are ready for playoff run
By Mike Cohen
Sports Editor
Fielding a playoff team with players who are “pretty much injury and flu free,” coach Scott Mair says the Culver City High School girls soccer team can make a good run in the post season tournament.
The Lady Centaur varsity squad (9-1 in league, 16-6 overall) will host the winner of the wild-card match between Calabasas’ Viewpoint High Patriots #2 of the Alpha League and the Immaculate Heart Pandas of Los Angeles, the at-large team from the Sunshine League, February 14, 5 p.m., in the first round of the CIF SS playoffs.
The squad of predominantly underclassmen won its first Ocean League title outright, Feb. 7, by a score of 5-2 over Beverly Hills.
Culver City High School won its first soccer crown in 2003, winning the Pioneer League (9-0-1). The school began the girls soccer program in 1983. Former Culver City Mayor Dave Hauptman coached the inaugural group.
“We are a team with balanced scoring, so no team can key on one player,” said head coach Scott Mair.
Junior defender Sydney Hibbs, junior forward Hayley Pina, junior midfielder Ellie Benitez, junior midfielder Karina Ramirez, sophomore forward Jasmin Flores, and junior forward Jacque Espinosa are within one goal of each other in scoring, according to Mair.
He said senior midfielder Nataly Estrada, sophomore midfielder Viviana Yupanqui, and freshman midfielder Celeste Ceredcedes have also put the ball in the net with consistency.
“If our players are not scoring, they are assisting on goals,” said Mair, emphasizing the “team” concept.
The defensive backfield of sophomore Tatiana Estrada, senior Cassandra Garcia, junior Paola Cueva, junior Cheyenne Thomas, freshman Megan Gerez, and junior Miya Torimura have kept the goals-against-average low. Defensive minded midfielders junior Monica Patton, sophomore Isabella Avincola and sophomore Isabel Deharo have kept the ball out of the defensive end all season, said Mair.
“Goalkeeper Daniella Guteirrez has made some great saves and smart decisions,” Mair said. Goaltender Jacqueline Wileman is injured. Her highlight this season was a 1-0 blanking against Palos Verdes.
Lady Centaurs on ice
after unbeaten season
By Joe Snyder and George Laase
Sports Correspondents
Mike Cohen
Sports Editor
Having finished the Ocean League undefeated for the second consecutive season, how will the Culver City High School girls basketball team prepare for its first playoff game, Wed., Feb. 20, 7 p.m. in the Del Goodyear Gym?
“We will take ice baths,” said a smiling Taylor Tanita, who re-sprained her ankle at Hawthorne High School, Feb. 5, after sustaining the injury in a non-league game, Jan. 21, against Serra.
“It’s a tradition. The ice baths get our legs refreshed and ready for playoffs,” said Tanita, a senior who will study in the fall at UCSD.
“Ice baths help rejuvenate the legs through all the pounding and grinding throughout the season,” said head coach Julian Anderson with laughter.
“Yes, coach will tell us to take ice baths. Then we will get back to practice and work real hard. We will get our plays down, communicate, and fix mistakes we made during the season. We want to go all the way. We are capable of doing that,” said junior Kelsey Ueda.
Culver is rated fourth in the CIF-Southern Section Division IIA.
The Lady Centaurs (10-0 in league, 21-5 overall) clinched the Ocean League title outright by nipping host Hawthorne, 33-31, in a league showdown on Feb. 5.
The Cougars, who placed second behind the Centaurs in league, trailed by a basket when Alexis Delick tied the game with 15 seconds left in the contest. Senior guard Taylor Tanita scored on a jumper with five seconds remaining that proved to be the winner.
“Hawthorne played with lots of intensity on its senior night,” Anderson said. “We didn’t expect this game to be easy.”
Tanita led the Centaurs with 12 points. Kelsey Ueda added seven points, and Kailey Tooke chipped in six.
At Culver last Friday, Feb. 8, the Centaurs blew out league rival Beverly Hills, 66-30.
Culver dominated the Normans, leading 56-19 after three quarters and was never threatened.
Tanita sparked the Centaurs with 23 points, and Ueda contributed 10.
“This was a huge accomplishment for us. It was our goal from the beginning of season. I’m real excited,” said Tanita.
Last season, Culver won the Ocean at 10-0 and advanced to the Division IIA playoffs where it lost at Norco in the semifinals. The Centaurs also lost in the first round of the Southern California Regional Division II playoffs.
“Last season, we had a little bit of luck,” Anderson said. “Maybe we’ll do better this year. We will tidy things up and make some adjustments in practice this week. We should be OK,” said Anderson.
Culver City took advantage of big leads in Ocean league games to work on skills.
“We worked on some new things when we had big leagues to get ready for playoffs. We worked on fundamentals to help us play against other teams out of our league and division,” said sophomore Katie Lin.
UNDEFEATED: Junior guard Kelli Tademaru drives to the basket as the Lady Centaurs doubled-up the Lady Normans, 66-30, to complete back-to-back undefeated Ocean League titles. The Centaurs have a first round bye and will host the winner between #13 ranked Mayfair (9-1 – 15-5) and the Freeway at-large representative Fullerton (2-8 – 7-16), Feb. 20, 7:00 pm.
Photo by George Laase
SIGNED: Centaur seniors (from left) Deon Young, Julius Wilson and Xan Cuevas pose with varsity football coach Jahmal Wright at the Del Goodyear Gymnasium on National Letter of Intent Signing Day. Young, an offensive lineman, will study at Northern Arizona University. Wide Receiver Wilson will go to San Diego State University. Cuevas, the Centaur quarterback, will travel to Lindenwood University, St. Charles, Mo.
Photo by Jaime Cuevas