Fear and Loathing from Las Vegas

By Michael Ashcraft --

Exjani Rojas had a club soccer game in Las Vegas Saturday 8 a.m. He then drove to Culver City to play with Lighthouse football at 7:30 p.m. Then he drove back to Las Vegas for his Sunday soccer game.

His commitment paid off. Exjani got the taste of blood, scoring his first touchdown for the Saints. He ran a wild arc and scooped up a ball from his shins and turned on the soccer speed to head for the end zone.

"I was surprised I even did that," he admits. "I don't know how I did that."

His was Lighthouse Christian Academy's fourth TD. It happened in the second quarter, when Lighthouse forced a fumble and recovered on a streak to turn around a losing game.

At the end, the Valley Oaks Center for Enriched Studies (VOCES) Magnet was just too strong for the Saints. The game ended 32-62. No one could stop #44 from Vanguard.

Exjani is a soccer player. He feared the hits and tackles of football. He learned to overcome his fears by turning on his speed. He loathed football. It was a distraction from his preferred sport. Obligated to play by LCA, he overcame his loathing of football.

He got his first taste of TD and wants more.

Saturday's game saw rising stars emerge. Fellow sophomore Jeremiah Love also scored a TD with an excellent catch. He followed that up with a fumble recovery that gave Lighthouse a critical turnover.

Freshman John Abdalla got his first tackle and then foiled a late Vanguard TD by chasing down the ball carrier and receiving a block on his back.

Junior Morgan Miles has been called upon to leave the sidelines and enter the fray. He played the entire game blocking on the line on offense and then pressuring on offense. Jungho Lee and Alex Brick got injuries.

Senior Zion Jenkins ran rampant. He scored three touchdowns and caught mind-boggling passes for massive yard gains. His runs on the ball offered equal amounts of speed, dance and toughness.

Sophomore Justice Neos was a strong runner, passer and tackler. His little brother, Shaughnessy, didn't act little by making some big tackles.

"That was one of the best fights I've seen yet," said Coach Justin Kayne. "You fought from the beginning of the game until the end of the game. The word for tonight is resilience. We had a lot of little things that didn't go our way. It was fun to watch you guys play tonight."

About this writer: Michael Ashcraft teaches journalism at the Lighthouse Christian Academy of Santa Monica.