Facing another tough opponent in the opening round of the Western Conference playoffs, the Culver City High School football team squandered a 14 point advantage in a 45-28 defeat against Mission League contender St. Francis, last Friday, at Culver High. The Golden Knights, which lost only two games all season, both to touted Mission League foes, were a top- 25 team in Southern California.
The Centaurs defeated St. Francis in a first round playoff game in 2006, which was their only other meeting.
St. Francis (La Canada) sustained scoring drives by converting several third and fourth down plays, which resulted in six consecutive scores that began midway through the second quarter rallying from a 28-14 deficit into a 17-point victory.
The Centaurs took the opening kickoff and needed less than 90 seconds as sophomore quarterback Armani Rodgers connected with junior Stanley Norman on a 16-yard touchdown pass. The Knights responded later in the first quarter when sophomore running back Areg Nazarian scored on a nine-yard run to tie the contest.
The Centaurs regained the lead with two quick scores midway through the half. Junior Anthony Polk provided a thrilling 27-yard touchdown run and was followed by an exciting 62-yarder by senior Kevin Caldwell that gave Culver a 21-7 advantage.
The two squads then exchanged scoring drives for the remainder of the half. St. Francis cut its deficit on a one-yard touchdown run by senior quarterback Ty Gangi, 21-14.
Culver answered when Rodgers found a streaking Norman on a 74-yard pass play that extended the Centaur lead, 28-14, with less than two minutes remaining in the half.
The Knights moved swiftly downfield, and Gangi connected with junior receiver Brodie Felkel on a 14-yard touchdown for a 28-21 Centaur halftime bulge.
The St. Francis defense kept Culver mired in its end of the field for the second half. The Knights pressured Rodgers with four sacks, and allowed less than 20 yards of total offense.
Golden Knight seniors Marko Tinoco, Ricky Urzua, and Michael Weber led the way and were valuably assisted by juniors John Carroll and Mason Williams along with sophomore Avery Williams.
The Knights controlled the ball and the clock the entire second half as they scored on all four possessions. Gangi scored his second touchdown with a one-yard run that tied the game. Senior Joe Mudie, the game’s leading rusher, found a seam and rambled 60 yards that gave St. Francis the lead, 35-28. On the next series, Gangi found a large hole and went straight through the middle of the field for a 30-yard touchdown. Place kicker Kareem Zeenni provided the final points with a 36-yard field goal.
Culver City competed well against some of the toughest squads in Southern California that greatly assisted the Centaurs in winning its first Ocean League championship in four years. The squad has a promising future as several starters are underclassmen and are expected back next season along with good prospects from the underclass teams.
Kevin Caldwell had four rushes for 73 yards and one touchdown. Rodgers completed 15 of 22 passes for 193 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.
Stanley Norman caught five passes for 112 yards and two touchdowns. Marcus Moore had six receptions for 69 yards.
Culver City had 179 rushing and 215 passing yards.