Samohi Advances to Second Round with 62-0 Rout

By Mitch Chortkoff

Santa Monica High tuned up for future CIF football playoff games with a 62-0 rout of Workman High last Friday in the tournament's first round. The Vikings were all business as they took a quick 14-0 lead and kept expanding it, much to the delight of fans at Corsair Field.

Workman High, from the City of Industry, was the third place team from the Montview League while Samohi entered the playoffs as the top-seeded team from the powerful Ocean League.

Santa Monica will play La Canada High in the second round this Friday. La Canada advanced with a 31-21 victory over St. Joseph's of Santa Maria.

Santa Monica won a coin flip and will host the game. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Corsair Field.

In other second round Division 10 games Friday Temple City will play at Inglewood, North Torrance will travel to Morro Bay and defending champion Paso Robles will be at Duarte.

If Samohi defeats La Canada it will play the winner of Paso Robles-Duarte in the semifinals.

Samohi went from 1988 to 2000 without winning a CIF playoff game in football. The streak was ended last year when Norm Lacy became coach and brought back former coach Tebb Kusserow as offensive co-ordinator. But after one victory Samohi lost in the second round to Paso Robles.

Everything Lacy and Kusserow have done this season has been geared to taking the program up another notch and being able to do well against the division's elite teams.

Two games ago Lacy moved 285-pound tight end Josh Smith to fullback. Smith's crunching blocks have since cleared the way for speedy tailback Derrick Davis to operate.

With Davis running, Smith blocking and quarterback James Cooper mixing in passes to Charles Gordon, Chris Gary and Terrell Maze, Samohi was far too good for Workman.

With the win Samohi improved its record to 8-2. And, since Lacy and Kusserow took over the program the two-year record is 17-5.

``Looking at their films, I didn't much speed on the Workman team,'' said Lacy. ``They were tough physically and that concerned me, but I know an opponent without speed is going to have trouble with us.

``Once I saw we could stand up to them physically it was our game.''

Gordon had a long kick return, Cooper threw a 50-yard completion to Gary and Davis went around left and right end on runs the visitors couldn't defend.

Samohi was in such control that Ricky Johnson played quarterback in the second half and Adrian Gonzalez became the running back.

Center Matt Cox, who spit up blood after being injured in the regular season finale at South Torrance, recovered quickly and was able to play against Workman.

``We don't take chances,'' said Lacy. ``Matt was cleared by doctors to play during the week after undergoing tests. ``If there was anything at all wrong he wouldn't have been in there.''

Samohi is the No. 3 seed in the Division 10 playoffs. Undefeated Temple City is the No. 1 seed, followed by Paso Robles.

Lacy knows it is dangerous to look ahead in the playoffs, where one loss eliminates a team. As a result he is preparing his team this week for a La Canada team that features a quality passing attack.

``They throw the ball really well,'' he said. ``Hopefully we were prepared for that kind of attack by playing El Segundo in our own league. We were able to prevail against Matt Engle, and he's one heck of a quarterback.''