Local high school football got its traditional springtime
kick-off the past two weeks, as both the Live Oak High and Sobrato
High football programs began the lengthy process of getting ready
for the fall season. Live Oak and Sobrato, which has a varsity
squad for the first time this year, prepped by running a fine
turnout of prospective players through their paces in spring
practice.
Local high school football got its traditional springtime kick-off the past two weeks, as both the Live Oak High and Sobrato High football programs began the lengthy process of getting ready for the fall season.
Live Oak and Sobrato, which has a varsity squad for the first time this year, prepped by running a fine turnout of prospective players through their paces in spring practice.
According to new Acorn head coach Rick Booth, who took over for Glen Webb, about 90 players attended the two-week session, with a core of about 70-75 regular attendees.
“We won last year and I think we got more kids out who didn’t try to play last year,” Booth said. Booth served as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator under Webb last season, and helped lead Live Oak to an 8-3 record and a Central Coast Section playoff berth.
LO’s summer workouts are scheduled to begin on June 13 and will be held Monday through Thursday at 4pm. The workouts will continue through mid-August when twice-daily practice begins.
Meanwhile, Sobrato head coach Jeff Patterson estimated that about 40 sophomores and juniors were regular attendees at spring practices.
“I’m really excited,” Patterson said. “Last year, we had about 40 players (on the first-year frosh-soph roster) and we lost a few of them so we filled in with some new kids.”
Last season, the Bulldogs compiled a 7-3 record competing against frosh-soph teams. This year, Sobrato will make its first foray into varsity competition and will play an independent schedule. The Bulldogs were originally set to play in the Tri-County Athletic League this season but backed out at the last minute.
Both LO and Sobrato will move to the Blossom Valley Athletic League the following season, in 2006.
Sobrato’s summer workouts are slated to begin June 20 at 2pm and will continue until fall practice starts on Aug. 15.
Incoming freshmen can join the two schools’ football practices for the first time for summer workouts.
Live Oak’s schedule, which begins with a scrimmage at Santa Cruz, officially starts early on Friday, Sept. 2 at Silver Creek. Most schools will start play the following week.
The Acorns’ non-league schedule, which had to be reshuffled following Sobrato’s withdrawal from the TCAL, also includes a road game at Truckee on Saturday, Oct. 1.
According to Booth, Truckee – the defending Nevada state Division III champion – was the only opponent available because the Bulldogs waited so long to back out of the Acorns’ league.
Booth said the road trip will cost the program about $9,000 including transportation and accomodations. As a result, the Live Oak program will be heavily involved in four different fundraisers this summer and into the fall, including a mailer and coupon book sales.
Potential sponsors can call Booth at 201-6100.
LO will have a week off after the Truckee game to get ready for the traditionally tough TCAL schedule, which begins Oct. 14.
Meanwhile, Sobrato had to piece together a hodge-podge of games against smaller-school opponents after exiting the TCAL. The Bulldogs asked out after parents expressed concerns about a team with no seniors playing in the perennially competitive TCAL.
As a result, the Bulldogs were limited to playing mostly “C” league teams with limited or no playoff experience, Patterson said.
Sobrato begins play by hosting Kings Academy on Saturday, Sept. 3. The Bulldogs also have a bye the week of Nov. 4 before wrapping up their season the following weekend. The current schedule calls for a trip to Fortuna in Southern California but that could be rescheduled.
