Live Oak plays its oldest and, to some, most bitter rival in
Gilroy, starting at 7:30 p.m. today at Garcia-Elder Sports Complex.
A win would snap a two-year losing streak to the Mustangs and give
Gemo instant credibility with the Acorn faithful. More prep
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MORGAN HILL
Coaching debuts are rarely as big as the one Mike Gemo makes today.
His Live Oak Acorns play their oldest and, to some, most bitter rival in Gilroy, starting at 7:30 p.m. at Garcia-Elder Sports Complex. A win would snap a two-year losing streak to the Mustangs and give Gemo instant credibility with the Acorn faithful.
There’s that. Then there’s the other pressing matter: a shot at a 3-0 finish in nonleague play and a much-needed boost heading into what promises to be another meat-grinder in the Mount Hamilton Division.
“Winning those three games, that’s more important than anything right now,” Gemo said. “That sets the tone for league, where we can surprise some people.”
That would also mean precious playoff points for Live Oak, who barely reached Central Coast Sectionals last year at 5-6 overall and 3-4 in league. Had they beaten Gilroy in their season opener, a 35-30 Mustangs win, the Acorns would have drawn a less-tougher opponent in the first round than top seed Monterey, the eventual Division III runner-up.
Live Oak’s conference schedule features six playoff teams from 2010, including reigning Division I-II champions Piedmont Hills and Willow Glen, respectively, and Open Division constant Oak Grove, who debuted at No. 4 Wednesday in the San Jose Mercury News’ county rankings.
“It’s probably the second-best league besides the West Catholic,” Gemo said. “There’s not an easy game on our schedule. We’re going to have to grind out all 10. Once we do that, we’ll be OK.”
Live Oak faces its best chance in years to knock off Gilroy. The Mustangs have weakened since their run to the Open Division playoffs in 2008, finishing 4-6-1 in 2009 and 2-8 last year under former coach Greg Garcia.
Gemo expects a typical, “hard-fought” Live Oak-Gilroy game regardless.
“It’s going to be a good battle,” he said. “They’ve got a lot of speed, and they spread you out.”
The Mustangs are led by second-year starting quarterback Niko Fortino, who threw for 2,011 yards and 14 touchdowns as a junior. Fortino has two talented receivers in the speedy Jourdan Soares and the versatile Brendan Holler. Gilroy’s defense, however, is mostly inexperienced.
The Acorns are coming off a decent showing against Oak Grove, Sobrato, Leigh and Yerba Buena in a jamboree Saturday at Oak Grove High School. Sophomore running back Trevor Bearden ran the ball efficiently for Live Oak, and senior guard/defensive tackle Derek Satterlee played well on both sides.
“We got some things accomplished against some good opponents,” Gemo said. “The kids are fired up to play for real now.”
