Defense, offensive consistency key for Live Oak against Riordan
in the CCS title game
Defense, offensive consistency key for Live Oak against Riordan in the CCS title game
Morgan Hill
Constantly defying the majority of columnists who pick them to lose, the No. 2 seed Live Oak Acorns football team faces its biggest odds Saturday when they battle the No. 1 seed Archbishop Riordan Crusaders for the Central Coast Section Medium School Division Championship.
“The guys understand the level of competition has stepped up, and they know it’s going to take a total team effort to win,” Live Oak coach Jon Michael Porras said. “The teams we’ve beaten recently are nothing like what we play now.”
While the Acorns have overcome all kinds of adversity, from serious injuries to player suspensions, they will need to stick to their game plan to defeat the Crusaders.
With a potent offense led by the human highlight reel known as senior quarterback Darius Bell, the Crusaders are coming off a 48-20 semifinal win over the Pioneer High School Mustangs, and a 44-16 win over Terra Nova in the first round.
Bell set the single-game school record for passing yardage against Terra Nova, and last weekend against Pioneer, Bell completed 21 of 29 passes for 366 yards, threw for four touchdowns and ran for two more in his third 300-yard passing game of the season.
“Their quarterback is being recruited by PAC-10 schools, they have the fastest sophomore in the state at running back, and they have more than 1,000 total yards over their last two games,” Porras said. “These guys are pretty legit … and they get some of the best talent form all over the area.”
To defeat the Crusaders , the Acorns will rely on maintaining possession of the ball, and defensive stops.
“If it turns into a horse race, they’ll have more horses then us,” Porras said. “So we’re going to have to control the ball, and ideally we’d like to get three and a half yards on every play and move down the field very slowly. We just have to keep it a low scoring game, and if we do that we’ll have a chance.”
Senior Matt Cummins will make his second start at quarterback for the Acorns, but Porras said he will not ask too much of him.
“We’ll just let him manage the team,” he said. “We’re going to stick to our running game.”
Defense will play a big part in the Acorns’ success, as their secondary faces gam-changing play makers like wide receiver Daniel Cannon who had eight catches for 90 yards and two touchdown grabs against Pioneer last weekend.
“We’re going to try and frustrate them on defense,” Porras said. “We have hope, but it’s going to take some big time plays.”
After two emotionally and physically draining playoff games against the Sobrato Bulldogs and the Saratoga Falcons, the Acorns are still as ready as could be for tomorrow’s championship.
“We’re a little up beat but still serious, and we’re still a little beat up, but much better than how we were going into last week,” Porras said.
The Acorns take the weekly Times’ columnists “Pigskin Picks” to heart, noting every time they have beaten a tam that was predicted superior to them.
“They are the prototypical underdog, and I think they enjoy that,” Porras said “Everyone on this team thinks they can make a difference. In my 11-plus years playing and coaching football, this is the closest team I’ve ever been a part of. This team feels the most like a family, and they will toe the line for their buddy, and they know their buddy will toe the line for them.”
