This will be Culver City‘s varsity football team’s first of many statement games this season. They face Sherman Oaks Notre Dame on the Culver City High School campus on Friday, September 26. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. The Centaurs have a record of 3-1 and Notre Dame is 2-2.
For many years the Notre Dame Knights have always been considered one of the top tier high school sports programs in Southern California, now the Centaurs have a chance to make a statement. “It’s a huge opportunity for our program to really put our team on the map,” said Culver City head coach Jahmal Wright after practice last Monday. “We like the opportunity to play a team that is ranked high and that has a tradition like Notre Dame. This year they have a really good quarterback and receivers. They have a solid all-around team.”
Culver City defensive coordinator Derrick Huezo Sr. knows it’s going to be a challenge trying to beat the Knights. “It’s going to take all 22 guys on the field and really all 55 players that will be on the team that night. It’s going to start in practice. How we prepare and how mentally locked in we are. That’s what it’s going to take to get the win and shock the world. We have to coach up the guys we have and trust that our senior players will give us the advantage.”
Win or lose Huezo is enjoying this season because his son, senior Derrick Huezo Jr., is one of the stars on the team. He plays running back, receiver and kick off and punt returner. Although he is one of the smallest players on the team, he is one of the toughest players. “It’s a blessing,” said Huezo Sr. after the game against Warren last Friday. “I am enjoying every moment watching him play. He has been playing football since he was six years old and this is what he wants to do. He knows if not the size but it’s about heart and the competitive spirit you have.”
Another player on the Centaur team that is small in stature but has a big heart is running back Langston Wilson. During the 24-14 home win over Warren last Friday, Wilson ran the ball for 84 tough yards and caught passes for 34 yards. He also scored a touchdown when he ran over a Warren player at the goal line.”
“Langston had a tremendous off season,” said Wright. “He works super hard in the weight room. He has very good character and he is really intelligence. As a coaching staff we saw his unique ability to catch the ball coming out of the back field and run with the football. We are trying to create ways to get him the ball.”
Wilson is the number one running back on the team with 256 yards and he is also the leading receiver on the team with 201 yards. “I have to give praise to my offensive line, my quarterback and my receivers,” said Wilson after the Warren game. “It’s a team game sport and I can’t do anything without those guys.”
This is only his third year playing football and last season he missed most of the year because he had a concussion. “Last year I was scared and timid,” said Wilson. “I did not have the right mind set. I came back this year with a different mind set and a lot more confidence and courage. I put in a lot of hard work this year.”
Wilson had this to say about his bang, bang touchdown run against Warren. “I prayed before I made contact with the Warren player. I ask God to get me into the end zone. He gave me the opportunity, and I did what I had to do.”
Now Wilson and his teammates start the hardest part of their schedule. After Notre Dame they travel to Palos Verdes the following Friday, October 3. On October 10, they have a home coming game against Mira Costa then Leuzinger, Lawndale and Inglewood. “I think we can keep winning but we all have to know our responsibilities, and we have to play with a high level of intensity,” said Wilson. “We need to match what we did tonight (against Warren) and do it again10 times better.”
Other seniors that had good games against Warren were receiver William Fourte and lineman Mario Reyes. Fourte caught six passes for 113 yards including a 63-yard catch and run that broke a 7-7 tie and gave the Centaurs momentum. “I loved it,” said Fourte after the Warren game. “That touchdown was great. I love how my quarterback got me the ball. Then you have to make a play after the catch. I think I sparked the entire team and that play gave us energy.”
Reyes plays one of the most difficult positions in football, nose tackle on defense. “Every play is a fight,” said Reyes. “It’s very intense. I am always getting double and sometimes triple teamed. The games are won in the trenches. Everything starts at the line of scrimmage. We have a playoff team, but we just have to keep playing hard.”