Champions: Samohi Wins First League Football Title in 13 Years

By Mitch Chortkoff

As Santa Monica High was thrashing South Torrance Friday night, 55-6, the Vikings appeared to be claiming their one-third share of the Ocean League football championship.

However, when the game ended the team engaged in a wild celebration and Coach Norm Lacy was drenched with a bucket of water by joyous players.

What would prompt such behavior? A report had just arrived that Inglewood lost to El Segundo, 21-20.

Now, instead of sharing the league title with two teams Samohi would share it only with North Torrance. And since Samohi defeated North Torrance it will enter the CIF playoffs next weekend as the top-seeded Ocean League team.

``It's huge,'' said Lacy. ``It means Samohi wins its first football league championship in 13 years, it means we get a home game in the first playoff round and it could mean we won't play Inglewood or North Torrance until the finals. You might say it was a pretty good night.''

Lacy said he expects a No. 3 seed overall for the Division 10 playoffs. He expects undefeated Temple City to be seeded No. 1 and defending champion Paso Robles, which has two losses, to be No. 2.

Lacy's joy was tempered by the reality that center Matt Cox spit up blood after being injured and left the stadium in an ambulance. The hope is that he will recover quickly but it isn't likely he'll be available for a game this week.

There is something different about the Vikings and it is huge. Matt Smith, the 285-pound tight end, moved to fullback and his crushing blocks helped tiny Derrick Davis gain 266 yards on 26 carries.

``This gives us a different dimension with the playoffs coming up,'' said Lacy. ``Some teams have loaded up on our pass receivers. If they do that now we can pound away with our ground game.''

Davis appreciated the help.

``It makes a tremendous difference,'' said Davis. ``If anyone is in the way Josh will get him out of there.''

Lacy said he didn't make the move earlier in the season because Smith is valuable on defense. ``It's hard to play fullback and be a key man on defense in our system,'' he said. ``But with the playoffs coming up we're going to do it.

``Derrick gained 1,800 yards last season and he was at 1,000 this season, so we asked what we could do to help him out. This is it.''

Davis scored four touchdowns and backup Chris Clay scored another as Samohi overcome early penalties to take a 55-0 lead before reserves gave up a touchdown in the final minute.

James Cooper was sharp and Charles Gordon, as usual was his main receiver.

Samohi had three touchdowns called back on a first quarter drive, then scored on the fourth attempt when Terrell Maze took a short pass, cut back and ran 46 yards into the end zone. Because of the penalties, a holding, clipping and illegal motion, the TD occurred on a third-and-45 play.

A one-yard run by Davis and a 20-yard Davis TD run, with conversions by Scot Lent, increased the halftime lead to 21-0. Davis ran 75 yards to a third quarter touchdown and Cooper found Gordon for a 40-yard TD to make it 35-0. Then it was a 12-yard TD run by Davis and a five-yard TD pass from Cooper to Maze.

The last Samohi league football championship came in 1988, when Tebb Kusserow was the coach. Kusserow retired two years later, Lacy was bypassed for the job and went to St. Monica, where he won a CIF championship.

Two years ago, following a decade of disappointing teams (except for a couple) Samohi hired Lacy away from St. Monica.

Shockingly, when Lacy took the job he announced that Kusserow would come out of retirement and be his offensive co-ordinator.

Kusserow made a two-year commitment and will evaluate his situation after this season. But with Kusserow running the offense and Lacy the defense Samohi is in position for a run at a CIF title.