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A Trojan Heavyweight in Class and with the Football

Steve Finley — 2009-12-29

Damien Williams, USC’s junior wide receiver and punt returner will not play his senior season for several reasons.

Culver High’s Toughest Test, Crenshaw

Steve Finley — 2009-10-02

Culver City High School’s football team will play host to probably the best team on its schedule tonight at 7, Crenshaw, ranked No. 1 in Southern California Both teams are unbeaten in the young season. Although Crenshaw is top-rated, ranked, Culver City appears to be up for the challenge.

In Second Week of Football, SC, Bruins Go Across the Country

Staff Writer — 2009-09-11

The first week of college football came up with few surprises, especially on the local front. USC and UCLA beat teams that they were suppose to beat.

Saturday afternoon will be the first big test for both schools. No.4 USC travels to No. 6 Ohio State for a 5 o’clock game and UCLA goes to Knoxville at 1 o’clock to play Tennessee.

Culver Lacrosse Team Finds Strength in Offense, Wins Playoff

Doug Dupuy — 2009-05-05

On Saturday afternoon, Culver City High School’s lacrosse squared off against a much improved Redondo team in a tightly contested playoff game at Culver High.

From Fans to Varsity Lacrosse: ‘Fix What’s Broken’

Doug Dupuy — 2009-04-30

For loyal fans and supportive family members, watching the final three games of the regular season for the Culver City High School varsity lacrosse team was downright painful.

Lacrosse Teams Get Physical in Culver Split Decision

Doug Dupuy — 2009-04-13

The style of play for Culver City High School’s lacrosse team became more physical last week as the varsity traveled to Redondo Beach and met up with a contentious and determined Seahawk squad.

Collective Hearts Skip a Beat as High-Scoring Culver Lacrosse Wins Two

Doug Dupuy — 2009-03-31

Culver City High School’s arch-nemesis in lacrosse, Beverly Hills, came to town last Tuesday evening.

In years past, the Normans either have dominated the entire game or managed to take control in the fourth quarter.

At the Middle School, a New Notion About the Big Man on Campus Idea

Geoff Maleman — 2009-03-25

Sixth-grade students in Sensei Margaret Tsubakiyama’s Japanese class received a visit last Friday from a really big man on campus – 350-pound sumo champion Byambajav Ulambayar.

Culver Lacrosse Team Finds Adversity Tough to Digest

Doug Dupuy — 2009-03-23

There comes a time in every team’s schedule when it is tested.

The opponents are bigger, faster and stronger. Or maybe they show up with a more sophisticated offense. Sometimes that offense is complemented by an even more impressive defense, providing a lethal 1-2 punch that leaves a team searching for answers.

Centaurs’ Varsity Lacrosse Team Is on a Roll

Doug Dupuy — 2009-03-16

The Lakers have the city abuzz, “March Madness” is upon us, and the World Baseball Classic has us breaking out our Dodger blue.

In all the excitement, it’s easy to overlook the fact that lacrosse season has begun.

Culver High Plays It Close to the End in Lacrosse Season Finales

Doug Dupuy — 2008-04-28

Downey High School’s lacrosse team came to Culver City High last Tuesday night with a simple and effective game plan: Place a talented goalie in net to ward off the Centaur attack,and then smother that offense with a swarming defense.

The strategy worked for a 9-6 Downey victory.

By double- and triple-teaming the middies and attackmen at various times in the game, Downey was able to capitalize on changes of possession and rack up an early lead (6-2 at halftime).

Culver High Lacrosse Is Called a Work in Progress

Doug Dupuy — 2008-04-22

The Culver City High School lacrosse team, which closes the regular season with two critical home matches, tonight at 6 against Downey High and Thursday at 6 against Beverly Hills High, played a most formidable opponent last Tuesday night. The Centaurs came away with an eye-opening and humbling 14-3 loss to Palos Verdes High, which truly ruled in every aspect of the game.

Palos Verdes won most of the face-offs, was faster, bigger, stronger and more skilled in the fundamentals. They executed more intricate plays on offense, intimidated on defense and hit so hard with their stick checks that they snapped two of the Centaurs’ poles in half.

Culver Lacrosse — A Potent Offense Can’t Overcome Deficiencies in Narrow Loss

Doug Dupuy — 2008-04-14

The good news on Tuesday night last week was that the Culver City High School varsity lacrosse team scored eight goals.

The bad news: They allowed Peninsula to score nine.

It sounds like a clich�, but the best offense truly is a great defense.

Culver High’s Lacrosse Team Keeps Fans on Edge of Seats

Doug Dupuy — 2008-03-21

Lacrosse, what a great spectator sport.

Combining elements that remind fans of other better known sports, like soccer, hockey, football and even basketball, it creates an exciting, unique blend of strategy and nonstop ball movement that can keep fans on the edges of their seats.

That is what happened last Tuesday night when Mira Costa High School, Manhattan Beach, came to Culver City High.

Culver High Lacrosse This Week Was a Tale of Two Teams

Doug Dupuy — 2008-03-14

In the course of a sports season, coaches work on the fundamentals, and drill their teams to achieve a level of consistency and talent that will provide them with the competitive edge to prevail over their opponents.

Culver City High School’s lacrosse team — which split two decisions this week — has a knack for being consistent: dominantly brilliant one night and competitively error prone the next, and there seems to be a direct correlation to the level of the competition.

Culver High Lacrosse Team Scores Two Wins After Loss to Beverly

Doug Dupuy — 2008-03-07

After a three-day road trip to the Bay Area, that included tours of college campuses and two tune-up games, the Culver City High School lacrosse team returned to Southern California this week to face a league rival, the Normans of Beverly Hills.

In a game marked by frequent Culver City turnovers, especially in transition trying to clear the ball, Beverly Hills took full advantage, outscoring the Centaurs, 11-6. There were some bright spots for Culver despite the loss. Junior Carl Smith (2 goals, assists) and senior Jamison Bartlett (1 goal) played some tenacious midfield. They kept the Centaur offense in the zone and set up goals and assists by Daniel Alvarez, Austin Dupuy, and Scrappy Mair.

Culver’s Perfect Football Season Ends in Double Overtime

Greg Dynabursky — 2007-11-26

Culver City High School’s undefeated and untied football season came to an end last Friday night in Santa Fe Springs.

The Centaurs lost a heartbreaking, emotional contest to the St. Paul Swordsmen, 32-26, in double overtime.

The defeat ended Culver’s run at a CIF championship.

Culver Rallies from 14 Points Down to Beat Leuzinger at 0:12

Greg Dynabursky — 2007-11-19

Senior quarterback Darius Banks scored the tiebreaking touchdown with 12 seconds left last Friday night to lead undefeated, untied Culver City High School to a 35-28 victory at home over Leuzinger in the first round of the CIF football playoffs.

The Centaurs, 11-0, go on the road next Friday, playing St. Paul in a 7:30 game the day after Thanksgiving in Santa Fe Springs.

St. Paul, which shared the Mission League championship with Alemany, defeated Quartz Hill, 24-14, in its playoff opener.

League Champion Centaurs Make History in Win Against Beverly Hills

Greg Dynabursky — 2007-11-12

The Culver City High School football team achieved a milestone in its final regular season game last Friday night, defeating crosstown rival Beverly Hills, 31-21, at Beverly.

The victory gave the Centaurs a 10-0 regular season record, a first in the 50-plus year school history.

Ranked No. 1 in the Western Conference, perfect Culver City opens the CIF playoffs at home on Friday night at 7:30 against Leuzinger of the Bay League, which finished with a 6-4 record.

Centaurs Remain Undefeated, Avenging Loss to Santa Monica

Greg Dynabursky — 2007-10-29

Culver City High School’s undefeated football team took over sole possession of first place in the Ocean League last Friday night, avenging a onesided loss from last year when the Centaurs beat Santa Monica, 30-27.

In the last home game of the regular season, just-promoted junior varsity kicker Devin Sylvester, a sophomore, provided the winning margin.

Turning Out the Lights on the South Sepulveda Scheme

Ari L. Noonan — 2007-09-20

Curious, isn�t it, that after the community roared in defiance when plans were announced a year ago for massively reshaping South Sepulveda Boulevard, there was only an inaudible whimper this week when the project officially died?

When the City Council announced at Monday night�s meeting that its experiment with high-flying developer Bob Champion officially was a failure, the door formally slammed shut on South Sepulveda � for the foreseeable future.

The only sound since to pierce the cool Culver City air was the sigh of relief from merchants on the west side of South Sepulveda.

Silbiger�s Question of the Week � Affordable Housing in an Office Building?

Ari L. Noonan — 2007-09-19

I was going to recount a collegial visit with City Councilman Gary Silbiger in front of Fire Station No. 1 at 6:30 one morning last week, the day of the 9/11 observance.

For the 50th time in the 5 1/2 years that Mr. Silbiger has been on the Council, I was going to remark what a dandy chap he is, not necessarily a raconteur, but a very decent sort.

All of which is prologue, as you may have suspected, to his latest gaffe, direct from the dais, in plain view.

What makes Mr. Silbiger such a fascinating character study is that, in the tradition of the City Council�s all-time icon, Albert Vera Sr., he, too, has a steel-strong, devoted colony of worshipful followers. With reverential fervor, they consecrate every breath he draws.

Separate Classrooms for Whites, Browns and Blacks? Sure Sounds That Way

Ari L. Noonan — 2007-09-16

I have huffed, I have puffed, I have read journals in pigeon Spanish and in ebonics.

Still, I cannot discern a consensus liberal position on matters of race in America.

Do liberals think that Latinos and blacks, as they now patronizingly group the academic underclass, were born inferior to you and me?

Notice that liberals don�t say �immigrants and blacks� because that would include Asians. And as all sober boys, girls � and liberals � in America know, Asians, like Jews, make education of their children a priority. Since they, too, are minorities, label-loving liberals have to be careful.

Why the Lustre Suddenly Has Been Drained Out of Sept. 11

Ari L. Noonan — 2007-09-12

Reflections going into the Rosh Hashana holiday when the newspaper will be dark until Sunday:

Remember in the old days, four or five years ago, when Americans were in the process of canonizing Sept. 11?

Some facile thinkers suggested that 9/11, as it came to be known, soon would rival July 4 as America�s premier patriotic celebration?

Overnight, Rudy Giuliani, the wildly successful crackdown mayor of New York City, became known as America�s Mayor. His stern countenance, his heroic declarations and his ubiquitous presence throughout the darkest, most fearful days of the Sept. 11 crisis were enthusiastically praised as the forever-models of modern day government leadership.

Your Turn, Mr. Fulwood: Where Were You This Morning?

Ari L. Noonan — 2007-09-11

Try stiffening your right arm and pushing it against the nearest wall, for leverage, before I disclose the following information.

The city sponsored a worthy civic event shortly after dawn this morning, less than a tee-shot east of the Culver City Kremlin, which some still call City Hall.

(I don�t know why since the Culver City Kremlin operates behind a thicker wall of obsessive secrecy than the Soviet Kremlin did. Certain fanatical persons walk around cross-eyed all day to avoid seeing their own shadow.)

Why Does Every Candidate Mimic the Same Answer?

Ari L. Noonan — 2007-09-07

Thoughts assembled while pondering the community�s formal observance of the 6th anniversary of Sept. 11 at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, Downtown, in front of Fire Station 1:

Shrewdly, I suppressed a yawn on Wednesday night at the Culver City Democratic Club meeting when the 2 Democratic candidates for the School Board mimicked what all candidates � good or bad � are obliged to mimic about classroom teachers.

She Scolds Dem Club for Showing Their Partisan ship

Martha Gunther — 2007-09-05

I was appalled to hear that the Democratic Club Candidates Night for the School Board candidates this evening will include only Democrats. Appalled, but not surprised.

In the 2004 City Council election, when I openly supported Steve Rose, a known Republican, I was severely chastised in print by Darryl Cherness, a major player in our local Democratic Club. Mr. Cherness informed me that I could no longer call myself a Democrat if I was voting for a Republican, albeit in a non-partisan election.

Weeks Later, She Remembers She Forget Her Son. Darn

Ari L. Noonan — 2007-09-04

I see by the weekend newspapers that one of the despicable women of recent news cycles, Elvira Arellano, has dropped her moral guard again and returned to her old ways.

After behaving like the Mexican Floozie of the Year for 2 weeks in the border town of Tijuana and points south, Ms. Arellano, voted the Mexican Deportee of the Month for August, sent for her private trophy.

That would be her 8-year-old son, Saul, whom she may or may not have conceived for the express purpose for which she has been using the kid lately � to be her ticket to tears from sob sisters in the liberal media. It is working.

A Liberal Tale With a Terrific Kick at the End

Ari L. Noonan — 2007-08-31

Walking east on Braddock Drive early this morning, shortly after sunrise, the artful juxtaposition of the fluffy clouds and the ball of fire they were hopelessly trying to shield, formed one of the breathtaking scenes of my considerable life.

This was a vision even an atheist, with imagination, could learn to love.

Get Some Sleep � I�ll See You at 5:20 Monday Morning

Ari L. Noonan — 2007-08-24

With adroitness, craftiness and penetratingly incisive insight that is to be envied as well as admired, my talented colleague Frederick Sisa so surgically slices up, then deftly pins his targets, reversing the inside with the outside, whether his subject is a politically infragrant human or a play.

On summer evenings when Diane and I sentimentally place our pea-green rocking chairs at right angles before our vacationing fireplace, she to knit, I to ponder, I tend to repeat myself. �Tis a pity,� she hears me murmur.