It’s number one against a banged-up number two Friday night in Culver City. The Centaurs hard-fought 43-20 win over Morningside last week keeps the injury-riddled team in second place in the Ocean League as they prepare to host league-leader Santa Monica, Friday at 7 p.m., in their final regular season home contest.
The Centaurs (6-2, 2-1) will have their hands full against the Vikings (7-1, 3-0) – a team that has posted three shutouts. Santa Monica recently defeated Morningside and also overpowered Inglewood and Beverly Hills.
Despite suffering several injuries and missing key players, Culver City wrapped up its two-game road trip Friday night with a 23-point win that was closer than the final score indicated.
Entering the contest, Culver City was looking to rebound after a mistake-filled loss to Inglewood the previous week. However, the offense continued to struggle throughout most of the first half.
Injuries forced starters Alex Jackson, Julius Wilson and Akili Skannal out of the lineup. Quarterback Lukas O’Connor had difficulty locating his receivers and threw two interceptions, giving him seven in the last six quarters.
Kevin Porche replaced O’Connor early in the second quarter and did an admirable job in leading the Centaurs until he was injured in the final quarter. He provided Culver City with a spark in the late stages of the second quarter with two touchdowns 18 seconds apart.
Leading rusher Kavan Buggs had a breakout performance, amassing 138 yards, while running for one score and receiving a second on a touchdown pass.
The Centaur defense had another excellent outing, as it shut down the Hawthorne run game. Constant pressure on the Cougar backfield led to six turnovers, which resulted in 36 Culver City points.
The defense battled mightily as several starters went down with injuries, making the Culver City sideline look like a M.A.S.H. unit.
Leading tackler Khalil Pettway and Malik Deckard, exited the contest by halftime. They would be joined later by Grant Coffey and Jay Ward, who was already dealing with an injury. Ronald Jones suffered a hand injury and attempted to remain in the game before coaches eventually removed him.
Hawthorne has had a tough decade, going several years without a victory. The Cougars are much improved this season and were tied for second place entering the match. Led by quarterback Chance Kennedy, they battled Culver City and kept the contest close until the final stanza.
In the first quarter, Hawthorne jumped on the board when Kennedy connected with Steven Gantt on a 57-yard touchdown pass. They failed on the extra point and led 6-0. Culver City struck back as the quarter ended when Buggs scored on a six-yard run. Ret Tilman provided the extra point and the Centaurs had their first lead, 7-6.
Culver City had an excellent opportunity to increase its advantage a short time later at the Hawthorne eight-yard line. However, O’Connor was intercepted at the goal line by Chris Bailey, who went 100 yards the other direction to give Hawthorne a 12-7 lead.
Porche took over the offense and helped Culver City take command as he scored two quick touchdowns following consecutive Cougar fumbles. He rambled into the end zone from 10 yards out and moments later, scored on an 18-yard run following the second Hawthorne fumble to put the score at 21-12 at halftime.
The Centaurs wasted little time to increase their lead when Robert Moore recovered a fumble on the first play of the third quarter. Buggs had a 33-yard run, breaking several tackles and somehow staying in bounds for a 28-12 advantage.
Kennedy led Hawthorne on a six-play, 71-yard touchdown drive. A two-point conversion cut the deficit to 28-20.
The Cougars would not get any closer, as Kennedy had three interceptions on as many series in the final quarter and Culver City added two more touchdowns to put the contest out of reach.
Despite playing hurt, Jones came up with the first interception that led to a four-yard score by Miriel Paschel. Ryan Jackson claimed the second and Moore came up with the final turnover while falling backwards. Following the third interception, O’Connor found Buggs on a crossing pattern and he scampered untouched for a 48-yard touchdown.
Porche rushed 16 times for 133 yards. Michael Horchin made two receptions for 12 yards.
