- The Acorns football team deserves a hearty congratulations
When a team’s desire to win truly comes from the heart and it’s coupled with discipline, effective training and good coach-athlete communication you’ve got a winning combination.
That’s the key propelling Live Oak High School Acorns’ 43 football players to a winning title game tomorrow at San Jose City College against the Archbishop Riordan Crusaders in the Central Coast Section Middle School Division Championship.
A look at the Acorns’ winning semifinal game last Friday against the Saratoga High School Falcons offers insights into their amazing achievements this year.
- A look at one of the best football programs our town has ever had
With 16 seconds left and the score tied, Live Oak running and defensive back player Jeff Blean, 16, performed a miracle.
Playing at San Jose City College and with the score tied at 14, Blean kicked a 20-yard field goal advancing the Acorns to the finals.
There were so many distractions for young Jeff. Saratoga Coach Kurk Heinrich called two timeouts, but that didn’t seem to faze him. He concentrated on the task at hand and kicked the ball through the uprights to defeat the Falcons 17-14.
Blean knew he had to perform. He knew the stakes were high for his team and he delivered. Blean showed he and the rest of his teammates were thinking, feeling and doing the right things to win. He also demonstrated how this team is able to transcend the heat of the competition, under Coach Porras’ guidance, to perform strategically, which is what they’ll have to do tomorrow evening to win.
- Porras’ leadership and direction over the team is also to be commended
This is a glorious moment for the Acorns, who haven’t had a chance at the Central Coast Section title game since 1989, almost 18 years without the coveted spotlight of the CCS finals
The team was playing without quarterback Jeff Roberts who sustained a broken ankle during the Acorns’ El Toro Bowl encounter against the Sobrato Bulldogs
Senior Matt Cummins, a wide receiver and defensive back, stepped in for Roberts. The Acorns were also missing kicker Case Mott, who suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee during a soccer game.
And senior wide receiver and back-up quarterback Tim O’Rourke made a leaping 29-yard catch despite having a splint on his right hand due to a sprained thumb.
Porras is in his first year as coach and is responsible for a remarkable team transformation. He credits much of the team’s success to the unity and camaraderie among the players. He has zeroed in on the most important motivating factor for high school sports, positive social interaction among the players. As he told the Times’ Editorial Board, the players share deep friendships and love each other and their school. Sure, many of the players are motivated by other factors as well, but watching the Acorns practice and the encouragement they give each other, the overriding motivator is each other and the enjoyment in the game of football. And that’s the recipe for a sweet victory tomorrow evening.
ATTEND THE CCS TITLE GAME
- Live Oak High School Acorns vs. Archbishop
Riordan Crusaders
- When: 7 p.m.
-
Where: San Jose City College,
2100 Moorpark Ave., San Jose
- Cost: Tickets are $9 at concession stand at the
college
- Details: 201-6100
