MSN_091219

28 | September 12, 2019 | Malibu surfside news sports
malibusurfsidenews.com
Athlete of the Week
10 Questions
Football
Malibu football records first win of season
with Colin Murphy
Colin Murphy is a junior
on the Malibu High School
boys water polo team.
When and why did you
start playing water
polo?
I started playing water
polo in seventh grade because
I had some friends
who said it would be fun,
a good workout, so I joined
it.
What do you like most
about the sport?
I like the team experience
and new friends that
you can make from it.
Do you have any
superstitions before a
game?
I just like to listen to music
and get down to business.
I listen to rock.
What is your favorite
moment from your own
sports career?
Probably the Junior
Olympics this past summer,
three games in May.
What is one thing
people don’t know
about you?
Lots of people don’t
know that I’m a diabetic.
If you could be any
superhero, which super
power would you
want?
I would want to be able
to fly.
What would you do if
you won the lottery?
I would donate a lot of it
to research, health research.
I would also buy a house
for my parents.
If you could play any
other sport, which
would you play?
I would do swim.
Photo Submitted
What is one thing on
your bucket list?
I want to buy a house for
my parents.
If you could be any
animal, which would
you be?
I would be a shark or a
dolphin because they’re
free in the ocean.
Interview by Assistant Editor
Michal Dwojak
Coach applauds
team’s defense in
22-8 victory
Ryan Flynn
Freelance Reporter
What a difference a week
makes.
Malibu (1-1) earned
its first win of the season
on Friday, Sept. 6, on the
road against Dymally High
School. The 22-8 victory
was the first of rookie head
coach Steven Hernandez’s
career.
“It feels great,” he said.
“We’ve still got a lot of
things to work on. Our defense
was the best I’ve seen
— after watching all kinds
of 8-man football — the
best that I’ve seen in a very,
very long time.”
Junior Braedin Taylor
was particularly effective
on the defensive side
of the ball, as Hernandez
deployed the speedy playmaker
all over the field.
“I’m taking him out to
dinner tonight for sure,”
Hernandez said.
Malibu jumped out to a
7-0 lead early on thanks to
a fumble recovery by senior
Marcus Berns, which he
returned for a touchdown.
After a Dymally score and
two-point conversion in
the second quarter, Malibu
scored on a Roenster Santizo
to Taylor touchdown
pass to go up 14-8. They
would never again relinquish
the lead.
The Malibu defense, Hernandez
said, played fantastic.
They were timing the
ball correctly and attacking
the snap. When he tried to
sub out several players, they
asked to remain in the game
and keep playing.
Malibu High School senior Marcus Berns helped the
Sharks jump out to an early 7-0 lead during the team’s
Sept. 6 road matchup at Dymally High School in Los
Angeles. Surfside News File Photo
“They said ‘coach, I can
give you another seven
minutes,’ ‘I can give you
another eight minutes,’”
Hernandez said.
Neither team’s offense
looked great. Berns remains
a solid option in the
running game, but otherwise
things are a work in
progress. Dymally couldn’t
do anything offensively in
the second half, as Malibu
consistently turned them
over, stopped them short
and in one case tackled
their punter for a safety.
Windward awaits in two
weeks, a game that Malibu
will host on homecoming
night. Hernandez plans to
spend those two weeks almost
exclusively focused
on offense. His quarterback,
a freshman, remains
a little skittish and Hernandez
plans to get him used
to “hearing feet” and not
rushing his throws or altering
his form.
“If we get our offense
clicking the way I know we
can, we’ll be a problem,”
the coach said.
Until then, the Sharks
can enjoy their first win in
the Hernandez era.
“We’ll do a little celebrating
these next couple
days but after that it’s time
to get back and let’s get to
business,” Hernandez said.