Santa Monica High School is widely recognized as one of the largest and most consistently successful public sports programs on the Westside. The Vikings are members of the Ocean League and compete in the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section.
The school fields 50 different varsity, junior varsity and freshman teams in 22 different sports. They include:
Fall Sports
- Football (11-man)
- Flag Football (Girls)
- Cross Country (Boys & Girls)
- Water Polo (Boys)
- Volleyball (Girls)
- Golf (Girls)
- Tennis (Girls)
- Pep Squad / Cheer
Winter Sports
- Basketball (Boys & Girls)
- Soccer (Boys & Girls)
- Wrestling (Boys & Girls)
- Water Polo (Girls)
Spring Sports
- Baseball
- Softball
- Track & Field (Boys & Girls)
- Swimming & Diving (Boys & Girls)
- Golf (Boys)
- Tennis (Boys)
- Volleyball (Boys)
- Beach Volleyball (Girls)
- Lacrosse (Boys & Girls)
Football
Samohi has a long football championship history, with CIF Southern Section titles in 1952, 1953, 1981, and 2001. The 1952 and 1953 teams won back-to-back titles, while the 2001 team, coached by Norm Lacy, captured the program’s most recent football championship.
Under current coach Carter Paysinger, the Vikings look to improve on their 8-5 performance from 2025. In the postseason, they defeated Pasadena High School in an intense playoff battle before downing Brentwood School and eventually being knocked out in a hard-fought game against Tahquitz High School.
Having lost several key players, including quarterback Eliot Bingener, to graduation, the 2026 Vikings will be leaning heavily on the classes of 2027 and 2028. The season opener against Westchester High School will be played at home on Friday, August 21.
Championships and Milestones
Samohi’s championship history extends across multiple sports and eras.
1952: Football wins a CIF Southern Section championship.
1953: Football wins a second straight CIF Southern Section championship.
1981: Football captures another CIF Southern Section title.
1984, 1985, 1986: Lawrence Jackson wins three straight California state wrestling titles.
2001: Football, coached by Norm Lacy, wins the program’s most recent CIF title.
2007: Yousef Syed becomes Samohi’s next wrestling state champion.
2010: Girls basketball wins the program’s first CIF title, defeating Summit 69-63 in the Southern Section Division 1A final; softball also wins the first CIF softball title in school history.
2011: Boys volleyball wins the CIF Southern Section championship, defeating San Gabriel High School 3-1.
2013: Boys basketball wins the CIF Southern Section Division 1A title, defeating El Toro 66-56, then advances to the Division I state final.
2014: Softball wins another CIF Division IV title; Whitney Jones is named Division 4 Player of the Year and Debbie Skaggs is recognized as Championship Coach.
2015: Girls volleyball advances to the CIF-Southern Section Division 3AA championship match.
2016: Boys basketball wins another CIF-SS Division 1A title, defeating Temecula Valley 66-60.
2023: In the first CIF-sanctioned season of girls flag football, Santa Monica goes 16-3 overall and 8-0 in Ocean League play under coach Ramsey Lambert; CIF records also list Santa Monica as the 2023 section champion.
2026: Boys soccer wins the CIF Southern Section Division 1 championship, finishing 19-3-3 and beating Fontana 4-1 in the final.
Notable Alumni
Santa Monica High School has produced a long list of accomplished athletes, including Olympians, professional players, and champions across several sports.
- Parry O’Brien, Track & Field — Two-time Olympic gold medalist in shot put (1952, 1956), silver medalist in 1960, and widely credited with popularizing the “glide” technique.
- Eric Sato, Volleyball — Olympic gold medalist in 1988 and bronze medalist in 1992 for the U.S. men’s national team.
- Liane Sato, Volleyball — Olympian and 1992 bronze medalist who later returned to Samohi as a faculty member and varsity volleyball coach.
- Rick Monday, Baseball — No. 1 overall pick in the inaugural 1965 MLB Draft, two-time All-Star, and World Series champion with the Dodgers.
- Tim Leary, Baseball — No. 2 overall pick in the 1977 MLB Draft and a World Series champion with the Dodgers in 1988.
- Tyler Skaggs, Baseball — First-round draft pick in 2009 who went on to pitch in the major leagues for the Angels and Diamondbacks.
- Ronda Rousey, Judo / MMA — Attended Samohi before winning an Olympic bronze medal in judo and later becoming a UFC champion.
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