Santa Monica football team makes playoffs for first time since 2014

Second-year coach Matt Kirk of Santa Monica was a longtime local junior college coach who has guided the Vikings to their first Southern Section playoff berth since 2014.
Santa Monica (6-4) will open the Division 11 playoffs on Friday against St. Bernard, and the Vikings have a productive quarterback in Anthony Arnou, who has passed for 1,800 yards and 19 touchdowns. He’s two touchdowns away from setting a school single-season record.
Kayden Thomas has caught 10 touchdowns, made four interceptions and returned a kickoff for a touchdown.
Colby Bell, a basketball player, has caught 29 passes for 439 yards and five touchdowns. He’s 6 feet 4 and a good target for Arnou.
A big defensive contributor has been Donovan Parks, who has five interceptions.
Go beyond the scoreboard
Get the latest on L.A.'s teams in the daily Sports Report newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.