It’s my belief that occasionally in the sporting world, fans should put the desire to see their team win on the back burner in order to see a good close game.

Sure, all fans want their favorite team to win, but on certain nights and under certain circumstances, loyal fans can’t help but appreciate watching a dog-fight between two capable opponents. It can even be better than watching their team win in a blowout.

This is what I believed may have happened last Saturday in another memorable Div. XI title game between rivals Oak Park and Oaks Christian, two of the area’s premier football programs.

Yes, I know it might sound ludicrous to say that Lion fans actually preferred the hard fight it took to triumph over the Eagles, 39-21, compared to their usual over-by-halftime romps, but I saw signs of that exact occurrence as I sat with a former Pepperdine professor in the OCHS side of the field for the first half the game.

As the contest kicked off at 7:30 p.m. I was surprised to see a certain bit of complacency among my group of fans—even as the Lions jumped out to a 14-0 lead on a sweet Marshall Jones’ interception return and another elusive TD run by do-it-all-back Marc Tyler.

Yes, the crowd did clap and show its approval, but the attitude in my section was more like "Here the boys’ go again" rather than the kind of excitement that usually goes with an early lead in a title game against a super rival.

I started to wonder quietly to myself if the undefeated Lions were actually too good for their own good—so good in fact that even in a championship game a touchdown was simply routine, something to be expected, not exalted.

But all of this began to slowly change at the start of the second quarter, and not because of the actions of the OC boys, but because of the response of their opponents, the public school rivals from OPHS.

As Oak Park began to show life, first with a eight-yard touchdown by senior running back Josh Moskowitz, and then with a 30-yard strike from Doug Deakin to Matt Alexander, so did the Oaks Christian fans.

It was as if somewhere down deep inside their passionate football hearts they had wanted to see their boys tested, they had wanted to see this team of stars "earn it."

By the time the Eagles had taken an unsuspecting lead with less than four minutes to go in the half, the Lions fans were completely on their feet for the ensuing kickoff.

Sure, a few were frustrated, a few were downright concerned, but for the most part the feeling I got was one of growing excitement, that feeling in the gut that jumps up the jugular and tells us, "Hey, we’re in for a good one."

But to me, that is just the nature of being real fan. It goes without saying that if you don’t have to work for something it will never mean as much.

So, in the case of Oaks Christian, fans couldn’t have asked for anything more than the spirited effort the Eagles put forth Saturday night.

This is especially true considering they had a chance to hang up their hats early but decided the Lions weren’t going to escape Thousand Oaks without a fight.

That’s exactly what they got.

More than probably anything else that could be said about the game, it’s clear to me that the over 1,000 fans that packed into Lancer Stadium go their money’s worth and more.

Theygot to see two of the best teams in this area leave everything they had on the field, and the result was a truly magnificent football game. Sure, in the end, the Lions were able to pull away, and the performance they gave will long be remembered. That wouldn’t be the case if they had rolled to a lopsided victory.

Maybe I’m looking a little too much into this, and maybe the Lion fans would have been fine with a blowout, but from what I saw and felt and heard—nothing could be further from the truth.

Sure, these teams are rivals and they’d like nothing more than to pound one another into the dirt, but years from now I’m sure both players and fans will look upon this game as another memorable episode in the growing history of the Oak Park versus. Oaks Christian rivalry.

It was a game that asked both teams to dig deeper than they probably thought possible, and because of the effort put forth by both squads, the Lions could walk off the field not only knowing they were champions, but also knowing they had played their absolute best to earn that title.

And the Eagles, heartbroken as they might have been, can say they took Oaks Christian’s best shot and just kept fighting.

For my first ever California prep football championship game, it was certainly a night to remember. It’s been a long season and plenty of hard work, but getting to see Saturday night’s battle on the field helped remind me why I love to do what I do.

And whether you choose to believe my opinion about a fan’s inner desire for good games or not, just remember what a wise man once said: "Nothing ever comes easy or fast. If it does, that means it wasn’t worth having in the first place."

The Oaks Christian Lions are the best team in Div. XI not just because of their depth of talent, but because of the hard work they are willing to do.

And thanks to the courage and effort of the crew from Oak Park, the Lions were forced to work hard right up until the end.