OCHS Lions remain undefeated after rout of Kilpatrick

MICHAEL COONS/The Acorn ANOTHER TOUCHDOWN FOR OAKS CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL-Kilpatrick quarterback Robin Dozier throws the ball while being sacked by Kevin McClure, left, and Duke Lemmens of Oaks Christian during Friday's homecoming game. Kilpatrick's interception was picked off by Marc Tyler of Oaks Christian who ran it in for a touchdown. Oaks Christian thoroughly dominated the game, 63-6.

The Oaks Christian football team remained undefeated when it easily defeated Kilpatrick, 63-6, on homecoming night last Friday in Westlake Village. The Lions improved to 6-0 overall and 2-0 in the Tri-Valley League on the season.

Lions head coach Bill Redell said his team rebounded well after what he described as a sub-par outing the week before, particularly in the first half of a win over Fillmore.

"I think we were a little bit taken aback with our performance last week against Fillmore even though we won, 35-10," said Redell. "We did not play very well in the first half."

What went wrong in that first half vs. Fillmore? "Probably just a little emotional letdown," said Redell. "The first quarter and a half of last week we just didn’t come to play. We made up our mind this week to come out and play hard the first half."

The Lions prepared well for Kilpatrick.

"We had good practices this week," Redell said. "I thought Aaron Ware had one of his best practices since he’s been here."

Ware, a junior running back, responded with 143 yards and three TDs vs. Kilpatrick.

"I think this game here was a carryover of the second half of last week," said Redell. "We scored 28 points in the second half last week. Then we scored 42 in the first half this week, so that’s 70 points (in four quarters)."

Redell praised Ware and senior quarterback Joey Halzle for leading the Lions this season. "Aaron (Ware) has taken a great leadership role and so has Joey Halzle," said Redell.

Halzle threw touchdown passes of 35 and 36 yards to senior tight end Sean Travis vs. Kilpatrick.

About his role as a team leader, Halzle said, "All these young players are great and I enjoy helping them out, anything they need. It’s going to be fun to watch them play in the future."

The Lions have four freshmen that promise to be stars of the future.

Said Ware, "It’s really an honor to be a leader and have the experience that we do so that we can help them get better later on. Jimmy Clausen, Marc Tyler, Marshall Jones, Sean Wiser—they’re such great talents. With the right guidance, they’re going to be awesome players, D-1 (Division I) for sure."

Clausen is a backup quarterback behind Halzle. Clausen has two older brothers who play for the University of Tennessee. Tyler is a running back whose father was an NFL standout. Jones is also a running back. And Wiser is a wide receiver.

"It’s going to be a beautiful thing," Ware said about playing one more year with the four freshmen. "I’m really looking forward to it—just taking them under my wing, trying to be the best leader that I can be and the best teammate, too."

Ware said the return of Mike James, who didn’t play against Fillmore, helped vs. Kilpatrick.

"He totally brings out the morale in the team and he’s just such a spirited player. Whenever you see him, you get something from it and you just play that much better," Ware said of James, a senior cornerback. "It’s nice to have him back. It made our defense that much more secure."

Halzle praised the play of Peter Padden, a senior, who played center after starter Nick Cohen, also a senior, was injured vs. Kilpatrick.

"Peter Padden did a great job filling in," said Halzle. "When guys are going down, other guys are stepping up and filling in, and that’s important for our team."

Redell said his team still needs to improve its running defense and he noted that Nordhoff and Carpinteria—not just Oak Park—remain as tough Tri-Valley League opponents.

"We need to work on stopping the run," Redell said. "And we need to work on containing. We’re letting the quarterback outside a little too much. There’s a lot of areas for improvement—on our offensive line, blocking. But I’m real proud of the kids—I thought they played a good ball game."

Oaks Christian plays Carpinteria on the road tomorrow. The Lions play Nordhoff in Ojai on Nov. 7 and the showdown with undefeated Oak Park is week 10 on Nov. 14 in Westlake Village.

"I said Nordhoff was the sleeper team of the league, way back in the beginning of the season, before anybody played any games," said Redell. "I think Nordhoff is going to be a real tough team for Oak Park and us. And Carpinteria will not be easy up in Carpinteria."