A year after finishing as runner-up in the Central Coast Section
Division I, Live Oak coach Mack Haines is relatively pleased with
where his team is at after graduating two all-CCS players from a
year ago.
Morgan Hill – A year after finishing as runner-up in the Central Coast Section Division I, Live Oak coach Mack Haines is relatively pleased with where his team is at after graduating two all-CCS players from a year ago.
Gone for the Acorns is Justin Short, last year’s Tri-County Athletic League MVP and fellow first-team all-TCAL selections Shea Coleman and Bryson Bailey.
But that doesn’t leave Live Oak without some serious talent.
Kyle Fast, another first-team all-TCAL selection, returns for his senior season as well as second-team all-TCAL player Cameron Peachy. Junior Sam Cretcher, another second-teamer, also is back in the pool for the Acorns.
“I’m actually very pleased from where we are right now,” Haines said. “We have a lot of upside for improvement.”
Live Oak is 3-3 on the season after going 2-3 in the John Schmidt Memorial Tournament last weekend.
Fast opened the tournament with four goals in a 8-7 win over Turlock and finished the tournament with a team-high eight goals. Peachy punched in three goals in a 6-5 win over Campolindo, a strong team from the North Coast Section, and he and Cretcher both finished with seven goals during the tournament. Patrick Powers, who Haines called “a real pleasant surprise” contributed six to the effort.
The Acorns three losses came at the hands of Jesuit (9-4), Soquel (7-3) and St. Francis (9-8)
“We’re making mistakes but all good ones and all correctable,” Haines said. “I wasn’t really expecting to be as competitive.”
Live Oak also notched a 15-11 non-league win over Valley Christian last Thursday. Peachy scored seven times during the win and Fast and Cretcher both added four.
This weekend the Acorns face their next challenge in the Menlo Tournament.
“It’s another really tough tournament with really top level competition,” Haines said.
Live Oak will play without the services of junior goalie Andrew Reimer, who was coming off a strong performance in the Schmidt Tournament before he sprained his ankle.
“Replacing the goalie is very difficult. That’s going to be tough,” Haines said, but added that some positives could arise. “I think sometimes when you lose a key player it makes other people step up.”
Another big change for the Acorns is one that all Live Oak teams are going through – a new league. Gone is the TCAL, where the Acorns went undefeated in league play last year.
Live Oak will play in the top-tiered Mt. Hamilton Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League and Haines expects to again contend for a league crown.
“I think our compeition in that league is going to be Leland,” Haines said. “I think that’ll be a very competitive game.”
Jimmy Durkin is the Morgan Hill Times sports editor. Reach him at (408) 779-4106 ext. 203 or jd*****@*************es.com.
