Montoya rushes for three touchdowns as Live Oak picks up win No.
1, a 33-13 triumph over Lincoln
MORGAN HILL — Thanks to Jacob Montoya, Live Oak’s defense got little rest Friday against Lincoln. Acorns linebacker T.J. Ornduff couldn’t even relish an interception he made.
“Every time we got off the field and sat down to go over plays, the crowd would go crazy — ‘Jacob scored another touchdown; we’re going back out!'” Ornduff said Monday.
The Acorns’ first victory of the season was that much fun. Behind a career-night by Montoya, who finished with 203 yards and three rushing touchdowns on six carries, Live Oak shook itself out of an early-season coma and rejoined the Mount Hamilton Division’s elite group of playoff hopefuls.
The Acorns (1-4 overall, 1-1 league) battered Lincoln, 33-13, taking their frustration out with bruising defense and an old-fashioned ground game.
“The win felt great,” said Montoya, a junior Z-back. “We’ve been pretty upset with ourselves for while. It was homecoming, and we know we need to win to keep our playoff hopes alive. Everyone did their best.”
Montoya found the Richert Field end zones on sweeps of roughly 60, 40 and 20 yards. His first touchdown came in the second quarter after quarterback Dylan Frechette scored on a 1-yard sneak, and running back Blair Zerr scored from 10 yards out.
Live Oak led 21-0 at the half.
“I was just reading my blockers,” Montoya said. “Every time I got the ball, the field just opened up in front of me.”
Montoya carried the weight for an offense that gained exactly 500 yards against the winless Lions (0-4, 0-2). Zerr carried 10 times for 89 yards.
“We crushed them on the sweep,” Acorns coach Jon Michael Porras said Friday. “They were ready for our pass, but they didn’t see the veer coming.”
Although used sparingly, Live Oak’s aerial attack was just as effective. Frechette and Cody Van Aken were 5-of-8 passing for 92 yards combined, and Dominic Leach had three catches for 71 yards.
Frechette took most of the snaps, filling in for injured started David Pelz. Van Aken, a 175-pound tight end/safety, provided a wild-cat look.
“We went with (Frechette) because he runs the option very well,” said Porras, whose offense has used a variety of formations this fall. “He had some good passes when we did throw, and he ran the veer well.”
For the first time this season, Live Oak broke even in the turnover margin. The Acorns’ defense forced two takeaways and held the Lions scoreless until late in the fourth quarter.
“We were just having fun out there. When we weren’t in, we were watching Jacob bounce around the field,” Ornduff said. “We played pretty well last game, so we kind of figured things would come together. We feel like we’re finally on the same page.”
The timing couldn’t be better. This week, Live Oak hosts the six-time defending league champion Oak Grove Eagles, who are coming off a humbling 14-7 loss to Pioneer.
Ornduff was on the Valley Christian team that beat Oak Grove — then the No. 1 seed – in the Open Division semifinals a year ago.
“I haven’t lost to them yet. I hope we keep that trend going Friday,” he said.
