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¸*? against three schools that made the Central Coast Section
playoffs last season in a four-team scrimmage at Richert Field on
Friday night, the host Live Oak High football team found out plenty
about itself, according to Acorn head coach Glen Webb.
Going up against three schools that made the Central Coast Section playoffs last season in a four-team scrimmage at Richert Field on Friday night, the host Live Oak High football team found out plenty about itself, according to Acorn head coach Glen Webb.
“We got a lot of good work done,” Webb said. “Looking at the three teams on the field and being able to line up against them and do some things is a real positive for us. It shows you your strengths but it also does reveal your weaknesses.”
Originally scheduled as a traditional scrimmage against league rival Hollister-San Benito, a staple of past seasons for the Acorns, Friday night’s action became something akin to a mini-jamboree after first Oak Grove, then Silver Creek signed up for the non-scoring preseason event. Though Live Oak practices against the two Blossom Valley Athletic League teams during the summer, this is the first time the Acorn program has scrimmaged against the two schools.
And Webb said the four-team format may turn out to be a regular preseason feature judging by the reception from the other coaches, despite a late brawl between Live Oak and Oak Grove players that was quickly broken up.
Webb said he was pleased with his team’s intensity during the scrimmage, which featured each team’s offense and defense going up against each of the other teams in first seven-on-seven tag offensive drills, then full-squad, full-contact drills. He mentioned the play of running backs Doug Porras, Dustin Muhn and the other offensive backs as a bright spot.
“We’re talking about a team with a lot of players out of position, but I was pleased with their effort,” he said. “We got a good performance from the running backs, the passing game looked good, especially in the early drills, and we got a sound performance from all three quarterbacks, really.”
Webb said senior QB David Iseman’s performance will earn him the majority of the reps in practice as he takes the inside track in the race to secure the starting signal-caller position. Senior Jonathan Redmond and junior Steven Webb are also vying for the position.
“At times, Iseman looked very comfortable in the offense,” Webb said. “And, we were able to run our plays when we put the pressure on in the 11-on-11 (drills), so that was encouraging. When you pracyice against yourself you never know if you’re good or if both (offense and defense) are bad.”
Meanwhile, Webb said it’s clear that the undersized Acorn defense will have to be creative to be effective.
“Sure we could use a bigger player or two,” he said. “We’ll have to do some things defensively, move around and take some chances, use our speed.”
Live Oak has next weekend off before starting the regular season by hosting Alvarez at 7:30pm on Friday, Sept. 10.
The Acorns, who have gone 24 straight games without a victory, are still considering a team-building trip over Labor Day weekend, which will depend on the success of the team’s fundraising efforts over the summer. Webb said the squad is looking at traveling to a camp at the Northstar ski resort in the Sierras.
