By Fred Altieri

Sports Reporter

The Centaur Football Express continued to gain steam after derailing the University High Wildcats, 59-0 at Jerry Chabola Stadium on the first night of Autumn 2017, September 22.

Culver City High has opened the season with four wins for the first time since 2011, a start that propelled that team all the way to the CIF Championship game.

The Centaur offense under senior quarterback Jonathan Martin swept through the Wildcat defense with dynamic aerial strikes along with a punishing ground attack that completely overwhelmed Uni. Brandon Oum and Joshua Ford combined for 145 yards on 13 rushes for an impressive 11.2 yards-per-carry and one touchdown.

Once again it was a fleet receiving corps who took the baton over the goal line seven times. Martin threw to his now-familiar go-to targets: Kevin McGuire, Charles Ross, Jamal Glaspie, Tyler Luckett, Alex Smith, Chris Miller and Kannon Davis. Freshman backup quarterback Zevi Echaus also got into the act with a late scoring throw. The receivers combined for 289 yards on only 15 receptions for 19.3 yards-per-catch.

"We wanted to play well. We hoped to start fast and we were able to do that. It's good when the players play with a sense of urgency to come out and dominate their opponent," said Culver head coach Jahmal Wright.

"Jonathan's doing a good job of spreading the football around. He's been doing that since the summertime and he's developed some pretty good continuity with his receivers. On any given play he can go with any receiver."

Culver opened up the scoring with a 29-yard field goal from kicker Carlos Barillas. Three minutes later Martin hit McGuire with a 15-yard touchdown pass to take a 10-0 first quarter lead. The floodgates opened up in the second quarter as the Centaurs reeled off five more touchdowns. The rout was on.

Oum sprinted 24 yards toward the right corner of the end zone for a touchdown and a 17-0 lead 12 seconds into the quarter. Minutes later Glaspie caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from Martin. Less than three minutes later Glaspie had his second touchdown of the game, this time a 19-yard reception from Martin. Glaspie ended up with 48 yards on four catches.

Next up was Charles Ross who caught a 13-yard touchdown pass with three minutes left in the half for a 38-0 Centaur lead. On their next possession Culver took only two plays from the Wildcat 45-yard line to score again. A 17-yard slashing jaunt by Oum was followed by a 28-yard touchdown strike from Martin to Luckett. The halftime scoreboard read: Culver City 45 – University 0.

It was the first shutout for the Centaurs since the 2015 season when they had two. "The defense played well. They didn't score but there's always something to work on. I was pleased for the most part with how we performed," said Wright. "Since the beginning of the season we've made a concerted effort to be balanced on defense. So we're definitely working on the run game as well as the pass game."

Culver City saved its most explosive play until midway through the third quarter. On third and long, Martin connected on a picture-perfect 71-yard touchdown bomb to Ross who galloped untouched the final 35-yards. Ross led all receivers with 138 yards on five receptions and two touchdowns.

Wright inserted freshman quarterback Zevi Echaus and the second unit into the game for the fourth quarter. Echaus responded immediately, directing a five-plus minute length-of-the-field drive ending with the game's final 10-yard score.

Kannon Davis caught a right sideline out pass, quickly cut back against the grain and into the end zone. It was Davis' first reception of the season and Echaus' first touchdown pass of his high school career.

"Zevi brought the team down the field and scored a touchdown. That was a pretty good job," said Wright. "We had the second unit out there in the fourth quarter. They haven't been on the field as much as the starters this season but we've been fortunate enough to be up in some games. So we were able to get everybody on the field."

Offensively, Martin completed 12/17 passes for 266 yards and six touchdowns. He has thrown for at least five touchdowns in each of the four games played this season. Martin also rushed for 15 yards on four carries. Echaus completed three of four passes for 23 yards and one touchdown. Oum ran 91 yards on eight carries and one touchdown. Ford rushed 54 yards on five carries. Jarrian Anderson had one carry for two yards.

McGuire caught two passes for 45 yards and one touchdown. Smith, Davis, Miller and Luckett each caught one pass with Davis and Miller scoring. Kicker Carlos Barillas, who added eight extra point conversions to his lone field goal, scored 11 total points. The Culver offense scored 59 points and gained 451 total yards in only 39 plays.

Defensively, the Centaurs were led by Cortez Wright, who had six total tackles including five solo. Charles Ross also had six tackles and two solos. Agustus Fraser, Tah'je Ward and Jordan Armstrong each had five total tackles and four solo tackles. Barry Blocker and Jamar Banes each had an interception. Alex Smith and Nick Bradley each deflected a pass.

Daniel Bowyer

Head Coach Jahmal Wright addresses team following victory

Culver City now prepares for a showdown at Dorsey High this Friday, September 29. Dorsey (0-4) beat the Centaurs in a highly-spirited game at Culver last year. The Dons are looking for their first win after having suffered losses to four highly ranked opponents to begin the season. Both teams are comparable in speed, talent and athleticism.

Wright: "We prepare differently for every team, develop a game plan and give it a good shot. Dorsey definitely poses a huge challenge for us. They match up with us and have very good athletes. It should be a good game."