Morgan Hill
– After two games in which the Acorns scored a combined 70
points, Live Oak’s offense was tamed by Alisal, which held the home
team to a 16-9 loss Friday. In Live Oak’s first loss of the varsity
football season, the team was plagued by missed opportunities and
some bad breaks.
Morgan Hill – After two games in which the Acorns scored a combined 70 points, Live Oak’s offense was tamed by Alisal, which held the home team to a 16-9 loss Friday.
In Live Oak’s first loss of the varsity football season, the team was plagued by missed opportunities and some bad breaks. Head coach Rick Booth said it came down to who played better, which in his opinion was the Trojans.
“It’s my first loss and that’s OK,” Booth said. “Their kids beat us. They deserved to win, and we did not.”
The entire game was a defensive battle between Live Oak (2-1) and the Tojans (1-1), with both sides trading field goals in the first quarter – a 25-yarder for the Acorns and a 35-yarder for Alisal.
Live Oak had another field goal opportunity prior to the one that put them on the board, but that 41-yard attempt during the Acorn’s first offensive series was negated by a holding penalty, forcing them to punt.
Neither side scored a touchdown until Alisal broke a 3-3 tie in the second quarter on a 2-yard run by Jose Romero.
The scoring drive was set up after Live Oak failed to convert a fourth and inches play on their own 30 to close out the first quarter.
Alisal capitalized eight plays later.
The Trojans nearly broke the game open on their next possession, when Romero ran 60 yards into the endzone, only to have the big run called back because of a holding penalty.
In the third quarter, Alisal drove 43 yards in a little more than three minutes for a touchdown. But thanks to a penalty that pushed the Trojans back on their extra point attempt, the Acorns blocked the kick and recovered the ball. With the score 16-3, Live Oak embarked upon a four-play, two-minute drive that ended with a 56-yard touchdown run by Dustin Muhn to cut the Trojan lead to 16-9.
But Live Oak missed its own PAT, setting up a last-minute drive by the Acorns to attempt to even the score.
After Alisal missed a 55-yard field goal attempt that had the distance, but went wide by a hair in the fourth quarter, Live Oak began what would be their most effective offensive drive of the night.
Most effective, that is, barring the touchdown at the end that never materialized.
The Acorn drove 70 yards, helped along by a Trojan penalty, and came as close as the 10-yardline to scoring.
But Alisal’s red zone defense tightened up and faced with a 4th-and-5, Live Oak had to go for the touchdown.
The Acorns when to Muhn, who in the previous two games ran circles around opponents. But the speedy senior was stopped after just a 2-yard gain.
With three minutes left, Alisal took over.
Live Oak nearly got the ball back after four plays, but the Trojans converted a 4th-down play deep in their own territory.
While the Acorns did not yield another first down, they got the ball back with only 17 seconds to play in the game.
Three incomplete passes and a quarterback sack later, the game was over.
Booth said the team they faced was good and the competition will only get stiffer as Tri-County Athletic League play begins.
Quarterback Steven Webb said the game was a good lesson for the team and showed what more they need to work on.
“This was a good eye opener for us,” Webb said. “It showed some things we need to polish up.”
Live Oak will begin a long road series when they take on Seaside Friday at 7:30pm.
