In front of a standing room only crowd, the Culver City sixth grade Flag Football Panthers put an emphatic end to their perfect season with a 26-6 thrashing of previously unbeaten The City Tigers for the FIYA championship on Friday afternoon.
Culver City ends the season with a perfect 6-0 record.
Culver City was led, yet again, by quarterback/safety William Schultz. He was the unquestionable, but unofficial, Most Valuable Player of the FIYA league.
Schultz led the Panthers with 172 total yards and a touchdown. Offensive juggernauts tailbacks Royce Williams and Emmanuel Shaw both eclipsed the 1,000-yard season rushing mark with huge games against The City. Both of them scored as well.
Front row, Eddie Placido (15). Second row, William Schultz (12), Brandon Zeidman (11). Back row, Sammy the Centaur, Emmanuel Shaw
The City couldn’t keep up with the power and speed of Willams and Shaw. They watched as the Panthers made large gains virtually every time Shaw or Williams touched the ball.
Schultz, Williams and Shaw were aided by the FIYA’s best offensive line. “Running behind John (Kim), Miro (Garrett), Alba (Navas) and Thomas (Chee) is fun,” said Williams. “They open up such huge holes that my job was easy.”
Defensively, the Panthers held the Tigers to 63 yards of total offense. Mia McKinley, Shaw, Getu Whitney, and David Lee pressured the Tigers’ quarterback on every possession, wreaking havoc along the way.
Defensive backs Elijah Adams, Leo Matsuoka, Brandon Zeidman, Williams and Schultz thwarted the Tigers’ aerial game, causing The City to have to resort to short passes for little or no gain. Linebackers Thomas Chee and Nate Nakamoto protected the middle, keeping the Tigers off balance.
Culver City, which never trailed, never was in any real danger of losing, led 26-0 after halftime and cruised to the championship.
Coach Maurice Shaw, perfect in his first season coaching, was predictably cool and complimentary.
Addressing his team, Shaw explained, “You guys (and girls) worked extremely hard all season. You’ve put in a tremendous amount of effort. This was clear by the results. You should all be proud. Keep working hard. You will all be successful.”
Coach Shaw, a standout tailback at the University of Washington, was already seen planning out spring practices, months away.
After defeating the Tigers, many of the Culver City players went to the Culver City High School varsity football game wherein the Centaurs clinched the Ocean League title against rival Beverly Hills 41-12. The Centaurs open the CIF playoffs Friday at 7 against Pacifica of Oxnard at 7 at Jerry Chabola Stadium. Tickets are available at the gate.
In a few short years, Coach Shaw’s squad could find themselves playing at the same Jerry Chabola Stadium as Centaurs. For now, however, the Panthers are content to celebrate a perfect sixth grade season.