Oaks Christian Lions football ousted in semis

The Oaks Christian football team lost, 38-24, in a California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section Division XI semifinals matchup vs. Cerritos Valley Christian in a game played in Cerritos last Friday night.

The Lions finished 11-2 this year after going 11-1-1 in 2001, a season in which the team also lost in the CIF semifinals.

Oaks Christian has only had a varsity program for two years and has made the playoff semifinals each of those two years.

The Lions had a 24-17 lead headed into the fourth quarter against Cerritos Valley Christian, but three straight touchdowns by the home team secured the win.

Still, Oaks Christian has much to be proud of and a lot to look forward to, said Bill Redell, the team’s head coach.

"Any time you can start a brand new program and be in the CIF semifinals, that speaks well for your program, it speaks well for the kids that are coming to school here, and it speaks well for our coaching staff," said Redell.

"We’re disappointed, but we thought our kids played hard," he added.

"A couple of breaks and we could have won it and could have been playing Carpinteria again."

No. 1 seeded Carpinteria will face No. 2 seeded Cerritos Valley Christian in the CIF finals. Oaks Christian was the third seed.

The Lions lost despite the play of sophomore running back Aaron Ware (210 yards rushing), junior quarterback Joey Halzle (190 yards on 13 of 26 passing), and senior wide receiver Sean Adams (10 receptions for 114 yards).

A key play in the game came with the score tied at 24 and Oaks Christian faced with a fourth and one at the Cerritos Valley Christian 31-yard line. The Lions were stopped and Cerritos Valley Christian scored twice to seal the victory.

Still, Redell said his team is very optimistic about next year.

"They’ve tasted getting to the semifinals twice and now they want to get to the Big Dance," he said of his players. "Next year we’re going to punch it into that final game, hopefully."

—Wayne Harrison