Culver City High School boys football team will travel to Orange County on Friday to face Capistrano Valley in the CIF Division 4 Playoffs. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in the first-round game. The game is a rematch from last year’s second round CIF playoff game when the Centaurs beat the Cougars 44-16. Culver City has a record of 7-3 and Capistrano Valley is 8-2.
“We are playing a familiar opponent,” said Culver City head coach Jahmal Wight during a telephone interview last Sunday night. “We are playing a team that we put out of the playoffs last year. We know that they have extra motivation because of what happened last year. We also understand that they know us well. We will be playing a team that has a lot of players that were on the team we beat last year.”
Wright continued to talk about playing Capistrano Valley. “They are battled tested, and they are a year older and a year stronger. They know us well and we know them. This is going to be a tough football game for us. We have a lot of respect for the Capistrano Valley players and coaches. We are going to have to be at our best. This is a big challenge, but we don’t run from a challenge. Challenges bring out the best in us. We know it’s not going to be easy. It’s the Division 4 CIF playoffs.”
To win the game the Centaurs will have to stop Capistrano Valley senior quarterback Tommy Acosta who has thrown for 2,392 yards and 29 touchdowns. He has also run for 440 yards. His favorite targets are Talon Spencer who has 56 catches for 918 yards and eight touchdowns, and Kaden Hunter who has 50 receptions for 699 and 12 touchdowns.
On offense the Centaurs will counter with quarterback senior quarterback Seth Shigg who has 2,383 yards passing and 24 touchdowns. Just like Acosta, Shigg can beat you with his legs. He has gained a team high 680 yards along with scoring 12 touchdowns running the ball. His favorite targets are senior Myles Singleton who has 50 catches for 1,013 yards and 10 touchdowns, senior Braylon Singleton has 19 receptions for 373 yards and eight touchdowns, and senior Zytel Boyd also has 19 catches for 521 yards and five touchdowns.
Assistant coach Cornell Myles knows it takes a balanced attack to win football games, but he is encouraged by the way the Centaurs defense has played this year. “We need come out with a good offensive and defensive game plan against Capistrano Valley. We have to stop their quarterback, and we have to stop their running game, and our offense and defense are going to have to execute and make plays. If we do that, we will win the game. It all comes down to making plays.”
The Centaurs made the playoffs after finishing fifth in the tough Bay League but because the league was so competitive the CIF committee did something they very rarely do, put as fifth place team in the playoffs.
“There was a little bit of concern because we did not have a guaranteed bid, but we knew being in the No. 7 ranked league in California and we had an overall record of 7-3, we felt like we were going to make the playoffs. Now that we are in, we are excited to be here. We worked hard all year for this, and we understand that there is no tomorrow and no next week if we lose. We talk to our players every day about the five P’s: Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance.”