Schools
Samohi Football Looks to Avenge Loss
The Santa Monica High football team will try to remain undefeated in the Ocean League on Friday.
In a game with monumental impact on the , the football team will travel to Beverly Hills on Friday night, and the winner will stay on track for the league crown.
Both teams posted impressive victories in their league openers last week. The Vikings upended reigning champion Inglewood, 28-15, at while Beverly Hills thrashed host Hawthorne, 42-7.
Santa Monica is looking to avenge its 19-12 home defeat at the hands of the Normans last season. The Vikings are off to since 2008, thanks to their ball-hawking defense, which has blanked two opponents and allowed a league-low 63 points.
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Beverly Hills has given up 184 points, more than any team in the league, however two of the Normans' losses are to highly ranked Canyon Country Canyon and Alemany. Samohi is led by quarterback Christian Salem, running back Kori Garcia and wide receiver Sebastian LaRue, who have paced the offense to 179 points—second-most in the league behind Culver City.
Beverly Hills, meanwhile, jumped out to a 28-7 halftime lead against the Cougars and never looked back, as senior quarterback Brandon Adams completed eight of his 14 pass attempts for 100 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.
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The Normans' Frank Brown enjoyed a career day rushing with 211 yards and three touchdowns in 27 carries while Cameron Countryman, Willie Green and Madison Moore each caught a touchdown pass. Linebacker Austin Towns and defensive lineman Julian Jackson each had an interception on defense for the Normans, who scored nearly as many points as they had in their previous three games combined.
Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and Culver City finished in a three-way tie for second place last season, the Normans losing to Culver City and beating the Vikings, who in turn beat Culver City. Beverly Hills and Culver City made the playoffs because each had better results against league champion Inglewood than Santa Monica did.
On Thursday night, Hawthorne defeated host Morningside 29-18 to improve to 1-1 in Ocean League play. Morningside dropped to 0-2.
Friday's Ocean League matchups:
Santa Monica (5-1, 1-0) at Beverly Hills (2-4, 1-0), 7 p.m.
Culver City (5-1, 1-0) at Inglewood (1-5, 0-1), 7 p.m.
Who will win Friday's league showdown between Beverly Hills and Santa Monica? Tell us in the comments box below.
