Discussing the strengths of their football teams before the season opener, Culver City and West Torrance coaches trumpeted their defenses, acknowledging their offenses were works-in-progress.
Apparently, the offenses took offense to that.
Both squads came out firing on all cylinders in the first half at Culver City High last Friday as they combined for 63 points, with the Centaurs ultimately winning the non-league game, 51-28.
The Centaurs will travel to Peninsula Friday afternoon in their only road non-league contest this year.
Fans were treated to two different games within one match. They saw offensive fireworks in the first half, while the second half was dominated by defense. Despite struggling with turnovers and penalties, the Centaurs and Warriors provided plenty of excitement for the crowd.
As guests were still arriving, Culver City struck quickly on the first play from scrimmage, less than 30 seconds into the contest. Senior quarterback Lukas O’Connor found senior receiver Alex Jackson, last season’s receiving leader, on a short pass play. Jackson did the rest as he broke several tackles, spun and slipped away from Warrior defenders, going 73 yards for the touchdown.
West Torrance responded a short time later following an interception by sophomore defensive back Dane Silverlake. The Warriors’ leading rusher last season, junior Barry Thomas, scored on a 41-yard run midway through the first quarter for a 7-7 tie. He would score a second time early in the second quarter.
Defense and special teams also contributed. Centaur junior receiver Julius Wilson rambled 69 yards on a punt return, which gave Culver City a 14-7 advantage prior to Thomas’ second touchdown. Warrior senior defensive lineman Asanka Jayawardena gave West Torrance its only lead of the contest moments later when he found himself the recipient of a deflected Centaur pass attempt and went untouched for a 40-yard interception return that gave the Warriors a brief 21-14 lead.
Culver City struck back with three consecutive scores to regain the advantage. On an option play, Wilson took a pitch from O’Connor and found running room along the east sideline while picking up key blocks from his offensive line for an 80-yard touchdown. Senior Kevin Porche, who saw action at several positions, scored on a six-yard run to give the lead back to the Centaurs. Senior linebacker Derrius Morrow recovered a fumble and one play later, junior running back Akili Skannal scampered into the end zone on a 13-yard run.
West Torrance closed the gap at the end of the first half with a sustained drive from its own 23-yard line. Junior quarterback Joey Notch played an outstanding first half, completing 75% of his passes for more than 200 yards. He led the Warriors down the field and hooked up with senior receiver Hugo Yepez on a 25-yard touchdown pass, cutting the deficit to 35-28 at halftime.
The second half was dominated by defense as Culver City scored just 16 points and the Warriors were shut out.
Culver City scored its final points courtesy of all three components of the team. The offense provided the first touchdown early in the third quarter. Following an interception and 33-yard return by senior defensive back Yamen Sanders, O’Connor connected with Jackson a second time for a 35-yard touchdown. Special teams added another score when senior Miles Washington created some excitement with a 63-yard punt return. The Centaur defense scored the final two points with a safety, following a bad snap on a punt attempt by West Torrance.
Although Culver City was victorious, the team will need to work on discipline and cutting down on turnovers. The Centaurs had 10 penalties in the second half, which stalled their offense and sustained Warrior drives. The Centaur defense kept West Torrance in check the final two quarters but will need to start a contest with that same mental attitude as the competition gets more difficult.
Culver City committed three turnovers and West Torrance had four.
Wilson led Centaur rushers win one run for 80 yards and one touchdown in the first half.
Porche ran three times for 43 yards and one score. He completed his only pass attempt for five yards.
O’Connor, trying to regain the consistency he exhibited during summer passing leagues, completed nine of 22 passes for 156 yards for two touchdowns. He was picked off three times.
Skannal had five rushes for 26 yards and one touchdown.
Jackson led the Centaurs with seven receptions for 139 yards and two touchdowns.
As a team, Culver City rushed for 211 yards and passed for 161 yards.