The 3-3 Culver City varsity football team will take their high scoring show on the road Friday night when they travel to El Segundo to battle the 6-0 Eagles at 7 p.m. in their second Ocean League game. The game will be special because it’s homecoming for the Eagles. The El Segundo community really gets behind their local teams, from youth sports to high school so the Centaurs expect a packed stadium and loud crowd.
The best way to quiet a large crowd is to stop an opposing team and score points. Stopping the Eagles may be a problem but Culver City should be able to light up the scoreboard with their overall team speed on offense.
The offense scored 40 points last week against a very good Lawndale team but the Centaurs loss the game because the defense gave up 48 points. The offense starts with sophomore quarterback Jonathan Martin. Martin has thrown for 1516 yards and 15 touchdowns with four interceptions. He has also run the ball 59 times for 329 yards.
“He (Martin) has come a long ways in just a short period of time,” said head coach Jahmal Wright. “We are expecting him to do a lot and we have put a lot on his shoulders game after game. He is getting better every week which is kind of scary.
Complementing Martin on offense are running backs Fred Poindexter and Cahlil Hooper, wide receivers Mason Mulvihill, Deven Osborne, Kyle Johnson , Justin Cox and Mekhi Ware. The offensive line is anchored seniors Cameron Lowe, Kyle Mckiniss and Richard Yoshida.
“Both senior running backs are having great years,” said Wright after practice last Monday. “We tried to groom them last year for this season. It’s a good one-two punch. Both backs complement each other well. They are both great young men who have very good family values. They challenge each other in practice but it’s a friendly competition.”
When it comes to competition, El Segundo will be ready to answer the call with senior quarterback Jason Kehl and junior running back Taz Tauaese who has gained 858 yards on the ground. The Eagles are the fifth-ranked team in the CIF Western Division and have only lost two games in the last two and a half years.
If the Centaurs can show the same determination they displayed last week against Lawndale, they have a good chance of upsetting the Eagles. Although Culver City was down the whole game they kept fighting back to keep the game close. “I liked the character we showed,” said Wright after the Lawndale game. “We kept fighting. We showed true grit and the team embodied what we have been saying all season. We tell them to never give up and keep fighting.”
