One down and three to go for the undefeated Inglewood Sentinels (11-0) which polished off the Banning Broncos (5-6) 49-2 in the first round of the CIF-SS D-13 playoffs on Nov. 8 at Caroline Coleman Stadium.
The Sentinels will visit Santa Monica (7-4) on Friday Nov. 15 at 7p.m. in the quarterfinals with a stake of reaching the semifinals on the line.
Santa Monica is led by running back Bryce Smith leads the team offensive attack, rushing 107 times, for 539 yards and 8 touchdowns.
Coach Mil’Von James is anticipating that Santa Monica will be a tough game for the Sentinels.
“They played a lot of teams that we are familiar with and we have one common opponent that we both beat. They are a great team with a great tradition so it’s going to be a tough game,” James told Inglewood Today.
Inglewood defeated West Torrance 77-0 in a game that cued up their stingy 5 straight games without allowing a touchdown run. On the other hand, Santa Monica survived a 34-29 slugfest against West.
“At this time of the year all games are tough. It’s not about style points, it’s about being smart and getting the victory,” added James.
He was really impressed with the Sentinels depth during the win over Banning because it allowed for his team to rest some players who were a bit banged up from the grueling regular season campaign.
“We were able to score in a lot of different ways on offense, passing and running the ball and out defense continues to play at a very high level.”
If those trends continue, it’s good bet that Inglewood will stay on course for its first ever CIF championship, but that dream dies if they can’t escape Santa Monica.
