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EL SEGUNDO HERALD December 7, 2017 Page 5
Trojans Take Home Pac-12 Title
By Adam Serrao
With quarterback Sam Darnold under center,
the USC Trojans won their first conference
title since 2008. With a 31-28 victory over the
Stanford Cardinal last Friday night in Santa
Clara, the Trojans showed just how gritty they
can be and how good they have become in
such a short amount of time. Unfortunately
for USC, its two losses on the year banished
the team from College Football Playoff conversation
and landed it in this year’s Cotton
Bowl. Even still, the Trojans not only showed
that they have become a force to be reckoned
with, but also proved that they have come a
long way since their inconsistent play at the
beginning of the regular season.
USC fans got everything that they could
have possibly asked for out of the game against
Stanford last week. Not only was it close and
competitive throughout, but it came down to a
gritty fourth down stand with seconds ticking
off of the clock in the fourth quarter of play
that would wind up determining the Trojans’
fate. Uchenna Nwosu, the outside linebacker
for USC, was the hero of the game this time
around, gashing the Cardinal offensive line to
fly through and make a game-saving stop on
the one-yard line. “Probably the biggest stop
of the year,” Trojans running back Ronald
Jones explained of the play.
USC came away with the slim three-point
victory, but not before Jones rushed for 140
yards and two touchdowns while simultaneously
moving into the top five on USC’s career
rushing list. Darnold, the star quarterback who
will likely have just one game remaining in
the Cardinal and Gold before taking off for
the NFL, finished with 325 yards through
the air and two touchdowns while also being
named MVP of the title game played at Levi’s
Stadium in Northern California. “It’s special to
see how far we’ve come as a team,” Darnold
said with a smile on his face after his team
had finally secured the win.
With the victory, the Trojans became the first
team from the South Division to win the Pac-12
title. It wasn’t easy, either. The defense had to
put up with the prolific play of both opposing
quarterback K.J. Costello and opposing running
back Bryce Love. Costello only completed five
passes in the first half of play, but came on
strong in the third and fourth quarters to finish
with a total of 192 yards through the air and
two touchdowns. Love, on the other hand, had
carried Stanford all year long and attempted to
do so again in this game with a total of 125
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yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Despite the good play of Stanford, the game
still ended in USC’s favor. Even with the win for
USC, the team still found itself on the outside
looking in on this year’s four-team College
Football Playoff. “Obviously, the reality is we’ll
need some help,” USC coach Clay Helton said
following his team’s victory, before the playoff
standings were announced. “But we deserve
to be in the discussion, especially the way we
finished the season. [We’re] hot right now.”
If only the season were two games longer,
the Trojans may have had a better chance to
prove themselves and their 11-2 overall record.
Unfortunately for USC, those two losses were
enough to keep the team behind the likes of
Clemson, Oklahoma, Georgia and Alabama
in the end-of-year standings. “We’re sitting
here as champion,” Helton continued. “That’s
important. We sit here with 11 wins. We sit
here with an unbelievable strength of schedule.
We had the opportunity to show on national
TV who we are.”
Although they did not finish in the final four,
it can still be said that the Trojans had an excellent
season and perhaps even overachieved in a
year when they weren’t expected to do much at
all. With the amount of injuries suffered on the
team and the amount of youth on the offensive
side of the ball, the achievements of USC this
season can certainly be considered impressive,
to say the least. As it turns out, a 30-27 loss
at Washington State in September could turn
out to be the only thing that kept the Trojans
out of the playoff. That slim, three-point loss,
which could have realistically gone either way
once all was said and done, may just turn out
to be the one game that comes back to haunt
USC and all of its fans once this year’s season
officially comes to an end.
Despite the Trojans’ impressive win over
Stanford, there simply wasn’t a possible combination
of championship game results last
Saturday that could have vaulted the team into
the College Football Playoff conversation. Even
still, the team’s first conference title since 2008
should be celebrated--and a matchup against
Ohio State in this year’s Goodyear Cotton
Bowl Classic is certainly not something to be
taken for granted. That game will take place
on December 29 in Arlington, Texas and could
provide the Trojans with the perfect pedestal
to finish the season off strong with a statement
win against an extremely elite opponent from
the Big Ten.
– Aserrao6@yahoo.com - @UpandAdam6 •
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence,
then, is not an act, but a habit.”
– Pete Carroll
ES High Boys Basketball Preview
By Gregg McMullin
The El Segundo boys basketball team is filled
with experience, so second-year coach David
March has high hopes for the 2017-18 team.
March continues to inspire the program as he
brings his brand of basketball to the school. It
in some ways mirrors when he was an Eagle
playing for legendary head coach Rick Sabosky.
Coach March says his brand of basketball
should be exciting to watch where each player
gets involved on both offense and defense.
“We’ll focus on being a tough, defensiveminded
team that wins through fundamentals
and execution,” he said.
With nine sophomores and juniors on the
team, the younger and newer players must
adjust and perform at the varsity level in
order for the team to find success. The key
returnees will help lead the way in a tough
Ocean League. The outlook is positive and the
success the team found in the summer and fall
should provide the confidence needed to start
the season off on the right track.
Though there are enough experienced
players returning, this season will be a big
step towards the growth of a team that is still
young with only four seniors on the roster. The
continual development of the younger players
will determine how the season unfolds for the
Eagles. They’ll be tested early on with a tough
schedule that includes five games against teams
currently ranked in the top 20.
Leading the Eagles this season will be
football standout and senior forward Kyle
Freeman. He’s as tenacious on the basketball
court as he is on the gridiron. Freeman will
most likely play a wing spot and be counted
on for his rebounding ability.
Another senior being counted on will be
Jacob Franco. He’s one of the quickest players
on the roster and has great ball handling skills.
Matt Hunkins has a long-range jump shot that
the Eagles will need. Ryan Booker is the other
senior who has shown his dependability as a
defender on top.
The team is filled with talented juniors, including
three-year players Miles Jones, Michael
Lynch and Dylan Aubert. Jones has grown
not only in size, but as an outstanding guard.
Lynch could be the team’s top player with his
ability to score and his knack for rebounding.
Auber’’s presence in the paint will be noticeable
as an inside threat. He is also coming off an
impressive summer and has really developed
a nice offensive repertoire that will provide a
scoring punch from the wing.
Other juniors that should see playing time
will be Ben Peterson, Alex Marsden and Harrison
Hebert. Both move up from a talented
and successful junior varsity team. Peterson
stands a shade over 6’2”--so his size should
benefit the system that March has in place.
Marsden’s quickness will be key in pushing
the ball up court and defending the opponent’s
ball-handler. Hebert is an athletic ball-handler
and another defensive specialist.
The key to the team’s success will be how
well the four sophomore newcomers continue to
improve as they are promoted from the junior
varsity team. Colin Dionne, Robi Pedersen,
Elijah Mark and Maxwell Quintana have each
earned a spot and according to March could
see extensive minutes.
Both Colin Dionne and Elijah Mark provide
length on the wing at 6’3” and have the ability
to knock down perimeter shots while giving the
team legitimate rebounding threats. Pedersen
and Quintana are each 6’4” and are inside/out
threats. Each will get the opportunity to rebound
and anchor the defense from the center position.
These four sophomores provide youth and
depth to the program and their ability to adapt
to the varsity game will be a key development
towards a successful season.
The Eagles opened their season in the Grizzly
Tournament and faced Vistamar on Monday and
La Quinta (Westminster) on Tuesday. Today
they face Edgewood (West Covina) and wrap
up what could be a successful tournament
run on Friday.
Next week, the Eagles host Wiseburn-Da
Vinci on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. and face
perennial powerhouse St. Bernard next Friday
at 7:30 p.m.
Overall, this season will be a big step in the
development of the Eagles’ basketball program
under Coach David March.
Girls Water Polo Starts Strong
The Lady Eagles have started their 2017-
18 schedule off on a positive note playing
in the Newbury Park Mistletoe Classic. They
finished a respectable sixth out of 20 teams
and it was their best finish since 2008 in this
highly competitive tournament.
El Segundo opened the season up against City
power Cleveland and came away with a 16-3
win. The Lady Eagles were totally prepared
in the opener with a balanced scoring attack
led by Claire Lindsey’s six goals followed by
Jenna Olson and Christina Mullane with four
goals and Tyler Marcel and Maya Weiss who
added one goal apiece. Kaitlin Rourke had
eight saves in goal.
In the second game, El Segundo took on
Division 3 powerhouse Righetti High and hung
on for 13-9 win. The Lady Eagles held their
own, battled throughout and pulled away in
the fourth period. Jenna Olson led the team
with five goals while Claire Lindsey scored
four and Christina Mullane chipped in two.
Christina Grenke and Tyler Marcel each scored
one goal, while Rourke had another seven saves
against a powerful Warriors squad.
Playing in the winners’ bracket, the Lady
Eagles faced the Ventura Cougars and fell
7-5 against an athletic and speedy opponent.
Emily Wilkinson led the charge with two
goals while Lindsey, Olson and Marcel each
added one goal.
El Segundo got back to its winning ways by
overwhelming Malibu 15-5. Freshman sensation
Christina Mullane had six goals as did Olson,
while Maya Weiss, Lindsey and Grenke each
had one goal. And for the fifth consecutive
game, Kaitlin Rourke posted six saves.
In the final game of the tournament and
the third contest of the day, the Lady Eagles
were spent and it showed in their 13-5 loss
to CIF power Crescenta Valley. Lindsey and
Olson each scored two goals while Mullane
scored once.
Coach Riley Brady is encouraged by the
team’s first week of the season as he prepares
them for the rigors of a challenging schedule.
El Segundo faced Mira Costa yesterday on the
road and travel to Redondo next Wednesday
before the home opener next Thursday against
Peninsula at 3 p.m. •