Acorns force five turnovers in shocking Eagles
MORGAN HILL — To suppress the explosive Oak Grove Eagles, Jon Michael Porras and his staff devised a three-step game plan that was as simple as it was demanding: Win the turnover battle, limit the big plays, gain an average of three yards after each snap.
The Live Oak Acorns met two of those Friday. They didn’t give their coach three yards a play on offense.
They gave him 3 1/2.
The Acorns scraped and fought for every precious inch of earth at Richert Field, coming together for each tackle, running the ball into the teeth of Oak Grove’s star-studded defense. In the end, they achieved one of their program’s biggest victories in recent years by a tell-tale margin: 9-7.
When quarterback Dylan Frechette took a knee with 32 seconds remaining, they mustered whatever strength they had left to enjoy the moment.
“I’m so proud of the guys,” Porras said. “We’ve worked so hard these past couple weeks.
“We dug ourselves quite a hole, losing games we should have won early in the year. Everything came together for us tonight. We followed the game plan perfectly.”
The victory was all about redemption for Live Oak (2-4 overall, 2-1 league), which lost 42-0 to the six-time defending Mount Hamilton Division champions a year ago. Frechette overcame two costly first-half interceptions to score the clinching touchdown on an improvised 3-yard sneak with 5:04 remaining. Jacob Montoya bounced back from fumbling inside the Oak Grove 5-yard line to kick a 37-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter. Dominic Leach shook off a frustrating night to catch a 15-yard slant pass on fourth-and-six with a minute left.
“We finally got that play to work. It felt great,” the 6-foot-3 wideout said.
Two weeks after being 0-4 and written off by some, the Acorns are a couple wins away from clinching a berth in the Central Coast Section playoffs.
“It shows we’ve come a long way. It shows we’ve come together,” said Frechette, who rushed for 21 yards out of a veer attack and completed 4-of-12 passing for 64 yards. “We know we can play with anyone.”
Live Oak displayed that this season during respectable losses to ‘A’-league clubs Salinas and Pioneer, the 10th-ranked team in the San Jose Mercury News’ top 15. But a humbling defeat to ‘C’-league rival Sobrato still fueled criticism this past week, even after Live Oak trounced Lincoln 33-13 in league play.
The Acorns have only looked forward.
“You have to progress each week,” Porras said. “Now we’re kicking ourselves for that Pioneer loss. We would have been in first place.”
The Eagles (2-4, 1-2) are in the midst of a rebuilding year, as evident in their coaching changes and small number of fans at Friday’s game. But Oak Grove is still regarded as one of the toughest teams in the division.
Led by sophomore tailback Kaelum Harvey, whom Porras isn’t looking forward to scouting the next two years, the Eagles amassed 238 yards in total offense. Harvey broke loose on a power run for 41 yards in the first half, but ended with just 88 yards on 16 carries.
The Eagles were undercut by five turnovers and 10 penalties, including defensive pass interference and unsportsmanlike conduct infractions on the drive leading to Frechette’s score.
Live Oak was flagged twice.
“Harvey … hurt us on some plays, but we stayed disciplined and kept them from making a big play,” said Porras, whose offense gained 185 yards in 53 plays. “I want our guys to celebrate tonight. This is a very special win. This is right up there with when we beat Saratoga and went to CCS finals [in 2007].”
Richie Castillo, who finished 9 for 22 for 119 yards, connected with Timi Niweigha for a 10-yard touchdown pass that cut the Acorns’ lead to two with 3:28 remaining. After holding Live Oak to three and out, the Eagles took over with 2:22 on the clock. They drew a defensive holding call, but Rich Martinez ended their comeback hopes when he intercepted a Castillo pass at the Oak Grove 40.
“I was just trying not to let them beat us deep,” the junior defensive back said. “I saw the ball coming at me over the middle, and I just broke for it. I knew it was a big play.”
Live Oak had its share of mistakes during a scoreless first half, but those were offset by the Acorns’ stingy defense. Oak Grove cornerback Anthony Greene intercepted passes meant for Leach in the Eagles’ end zone and at their 25-yard line. Live Oak countered, though, when free safety Ryan Hennings picked off a Castillo throw for a touchback, and Frechette intercepted another one at the Acorns’ 10.
Linebackers T.J. Ornduff and Michael Singleton recovered fumbles to end Oak Grove’s opening drives of the first and second halves, respectively.
“Our defense was amazing again tonight,” said Porras, whose team travels to Piedmont Hills next Friday. “They gave us every opportunity to score points and win this game.”
Acorns running back Blair Zerr rushed for 73 yards on 11 attempts up the middle, and Leach had two catches for 25 yards. Montoya covered 47 yards on nine touches at Z-back. His fumble came at the end of a 17-yard run in the third quarter — and two plays after he juked his way across field during a 57-yard punt return.
“He’s just a solid player. Nothing really gets to him,” Porras said. “I thought Blair ran the ball very well, too. Dylan controlled the ball and the clock tonight. I’m very impressed with how he played.”
Zerr gained eight yards on two dives to give Live Oak first-and-goal at the 3. That’s when Frechette called for a sneak at the line of scrimmage.
“There was a big space ahead of me, and I knew the offensive line could get me there,” he said.
Montoya set up his field goal by jumping up to grab a 25-yard pass from Frechette on third-and-nine from the Eagles’ 48. Three plays later, he lined up and booted the ball high into the air, tucking it inside the left upright.
“I got all nervous at first, I thought I pulled it too far,” he said. “I wasn’t nervous. The crowd got all quiet; it was exciting.”
Oak Grove first-year coach Jay Braun declined to comment after the game, but gave his players one last pointer as they trotted by Live Oak’s celebration in the south end zone.
“That’s what it’s all about right there, gentlemen.”
