Culver Football Ends With Two Straight Wins

By Fred Altieri

Observer Reporter

The twilight hours ushered in a full moon rising low from the eastern horizon to a signature point high above the Southern sky over Beverly Hills. It glowed upon the Culver City High football team playing its final game of the season. The Centaurs took note and overpowered Ocean League rival Beverly Hills High, 41-12, to end the end the year on a two-game winning note.

The players, coaches, referees, bands, cheer teams, officials and fans all added to a very spirited and lively November evening at Nickoll Field located on the southern edge of the campus surrounded by Century City scrapers and the school's beloved flower-powered oil rig, all which seemed to be affected by the moon's fabled powers.

There wasn't a title at stake but the tackling, kicking, passing and running persisted until the final whistle blew.

Centaur head coach Jahmal Wright opened: "It goes to show that it doesn't matter what the records are between Beverly Hills and Culver City. There's a long-standing rivalry as we've both been in the same league for a very long time. So whenever we get together it is a spirited game."

The Normans took the first swipe when they punched a two-yarder home for a touchdown four minutes into the game. But missing the extra point was not a good omen for Beverly as they wouldn't score for another three quarters.

Culver quickly awoke when a couple of calls appeared to have thwarted their drive going into the second quarter.

Enter senior kicker Tony Caiseros who promptly split the uprights with yards to spare for a 52-yard field goal, one yard shy of the school record. The Normans still led 6-3 but the kick literally knocked the wind out of their sails.

Coach Wright: "Tony Caiseros' 52-yard field goal definitely swung the momentum back into our favor. It made the game 6-3 and after that we seemed to take hold of the game."

Five minutes later wide-receiver Justin Manyweather took a short pass from senior quarterback Anthony Polk and raced 47 yards into the end zone. Wright and his coaching staff were pleased with Justin's return: "Justin Manyweather scored our first touchdown to go ahead 10-6 on an end-around. We were excited to have Justin back.

"He missed the previous game against Hawthorne and he only played in one quarter of the Santa Monica game. Justin is one of our better playmakers so it was good to see him go out there and make some plays for the team."

Caiseros added another field goal another five minutes later with two minutes to go in the first half. Culver's one touchdown lead, 13-6, seemed insurmountable.

Adding to the half time activities was an impromptu drum gathering instigated by both schools' bands on the adjacent blacktop courts overlooking the field. The rhythms and music spilled over into the third quarter as the musicians marked their own time and shared celebration.

Returning to the field the Centaur defense put a stranglehold on Beverly for nearly the entire second half. Coach Wright: "Despite the circumstances the defense did a good job trying to hold up and help the team out. I thought the defensive line and the linebackers did a great job this year. They were the strongest part our team by stopping the run and really keeping us in ball games while giving us opportunities to try and make some plays."

Culver running back Fred Poindexter began the four-touchdown second half barrage with a 27-yard sideline straight left for a 20-6 lead at 9:28. Caiseros converted the extra-point kick and was successful on all five attempts as he was in the previous game. He also launched a 60-plus yard punt for the second game in a row.

"Tony Caiseros really changed the field position a couple of times. I thought he had the best game of the season, punting and kicking. He had quite a few touchbacks as well. So he's a weapon and I'm definitely proud of him," said Wright.

Soon after, senior running back Donovan Davis took care the ball and scoring by reeling off three touchdowns, a team season-high. His first strike was a short run right for a 27-6 lead at 6:47 of the third quarter. His second touchdown was a left-to-right field width slant at 11:50 of the fourth quarter.

Davis put his final touch on a short run left into the end zone with 5:20 remaining in the game and a fitting end to his high school career. Davis led with 11 carries and 95 yards rushing. Fred Poindexter had an impressive 81 yards on three carries and Cahlil Hooper was effective with 24 yards on three carries.

Manyweather led the receivers with five receptions for 85 yards. Davis had one catch for 25 yards and senior Jason Grossman caught one pass for seven yards. Polk threw for 110 yards on 6/14 attempts and one touchdown. Senior kickoff returner Evan Tillman ran one back 24 yards.

Coach Wright thanked his senior players: "Most of our seniors have been playing for the entire season but we made a concerted effort to get them into the game as they were playing their last high school football game. I'm proud of the seniors who played all four years with the team, finishing up strong and paving the way for the future."

Nine seniors registered tackles in their final high school contest: Ulysses Santiago, Jeremy Marrero, Jerrett Anderson, Caiseros, Tillman, Simon Valenzuela, Marques Montgomery, James Simon and Polk. Senior defensive lineman and team captain Fred Wadibia sustained an injury in the first defensive series but was able to weather the pain and discomfort to celebrate with his teammates after the game.

Wright closed with some thoughts about the present and future of the program: "I'm definitely excited about ending the season on a good note with a two-game winning streak. I thought the guys were resilient, stayed together and kept a positive attitude that helped us to persevere through a trying and tough season.

"The freshman coaching staff and the freshman football team did an excellent job this year. It was one of the better freshman teams really in Culver City history. They were 9-1, undefeated in league and pretty much dominated all their opponents. We're excited about the talent that's in the program and the future looks bright."