The Live Oak defense couldn’t control a three-headed Lincoln rushing attack Friday, allowing 356 yards on the ground in a 25-7 loss to the Lions in Morgan Hill.
In the first 12 minutes, though, Live Oak, running behind Trevor Bearden and Mark Butterworth, looked to be in full control. But near the end of the first quarter in a scoreless game, the momentum shifted dramatically.
With the Acorns driving into Lincoln territory, sophomore quarterback Dante Spencer tossed an interception, and Live Oak could never recover.
“That really took a lot out of us,” Jerardo Caro said after the game. “It changed the momentum. We were moving the ball and then it just changed.”
The Lions pounded the ball on the ground, finishing with three players with more than 99 yards on the ground to run away with the game. The Acorns never found an answer for the Lions misdirection run game, as Lincoln rushed all over the field.
On offense, the Acorns never found a rhythm after the first quarter, finishing with only 123 yards of total offense.
“We couldn’t get it going,” Bearden said. “They knew what we were running. That’s all. We couldn’t get anything going.”
Bearden struggled all night to find holes in the Lion’s defense, finishing with 64 yards on 20 carries, as Lincoln swarmed the Live Oak junior every time he touched the ball.
The Lions crowded the line of scrimmage all night, forcing the Acorns to go through the air. The Acorns, though, never found a consistent passing game using two quarterbacks to complete five of 12 throws for 50 yards. Using two sophomores behind center – Spencer and Cole Campi – Live Oak tossed four interceptions on the night to end any Live Oak drive.
“Lincoln is a good team and they did a good job tonight,” Live Oak coach Mike Gemo said.
The Lions took advantage of those Live Oak turnovers throughout the game, scoring three touchdowns following Acorn picks.
Scoring started early in the second quarter, as Lincoln relied on Cristapher Ortez and Mario Hidalgo to take the lead. After Ortez brought Lincoln inside the 5-yard line on a long 29 run through the heart of the Acorn defense, Hildago punched it in from the three to give the Lions a 6-0 lead. In the second quarter, Lincoln’s Ortez averaged more than 20 yards on his four carries as the Lions continued to hit the second-level of the Acorns’ defense.
After a thee-and-out series by the Acorns, Lincoln went 69 yards on seven plays to extend their lead to 12-0. Hildago, again, scored on a 18-yard run on third and goal.
The Acorns had their chances as Lincoln committed 11 penalties for 80 yards. But Live Oak couldn’t stop the Lions on third down, allowing 19 first downs throughout the game.
In the second half it was more of the same for the Acorns. Offensively, the Acorns couldn’t string together a long drive, and their defense couldn’t get off the field.
The only spark for the Acorns came midway through the fourth quarter when Bearden returned a short kickoff 82-yards for a touchdown. The short kick, which landed on the 30 and bounced to Bearden on the 18, allowed the junior to find a hole on the left sideline. Bearden used his speed to outrun the coverage unit.
“I just looked up and saw a hole and hit it,” he said. “When I saw that hole, I knew I was going to score.”
At the time, it pulled Live Oak to 18-7. But Lincoln answered quickly, scoring less than two minutes later to put the game out of reach on a five-yard run from Jacob Avery.
Overall, Lincoln gained 434 yards of total offense, compared to Live Oak’s 123 yards. Ortez finished with a game-high 152 yards on 12 carries. Avery finished with 99 yards on 19 carries and Hidalgo ran for 101 yards.
For the Acorns, Butterworth finished with 28 yards and an interception on defense.
Look for more in Tuesday Morgan Hill Times.
