Starters Zerr, Campos, Hennings out for Friday’s opener against
Gilroy; Pelz named starting quarterback
MORGAN HILL — The Live Oak Acorns will find out how deep they are very soon.
Coach Jon Michael Porras went over the team’s list of injuries before Wednesday night’s practice, and it looks like the Acorns will be short-handed beyond Friday’s opening showdown against Gilroy. Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Richert Field.
Star running back Blair Zerr is recovering from torn cartilage in his rib cage, which could limit playing time in his senior season or end it altogether, Porras said.
Junior Isaiah Campos, a projected starting linebacker, could also be lost for 2010 after injuring his knee five plays into a scrimmage last week against San Benito. Campos will have an MRI today and is scratched for Gilroy.
Senior safety Ryan Hennings is expected to miss the first few games of the season because of a broken ankle.
“It’s a pretty good list,” Porras said. “We’ll know for sure what we’re dealing with later. Right now, we’re just hoping for the best.”
Porras remains confident his team will match up well with the visiting Mustangs, who pounded the Acorns 36-13 in last year’s opener.
“I think we compare athlete to athlete, where, last time, we didn’t stack up everywhere,” said Porras, who is beginning his fourth season at Live Oak. “I think we can stack up at just about every position. Line-wise, I think we’re about the same. They don’t have anyone that can overpower is like last year.”
The Acorns are a different team than they were in 2009 both physically and mentally.
“We thought Gilroy was just better than us, going into the game. We didn’t really have an identity” Porras said. “I think our guys are confident now and have an identity.”
Senior running back Cody Van Aken is expected to handle most of the carries Friday. Zerr’s replacement is junior Mitch Marcum, a 5-foot-8, 170-pound powerback who impressed coaches in training camp.
“He does some things very well,” Porras said. “He has some things he needs to work on, but I’m pretty confident in him.”
Live Oak’s linebacking corps is still deep but could certainly use Campos’ speed and athleticism against Gilroy’s no-huddle spread offense led by talented first-year starting quarterback Niko Fortino. The Mustangs can run the ball well with speedsters Christian Salazar and Romeo Travis.
The Acorns secondary is facing a stiff challenge — part of the reason why David Pelz was named Live Oak’s starting quarterback this week over cornerback Dominic Bejarano.
The two seniors have been locked in a close battle.
“David’s going to take the most snaps, depending on the situations, but I still think it’s 50/50 with them,” Porras said. “The situation with Dominic this weekend is very important to us. We need him to focus all his attention on their receivers.”
The Acorns had a good week of practice this week, staying relaxed and focused for the rival Mustangs.
“Our game plan is to keep them loose,” Porras said. “We’re going to try and set the tone by bearing down and following our assignments. It’s the calm before the storm right now.”
