The Corsairs are off to a Rough Start
The Corsairs finally find their first win in week 4 against Compton College.
The Corsairs come back strong after a tough 56-0 lost two weeks ago against Bakersfield College. Santa Monica College (SMC) has finally earned their first win of the season this Saturday against Compton College Tartars after starting off their first three games winless. SMC won the game 30-6, holding Compton to one touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Compton went for a two point conversion that the Corsairs did not allow.
SMC has allowed 179 points in just four games which is very dangerous for their team. The teams offense is following far behind only scoring 89 points this season, just about half of those points were scored in their first game against LA Southwest College.
The Santa Monica College Corsair's confront the Compton College Tartar's before the first play on the Corsair Field in Santa Monica, California. (Ricardo Herrera/ Corsair Staff)
The Corsairs are being led by interim Head Coach Kelly Ledwith. He came to SMC last season as the Defensive Coordinator straight out of Western State Colorado University. SMC is the sixth college Ledwith has coached, but the first school he is guiding as the Head Coach. The six teams have brought him 15 years of experience, showing his qualification for the job.
Over the offseason, Ledwith focused mainly on preparing his new players for college football, especially since a significant amount of the teams incoming freshmen had never played on a high school team. “This year we have a very young team, 65 freshmen and only 20 sophomores…mixing all of these guys together is going to take time,” says Ledwith. During the summer, they stuck to the very basic techniques, from teaching receivers how to properly catch a ball to teaching linemen proper formations.
Despite their struggles, Ledwith sees great potential from this young squad. Running back, #5 Christoph Hirota, had an unofficial visit with recruiters from the University of Hawaii over the summer. “It is early in the season, but I have gotten over ten e-mails from various coaches from Division I and Division II schools that want my players.” Hirota is currently averaging 91.5 yards per game and is averaging 4.5 yards per carry. Having a player you can count on to run hard out of the backfield gives any coach a feeling of relief.
As the season moves forward, Ledwith encourages the Corsair fans and students to come out and support the team during its upcoming home games. “I think we are going to have a very successful season despite our start…I hope we get the Santa Monica community to come out and support our players… and represent the school well and get nice crowds for our final three home games.” The Corsairs are preparing to play 1-3 Victor Valley College this Saturday in Victorville. Both teams are in last place in their conference and a win for SMC could change that.