In what may be the best chance of the season for a win, the Live
Oak Acorns will take on the North Salinas Vikings tonight in
Salinas.
In what may be the best chance of the season for a win, the Live Oak Acorns will take on the North Salinas Vikings tonight in Salinas.
The Acorns, who are coming off a 32-14 loss to Hollister, will still have to earn the victory against the 3-3 Vikings.
Head Coach Glen Webb says that Salinas has some good talent and will throw many different looks at the team.
“They present quite a wide variety of offensive schemes,” said Webb. “They have a great deal of talent, Their premier back is Ronny Drummer, who is having 50-60 yard runs against good teams.”
Live Oak must find a way to stop the threat that Drummer poses, but according to defensive back Miguel Ayala, stopping Drummer is the key.
“We should do well against Salinas, if we can shut down Drummer,” said Ayala after Friday’s game against Hollister. “If we do that, everything should go great.”
According to Webb, because the Vikings will show so many different formations, he will be relying on the defensive captains to be calling the plays to shut them down.
“They run every formation, but in doing so, there is a great opportunity to match the defense to the formation,” said Webb. “We’ll be looking for the captains to be calling the plays on the field. This should give a little extra excitement for the players.”
Winning the defensive battle is only part of the greater goal. The offense, which has been so potent as of late, must put points on the board.
The Acorn offense have been winning the battles both on the ground and in the air.
In their game against Hollister, the team threw out nearly all the plays in the book and had the Haybalers on their heals in the second quarter.
Late drives have been the calling card for the Acorns who seem to wake up in the second half.
If the team is to win, the offense must be consistent through out the game. Webb believes that if the offense has a strong game, Live Oak will come out on top.
“I believe we can move the ball against them,” said Webb. “We will have success if we can keep the (Viking) offense off the field.”
The Live Oak team has been battered and bruised during the season and several players have been sidelined.
Zach Frietas is out with a broken hand and John Peterson will also miss tonight’s game as he is still recovering from a shoulder separation.
Added to the injured list is defensive lineman Lee Bell who suffered a concussion against Hollister.
The one piece of good new for the team is the return of Adam Reza who missed the last two games after an ankle injury sidelined him during practice.
Overall the team will have to work, but Webb seems confident in his boys.
“We’ve been working a lot on trying to contain the outside run and keep them running sideways,” said Webb.
The game will be at 7:30 p.m. in Salinas.
