Live Oak ran the table in its nonleague schedule and now the focus has to shift.
The Acorns kick off Mt. Hamilton Division play at Piedmont Hills 7 p.m. Friday.
And things are going to start getting tough. Live Oak is happy to be 3-0 coming into this game, but knows that it has to focus on this game and not revel in the three wins.
Coach Mike Gemo said the theme to the boys in practice this week is the same as it always is: Focus on Friday night.
“It’s the message we’ve had from the beginning of the year and it’s one week at a time,” Gemo said. “This is the most important week that we’re in this week. The games before are over and we’ve got to concentrate on this game.”
The Pirates are 2-1 heading into the game after wins against North Salinas and Mt. Pleasant.
They did suffer a loss against Saratoga where the Falcons took off in the third quarter to pull out a win.
“We want to prove that we’re going to be a force to be reckoned with this season and we’re going to be one of the top teams to compete for a league title,” Gemo said.
Piedmont Hills is led by quarterback Alex Garcia, who has thrown for 683 yards in three games with nine touchdowns against five interceptions.
Those INT numbers were inflated after a three-pick night against Mt. Pleasant where the Pirates won 41-0.
He still threw four touchdowns in the game.
“This is throw, throw, throw and then they’ll run. We’re going to have to be able to cover pretty good, quick receivers,” Gemo said.
Piedmont Hills likes to spread the ball around to different receivers, but JoQuel Walker and Richard Fedelin have received the bulk of the looks, pulling in a combined 31 receptions between them. Walker leads the team with 269 yards with Fedelin going for 162 and three touchdowns.
The Pirates are not much of a rushing team, with Garcia leading the Pirates with 120 yards on 17 carries. Donovan Taylor, however, has received the bulk of the touches, but only has 103 yards on 27 carries.
For Live Oak, the key is learning from a few mistakes made against Gilroy, getting into a rhythm early and controlling the clock.
“I’m pretty happy with the progress we’ve made this year, but there’s a lot to grow,” Gemo said. “There was a lot of mistakes in the first three games that we’re trying to clean up so we can be better this week than we were last week.”
Live Oak has a potent running attack with Jacob Ryder and Cole Davis, but it also showed against Gilroy that it has a passing attack led by Jonathan Singleton that can be formidable.
“Johnny’s play Friday night was very encouraging in that he doesn’t get rattled and he steps up in the pocket and he makes plays,” Gemo said. “He knows where we want to go with the football. He’s doing a really good job for us and I’m really encouraged by the play out of this young sophomore.”
