Live Oak’s defense played well enough to win at Westmont on Friday.
Holding the Warriors to just three field goals should have been enough to end the Acorns’ two-game skid.
But Live Oak had trouble finding the end zone through out the game. Despite punching the ball in the end zone in the fourth quarter, the Acorns fell 9-7.
“It was good defense on both sides,” said coach Mike Gemo. “Defensively, we played well. Offensively, we couldn’t get going. The defense did a good job keeping them out of end zone, but we just didn’t make plays at end that we needed to win.”
The Acorns had a chance to win the game late, but turned the ball over on downs.
Sophomore AJ Gustaveson was the standout with 185 yards rushing on 22 carries.
Gemo said Gustaveson did a great job taking advantage of a starting role and acquitted himself well through the game.
“He was just a step or two away from breaking long ones,” Gemo said.
The rest of the Acorns’ offense, however, struggled to find a rhythm and it leaves Live Oak looking for some answers heading into a tough Piedmont Hills team on Friday.
The Pirates are 3-1 overall and are coming off a close 28-26 loss to Oak Grove last week.
“I expect them to have a ton of confidence after they only lost to Oak Grove by two points,” Gemo said.
Piedmont Hills is led by quarterback Gabriel Reclusado who has thrown for 789 yards and 13 touchdowns against just three interceptions.
The Pirates run the ball slightly more than they pass the ball, but have gained fewer yards and are led by Reclusado who has 289 yards on 34 carries and two touchdowns.
Piedmont likes to get the ball in the air and spread it among three primary receivers, including Brandon Lowe who leads the team in receiving yards with 293 and Deonte Taylor who leads the team in receptions with 14.
The Pirates are stingy on defense, outscoring opponents by 23 points in their wins. The defense, including the loss to Oak Grove, has surrendered 81 points total (roughly 20 points per game.)
Gemo said the task is going to be tough, but he needs his kids to believe that no one is unbeatable in the league.
“We’re not going to be as athletic as they are. It’s going to be tough,” Gemo said. “We have to be ready to go. In this league, anyone can be beat by anyone on a given Friday.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Live Oak.
