The Live Oak Acorns eased through their first full practice of
the 2011 football season Friday, working on special teams and
conditioning in mild weather at Live Oak High School
MORGAN HILL
The Live Oak Acorns eased through their first full practice of the 2011 football season Friday, working on special teams and conditioning in mild weather at Live Oak High School.
It was not the intense workout many would expect to see at the start of fall camp. Players, numbering about 40, wore T-shirts and shorts and were instructed to avoid contact, though, there was an occasional brush-up or pat on the back. No one was punished for arriving late; students waited in long lines that day to register for class.
The next few weeks will be much different.
“I knew today was going to be crazy, so I didn’t want to go crazy,” first-year LOHS coach Mike Gemo said. “Come next week, we’ll get the pads on and really get to see where we stand. See if we’re going to be a physical team, if we can tackle. Who’s going to be good with pads on? I’m really looking forward to Monday.”
So were the players. As much fun as jogging through kickoffs, punts and field goals are, it was a tease to what lay ahead: full-contact practices from 3 to 5 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, and 3 to 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, the first day of school.
Gemo and his staff have brought back Live Oak’s intrasquad Green and White Game, which will be held for the first time since 2008 on Saturday at Richert Field. Game time is to be announced.
The Acorns play in a jamboree the following week.
“We’re ready to get out there and hit,” incoming sophomore linebacker/tight end Kyle Quadros said. “We had a good effort today. … I think we’re ready to go all out.”
Gemo was far from ready to name any starters on offense and defense, but he did have a better sense of who will kick, punt and return kicks this fall.
Tailbacks Trevor Bearden and Joey Rodriguez lined up deep for kickoffs booted by incoming junior Mark Butterworth — the man with a thousand nicknames — while wideout/cornerback Jerardo Caro and tailback Matt Dariano fielded booming punts by Andrew Daggett, Mitch Marcum and Butterworth, who averaged about 30 net yards and almost four seconds of hang time.
Daggett had never kicked before but was encouraged by coaches to try out because of his flexibility, which ranks high for offensive linemen.
“It’s not as fun as blocking, but it’s all right,” he said.
Backed by most of the team’s best athletes, including linebacker Nikki Weber, cornerback/wideout Austin Carvalho and offensive/defensive linemen Derek Satterlee and Tyler Geer to name a few, the Acorns’ punt return unit looks like a big play waiting to happen.
Carvalho, a 6-foot-1, 160-pound incoming senior also long-snapped on a punt coverage team that included junior track star Alex Haferbecker, who could turn into a key addition with his sprinter’s speed and strength.
Out of the hold of Caro and quarterback Taylor Turnipseed, Butterworth looked steady kicking field goals from inside 30 yards.
“Special teams are something to look forward to,” Gemo said. “We’re trying to find the right positions for the right guys and getting some of the guys who don’t play a lot, getting them accustomed to the field with some special teams and rewarding them for working hard in practice.”
Friday marked the start of fall camp and the end to what has been a productive first offseason for the Acorns under Gemo. They have revamped their three-five-three defense with five returning starters and several promising additions and have retooled their offense to incorporate pro-style passing done with as many as four wideouts, and hard-nosed running out of two- and three-back sets.
“It’s a good mix,” Gemo said. “With the (running) backs we’ve got and our line, that’s going to be a pretty big deal this year — ball control. We’re going to try and throw the ball more and do a few different looks on offense.”
The team has adjusted well, Gemo added, albeit without pads.
“Everyone looks good in shorts, you know,” he said. “The kids are getting anxious to put on their gear. We’ve got next week and the Green and White Game; the following week we have a jamboree, then we play Gilroy. It’s going to be here before we know it.”
