Lax Champs!!

 The exciting, lengthy, and awesome season was due to come to an end. Win or lose, Santa Monica High School entered the CIF Southern Section Division 3 Championship Game and their season would end no matter what. Santa Monica entered the playoffs on a roll, winning their last 10 of 11 and going undefeated in league. After a thrilling sudden-death overtime win against Chaminade in the final game of the regular season, they were rolling. Entering the bracket as a #1 seed, they received a bye during the first round. They easily walked through Woodrow Wilson in the 2nd round (score of  17-3) and Dos Pueblos in the 3rd(17-8). After a coin flip, the Vikings were able to secure their 3rd home game in 3 games against King in the semifinals. After a competitive, low-scoring, defensive battle, Santa Monica was down 5-4 in the last minute of the game. They were able to retain possession of the ball and get it to star sophomore Ozgood Hawkins, who placed the ball in the back of the net, tying the game. Time ran out and the game was sent to overtime. A Santa Monica team that was 2-0 in overtimes this year, was confident they would secure the win. As expected, Hawkins passed the ball to Senior Pierce Nevell, the Vikings next leading scorer, who found the back of the goal, securing the Vikings spot in the Division 3 Championship match. The chippy and trash-talking affair ended with yet another Santa Monica Victory. The boys stormed the field in excitement, knowing they had achieved something special.

The Championship Game was May 13, 2023, to be played by the Santa Monica Vikings and the Crean Lutheran Saints. The game was packed, each school bringing large sections filled with families, friends, and students, for what would turn out to be the game of the year. The Vikings took an early lead in the 1st quarter, with a score of 2-0. However, the Saints rallied back and quickly tied the score 3-3. With multiple minutes of defensive stands, the Vikings were pushing the ball down the field with just 20 seconds left. A Vikings costly turnover gave the ball back to Crean who passed the ball to number 5, one of their attackmen, who was able to catch star Vikings Goalie, Jasper Ford (Class of 2024), off his guard, scoring a buzzer-beater goal, ending the 1st half in a score of 4-3 in favor of the Saints. Coaches Phelan, Nick, and Kaiser rallied the boys back, in an attempt to close the game out and come back to win. A competitive third quarter left the Saints up one entering the 4th. Despite the score being 6-5, the Vikings were determined to win the game. A quick score by Crean Lutheran in the 4th put them up two. However, a dodge and pass by Ryan Schatzow (Class of 2024) left Noah Zucker (Class of 2023) wide open, Noah capitalized on the opening and scored, bringing the Vikings closer to tying the game up. After more defensive stands, the Saints were able to score again, bringing the total to 8-6. With just a few minutes left on the clock, one could sense the hope being lost. After the Saints won the face-off, a goal may have been able to seal the game. However, stellar defense Henry Owen Miyoshi Grebler (Class of 2025), Nicholas  Brownrigg (Class of 2025), Caden Green (Class of 2024) and Luca de Lorenzo (Class of 2023), as well as a couple mind-blowing saves by Jasper Ford, gave the Vikings a chance to bring it within one, which they did. This brought life back into the crowd who now believed the Vikings could indeed come back. After a Vikings effort to score, the Saints ball got into the hands of their goalie. He attempted to pass it downfield to a seemingly open Saints middie, when out of nowhere Luke Helmacy (Class of 2023), the Vikings best defender, intercepted the pass, where he found Joaquin Nava (Class of 2023) who got the ball in the box, ready to set up a Vikings play. The coaches called time out, and as the players jogged off, tensions were high. The crowd was silent, nervous, and still excited to see how it would play out. The timeout ended and the Vikings initiated the play getting the ball to their star, Ozgood Hawkins, who brought it behind the goal. He dodged the defender on him and found a cutting Pierce Nevell, who scored, tying the game. They executed the same play they used to beat King just the round before. The crowd was electric and the game was tied. Neither team could spark anything with the little time left on the clock. The Vikings were headed to yet another overtime. The game would end on the next goal scored, a walk-off goal to decide the fate of the Championship. The crowd was nervous and turned to watch the face-off. Being the weakest part of their game, the Vikings were not a strong face-off team, however, they were able to win this one, the biggest and last face-off of their season. After 3 shots on goal by Chaitan “The Golden Gopher” Bhutan (Class of 2023), the Vikings could not capitalize, giving it back to the Saints. The defensive specialists came on and parried the Saints attack. The Vikings kicked the ball out on the ride and got it all the way down, where a shot on goal off the post gave them the ball back at X. The crowd was nervous, but suddenly there were cheers, the players stormed the field, the Vikings celebrated, and the Saints moaned. The Vikings had won. Not a single spectator knew what happened, but no one cared as we saw the boys celebrating, yelling, and crying tears of joy. It was found out that Ozgood Hawkins had indeed been the player to end the game and win it all. The Vikings ended their season on top, creating history, and creating the legacy of a team that would never be forgotten.

Pictured is Noah Zucker (Class of 2023) Via/SamoLacrosse

Written by Caden McCallum