Leland football coach Mike Carrozzo and his staff developed a battle cry for their players after watching them come out slowly in their first three games.
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We say 14 nothing,
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Carrozzo said.
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We have a tendency … to when our backs are to the wall, we start fighting harder. We want to start like we’re down 14-0, so we have that killer mentality.
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The Chargers didn’t need any extra incentive during Friday’s 41-14 dismantling of Live Oak at Richert Field. The Acorns didn’t either, not against the No. 9-ranked team in the county and the Chargers’ Boise State-bound fullback/linebacker Chris Santini. It was opening night in the Mount Hamilton Division, but Leland was clearly in another league
Leland football coach Mike Carrozzo and his staff developed a battle cry for their players after watching them come out slowly in their first three games.
“We say 14 nothing,” Carrozzo said. “We have a tendency … to when our backs are to the wall, we start fighting harder. We want to start like we’re down 14-0, so we have that killer mentality.”
The Chargers didn’t need extra incentive during Friday’s 41-14 dismantling of Live Oak at Richert Field.
The Acorns didn’t either, not against the No. 9-ranked team in the county and the Chargers’ Boise State-bound fullback/linebacker Chris Santini. It was opening night in the Mount Hamilton Division, but Leland was clearly in another league.
“They’re a solid football team,” LOHS coach Mike Gemo said. “They do what they do, and they do it well. They’re a good football team all around.”
Santini, an imposing 6-foot-1, 216-pound senior who runs like Dickerson and hits like Peterbilt, carried 10 times for 119 yards, with touchdown runs of 55 and 33 yards, but his most impressive play came on the opening kickoff to start the second half.
Santini picked the ball up as it was rolling out of bounds, then charged 95 yards up the center of the field for a touchdown.
“They’re a really tough team, and Santini’s the biggest part,” Acorns two-way lineman/linebacker Jonathan Molina said. “He’s a hard runner, extremely hard to bring down.”
Leland (4-0, 1-0) outgained the Acorns 405-235, including a 244-42 superiority in the first half.
Trevor Bearden, Live Oak’s answer to Santini, eclipsed the 150-yard rushing mark for the third time this year, totaling 168 in 22 attempts. The 6-foot, 185-pound sophomore ended his night with a 90-yard touchdown run on a toss with about six minutes remaining.
“Beautiful, just what we needed from him,” Gemo said. “He is the real deal. And they know it, and we know it. He’s got a bright future ahead of him.”
With Leland out of the way, so do the Acorns (1-3, 0-1). They have eight days to regroup and prepare for a much-anticipated bout with Santa Teresa, the previous stop for Gemo and the majority of his staff.
“They really want us to get that win. We really want to get that win, too,” Molina said.
There was no lack of spirit at any point on the Live Oak sideline, even as the Chargers opened a 34-0 lead in the third quarter with Jason Habash’s (11 for 17, 148 yards passing) second touchdown pass, this one to Jeff Carnduff.
The Acorns, battered and worn, went full bore until the final whistle.
“The coaches and our captains kept us together,” Live Oak receiver/linebacker Ben Nuno said. “We kept fighting.”
As their offense sputtered in the first half, the Acorns stayed in the fight with the help of timely penalties against Leland and several pass break-ups by the Live Oak secondary.
Nikki Weber totaled about 20 tackles, and Austin Carvalho had six at linebacker.
The Chargers settled for field goals of 33 and 35 yards by Tim McLaughlin — the second made it 20-0 at halftime — but asserted their dominance with Santini’s 55-yard touchdown run and Habash’s 12-yard scoring strike to Z-back Kenny Portera.
“Our guys responded pretty well,” Carrozzo said. “I’ve got to hand it to Gemo and his staff. Those guys get a ton out of those kids.”
Live Oak finally broke through Leland’s defense with nine minutes, 24 seconds left in the third quarter. Taylor Turnipseed (4 for 14, 45 yards) floated a 9-yard fade pass to Carvalho, who hauled it in at the Leland 2-yard line and rolled over a tackler into the end zone, making it 41-7.
The Acorns ended on a high note when defensive lineman Travis Harmel recovered a fumble with about a minute remaining.
“The kids just don’t ever give up,” Gemo said. “It’s a mentality they’ve grown accustomed to. We just keep pushing them to do the best they can for the whole game, and they did that tonight.”
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