concerns me. That's a rivalry game I played in back in the day so I know how important it is. [Anaheim] Canyon's an Orange County team with five offensive linemen who are at least 270 [pounds]. The biggest challenge is Valencia on the road. Those guys put up 63 [points] on us last year and we had six turnovers. That's a top program. Then we travel to [Compton] Centennial, another tough opponent. We scrimmage South Torrance next Friday (September 2) and that'll be a great test to see where we are.       

Patch: Will you be more of a running team or a passing team? 

Clark: I'm a pro-style offensive coach, so I like balance. You won't see us throw it as much as Culver City, but we've got a plethora of guys who can catch and we'll definitely air it out some. We're also a good running team, though. Kori Garcia and Donovan Citrowski are returning and I anticipate great things from senior London Lewis [a transfer from Servite]. So we'll be somewhere in the middle.

Patch: How has Christian Salem adjusted to being the starting quarterback?

Clark: He backed up Garrett Saffron (now the starter at Sacramento State) as a sophomore and would've started as a junior last season except he was out most of the year with a hamstring injury, so we had Brock Miller and Rhys Gervais split time. Christian is a smart player, he's a senior, and I think overall he'll be the best in our league.

Patch: Have any young players stood out so far in practice that you weren't expecting?

Clark: [Sophomore] Will Taylor has been a pleasant surprise. He was going to be JV but he's shown he can play at the varsity level and can play a variety of positions--he'll be a backup corner and running back and he returns kicks. Also, 14-year-old freshman Nico Basile is looking terrific as our backup quarterback.  

Patch: Who will be some of the standouts on defense?

Clark: I'm really excited about the defense. We have tons of depth and this is the most athletic and talented secondary I've had. Every one of these kids can run, cover, catch and hit. [Cornerback] Dylan Muscat is a three-year starter whose been getting a lot of Ivy League looks. London Lewis was one of the best defensive backs in Orange County last season. [Linebacker] Chris Collins is another three-year starter who had 10 sacks a year ago and he's received offers from Arizona, Washington State, New Mexico State and Nevada.

Patch: Who among the players who graduated will be the hardest to replace?

Clark: Well, obviously [receiver] Kris Comas and [halfback] Brandon Taylor were special players and the go-to guys on offense. [Linemen] Austin Ehrlich and Joel Ramos and [linebacker] Justin Coker were three of our team captains and it'll be tough to fill their shoes. Fortunately, we've still got Chad Wheeler (6-foot-7, 265 pounds) at offensive tackle who gives us size and experience up front. He has verbally committed to Arizona State and he's a special player.