Senior night in high school sports is a special occasion for players that are playing their last few home games in front of fans that have seen them play for several years. Some seniors have played a lot of minutes and others barely get into the games but when it comes down to it players on these teams are part of a special fraternity that will last a lifetime.
One Culver City varsity football senior who barely played this season is lineman Mason Brand who has a learning disability. Brand was inserted into the game last Friday night during the Centaurs 48-0 win over Lawndale in the fourth quarter and when he made a tackle, his teammates and the fans went wild. “It felt good getting into the game,” said Brand after the game. “Everyone was cheering me on when I made that tackle. One of the reasons I played this year was because my friends kept motivating me to keep playing and go to practice.”
Culver City’s head football coach Jahmal Wright had this to say about Brand. “It’s real important to get all of our seniors in the game on Senior night. Mason came into our program really shy and we all put our arms around him. He has come out of his shell and now he feels like a part of the Culver City football family. That’s what it’s all about, more than anything else. I am proud of Mason. He had a couple of tackles for a loss tonight and he is one of the guys.”
A few seniors that have played a lot of minutes over the years are receiver William Fourte, linebacker Jordan Njoku and lineman Mario Reyes. All three players have put their heart and soul into the program and now it’s coming to an end. “It feels wonderful to come out here and play with my boys on Friday nights,” said Fourte. “It’s a real good feeling. It feels amazing to be able to get everyone in the game and that means the starting players did their job.”
Now the Centaurs have to get ready for their biggest game of the year against Inglewood on the road this Friday, Halloween night at Coleman Stadium at 7 p.m. Both teams come into the game with 4-5 records. Culver City’s Bay league record is 1-3 and Inglewood’s league record is 2-2. The game has playoff implications. “Going into the Inglewood game gives us a chance to put our foot inside the door and get into the playoffs with a win,” said Fourte.
Senior linebacker Njoku, who is being recruited by several colleges, knows this is probably the biggest game of his career this Friday. “We have to stop Inglewood’s passing attack and stop their run game. “They have big linemen, so we have to control the line of scrimmage and control the tempo of the game.”
The Centaurs hope to ride the momentum they created after beating Lawndale last Friday. “That was a huge win,’ said Wright. “We were clicking on all cylinders. I always talk to the team about being the best version of ourselves and seizing the moment by being aggressive and playing team football.”
Another senior is lineman Reyes who talked about the win last Friday and what it means to be a senior. “It feels amazing. We came out here and played Culver City football tonight. It was a great win, especially on senior night. This program is amazing. It’s like a family and we just have to keep the energy going against Inglewood.”
