Samo 2021-2022 Season Review.

                             Santa Monica Football Season Recap

By Isaiah Fernandez, Payton Seals, Arman Chhiber and Wyatt Brown.

Finishing the season at 2-8 on both levels of the Viking program wasn’t the ideal end to the season. From the get go the Vikings were set back with very little spring practices and not to mention an entirely new coaching staff and a whole new playbook. This was a season dedicated to the senior class of 2023 and they did their part. Kicking the season off with a big game against powerhouse Calabasas on their turf. Led by new stud starting quarterback Wyatt Brown (Class of 2026) they had a tough fight but fell short to Calabasas 41-14. Throughout the season, SAMO had some strong performances but fell just short. They beat El Segundo and Fairfax early in the season in their out of league games, already showing improvement from the season before. Although the record wasn't the best, SAMO showed lots of promise in many areas. Almost the entire starting offensive line, led by left tackle Jayden Montanez (Class of 2024), will be returning with something to prove next year, where they will all be upperclassmen. Another key player to the SAMO football team is star receiver Griffin Seals (Class of 2024), who had 6 touchdowns in only 8 games played. Seals has an electric connection with quarterback Wyatt Brown and they will continue this into next season. The defense is also going to be a force to be reckoned with some returning stars such as Caden McCallum (Class of 2024), Jayden Montanez, Paco Vanderbrook (Class of 2024), Charles Cravings (Class of 2025), and another addition with current freshman Isaiah Fernandez (Class of 2026) at linebacker. The team has trust in the coaching staff and each other. They know that with hard work and team chemistry that will be created during spring and summer ball, that they can achieve their goals and help get the team to the next level. To conclude this season, the team continues to stay hopeful for the future and they will keep on working hard in pursuit of big things ahead!  ` 

The 2022 Santa Monica Vikings were led by their seniors, who helped lead the way through all the great times, but also adversity that the team went through. Here are some of the key seniors:  

Joaquin Nava (Class of 2022, WR/CB): Joaquin was one of the most important players on the team. He was a lockdown corner, and a game changing receiver. Every time he was on the field, his presence was felt. He did it all, starting on offense, defense, and also making awesome plays and touchdowns on special teams. Also, if you attended any games, you would be shocked by how many hard hits he had, he really brought the boom. He was a great player on the field but also a great leader. He was voted to be a team captain this season and demonstrated how to lead by example through action. 

Gus Reyman (Class of 2022, WR/LB): Gus was also a team captain and was one of the best players on the team. He never gave up and had many amazing plays from the season. He showed up every day ready to work and was a game changer. 

Sammy Lipshy (Class of 2022, RB): Sammy Lipshy was one of the best players not only on the team, but also in the league. He was one of the league leaders in rushing yards at the beginning of the season. It was almost as if every time he got the ball, he did something with it and gained yards. He is one of the most competitive players, always fighting for extra yards. Even if something looked negative both on the field and off, he would still gain something out of it. Unfortunately, his season was cut short by injury, but he was still a great, supportive teammate. He was a team captain and definitely left this season leaving a positive mark on the football team. 

Malek Stutson (Class of 2022, RB/CB): Malek was a team leader and was often trying to motivate teammates, helping them do better in their personal life and on the field. He was a very competitive player and cared a lot about the team. He made some good plays throughout the year and always fought hard on both offense and defense, while also returning kickoffs. 

Other Amazing 2022 Seniors- Angel Rivera (C), Vaughn Jelks (WR), Michael Sergeev (DE/TE), Isaac Silva (LB/FB), Nickolaus Dennis-Robinson (WR/LB), Makhi Franklin (S), Amarri Tipton (DT), Alessandro Nelson (QB), Rodrigo Delcastillo (OL,DT), Henry Allen (DT), Semaje Derrick (WR), and Kevin “Drew” Chambers (WR/DB). Thank you to the seniors for your loyalty and leadership to SAMOHI.

Throughout the season, some players racked up impressive statistics, we’d like to highlight some of them:

Leading the Vikings in receiving yards was Griffin Seals with 534 receiving yards, in addition he also averaged 66.8 yards a game. He also had the most touchdowns on the team with 6.

Caden McCallum led the Vikings in tackles per game with 8.6 with 86 total tackles, also racking up 40 rushing yards.

Star Offensive and Defensive Lineman Jayden Montanez led the team with 5 sacks and 41 total tackles.

Star running back Sammy Lipshy led the team in rushing yards per game (59.6) and total rushing yards (477)

Starting quarterback Wyatt Brown, finished the season with 1178 passing yards and 9 touchdowns, with 12.7 yards per throw.

Joaquin Nava led the team with 2 interceptions and had a heavy contribution on offense with 5 touchdowns and 380 all purpose yards.

Gus Reyman had a huge contribution on Defense and Special Teams with 57 total tackles, in addition to this he had 40 yards per game receiving.

Amarri Tipton led the team with 2 forced fumbles and had 14 tackles.

All Bay League Awards, Team Awards

1st Team

- Jayden Montanez, First Team Tackle, Voted best lineman by teammates.

2nd Team

- Joaquin Nava, Second Team Defensive Back, Coaches Award Winner.

- Gus Reyman, Second Team Wide Receiver, Co-Mvp.

- Caden McCallum, Second Team Linebacker, Defensive Player of the Year.

- Mason Oliva (Class of 2024), Second Team Offensive Guard.

- Griffin Seals, Second Team Wide Receiver, Offensive Player of the Year.

Other All League

-Sammy Lipshy

-Paco Vandenbrook

-Wyatt Brown

-Vaughn Jelks

Conclusion:

The Vikings, despite the record, played a great season. Without a real offseason it’s hard to have a good season. Samo will be ready to strike next season, with a second year under the new coaching staff, the Vikings will be well equipped to win some Bay League games next year. 

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