Morgan Hill – With a change of quarterback, Live Oak head coach
Jon Michael Porras hoped to give his football team some kind of
advantage against league rival Oak Grove on Friday.
Morgan Hill – With a change of quarterback, Live Oak head coach Jon Michael Porras hoped to give his football team some kind of advantage against league rival Oak Grove on Friday.
The Oak Grove Eagles drew first blood when senior running back Stacy Long scored on a 24-yard run to complete a nine-play 56-yard opening drive.
O’Rourke took a punishing sack from Oak Grove’s junior linebacker Kenny Arechiga late in the first quarter, forcing the Acorns to punt away their second possession.
The Eagles’ senior running back Nevin Gardiner carried the brunt of the load for the Eagles with 102 rushing yards in the first half.
Gardiner capped the Eagles’ second possession and scoring drive on the first play of the second quarter with a four-yard touchdown run.
Porras brought junior Jeff Roberts in as quarterback a minute and a half into the second quarter, and moved senior Tim O’Rourke over to wideout.
“Roberts is one of our best athletes and we felt that he could do something big,” Porras said. “O’Rourke is an all-around good captain, but he (Roberts) gave us some athleticism.”
Jeff Roberts has a lot to learn at the quarterback position, but he is filling in wherever needed for the Live Oak football team.
On his first down at quarterback Roberts was sacked by the Eagles’ sophomore linebacker Paul Schwnke, and Live Oak was again forced to punt the ball away.
Oak Grove fed the ball to Gardiner who routinely broke past the line and sliced into the open field, keeping Live Oak’s senior defensive back Kyle Hennings busy all night.
The Eagles’ junior running back Allen Champman capped Oak Grove’s third consecutive scoring drive with an eight-yard catch from senior quarterback Regis Ward, to extend their lead 21-0.
Hungry for the end zone, the Acorns started their ensuing possession with good field position on the 34-yard line after senior running back Steven Rodriguez made a 21-yard kick return.
Roberts took a quarterback keeper on second and 12 for a gain of 15 yards setting up a long pass play two downs later as Roberts hit a streaking Matt Cummins for 44 yard gain and the Acorns first possession in the red zone.
Oak Grove head coach Ed buller, a Morgan Hill resident Ed Buller was proud of the way his team played, but gave credit to Live Oak for keeping after them.
“We played really well in the first half,” Buller said. “They took advantage of their passing abilities and they did a nice job.”
The Acorns used some trickery on the opening kick off of the second half with an onside kick by senior Casey Mott, but the recovery was a yard shy, giving Oak Grove possession and great field position.
Two plays later Oak Grove was in the end zone again, extending their lead 28-7.
Five minutes into the third quarter, at the their own 15-yard line, Roberts fumbled a hand off, which Oak Grove’s junior free safety Jabarri Carr scoped up and returned nine yards for another Eagles touchdown.
The problems continued piling up for Roberts on the Acorns ensuing possession.
On third and ten, after two incomplete passes, Roberts was picked off by Long, setting up yet another Oak Grove touchdown.
On a quarterback sneak from the one yard line Ward extended the Eagles’ lead 41-7.
The Eagles played solid on both sides of the ball and scored again, for their only touch down of the fourth quarter, on a 19-yard run by Chapman.
Junior kicker Alejandro Duarte was almost perfect for the Eagles making 6 of 7 point after attempts.
Live Oak wouldn’t go down without a fight, however, and scored on their last possession taking the score to 48-14.
On first down junior Jeff Blean broke two tackles on a 49-yard run to set up the Acorns final score.
“We moved Jeff Blean to number two (running back) this week,” Porras said. “We gave him the ball on that sweep and it showed me a lot.”
After solid runs by Roberts and Nick Muhn, Cummins took a hand off from the 12-yard line for the score.
The Live Oak defense could not stop the offensive onslaught from Oak Grove, and the Acorns’ offense was unable to make a stand early in th game to keep them in the running.
“When they brought the pressure it was like a buzz saw coming,” Porras said. “Oak Grove might be a championship team, but our goal is still playoffs too, so we have to look at the positives in a situation like this.”
