Sharks take another victim

0
173
A Webb player is unable to make much forward progress as the strong aggressive Sharks defense surrounds him to make the tackle.

The Malibu High School football Sharks traveled to Claremont Saturday to face-off against the Gauls of Webb in a game that could secure Malibu’s place in the playoffs. The result was the varsity team’s seventh consecutive victory by a score of 33-13, despite a sometimes lackluster performance.

The Sharks staked themselves to a 6-0 lead on their first drive of the game, led by a 35-yard run by tailback Miles Edman and a 19-yard pass reception by all-purpose threat Matt Nechak. Later in the first quarter, Nechak was again wide open to receive a touchdown pass from quarterback Johnny O’Neal to stretch the Sharks’ lead to 12-0.

With Malibu’s defense continuing their season-long strong play, the Gauls were repeatedly denied good field position and were held scoreless for the remainder of the first half as Malibu rolled on to a 26-0 halftime lead.

After taking the opening kickoff of the third quarter, Webb finally was able to sustain a drive that took almost the entire third quarter and push into the end zone to get on the scoreboard, down 26-7. Late in the game, Sharks fullback Kieran Doody added a touchdown as Malibu rolled on to victory and improved their season record to 7-1.

The Sharks, who entered the game ranked 9th among Division XIII schools, focus on their last two games of the season, as the results will help determine their seeding in the playoffs. This marks the first time that any Malibu football team has been ranked in the top ten of any division.

In the early game on Saturday, the junior varsity Sharks once again shut out their opponent, beating the Gauls by a score of 28-0. Sophomore Cutter McLeod led the team with two first half touchdowns as the JV improved their record to 6-1.