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The Acorn Camarillo Acorn Moorpark Acorn Simi Valley Acorn Thousand Oaks Acorn |
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The Acorn’s High School Football Game of the Week
Oaks Christian Lions (4-0) at Fillmore Flashes (4-1) Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Since the beginning of the 2004 campaign, the Lions have played seven regular-season games in the Tri-Valley League, and have won all seven. But it’s not the fact that they’re winning that’s so mind boggling. It’s the way they’re doing it. In those seven league victories, OCHS has scored 403 total points, for an average of 57.5 points per game. They’ve scored more than 60 points on four occasions and have never been held under 42 points. The Lion defense has limited its opponents to 85 total points over that stretch, or 12.1 points per game. All told, Oaks Christian has posted a per-game average margin of victory of 45.4 points against league competition since the start of last season. “I think most of the people in the Tri-Valley League feel like we shouldn’t be in the league,” Oaks Christian head coach Bill Redell said. “I don’t think that’s a secret. I don’t think there’s anybody that feels like we should be in the league. “It’s kind of an unusual situation where we happen to have a very good football team with a lot of talent that came in that are now juniors,” the coach said. “In the long run, we’re probably in the right division and where we should be, and we should be a member of the Tri-Valley League.” Matt Dann, the head coach of the first place Fillmore Flashes, said he believes Oaks Christian would be better suited to move up from Division XI and out of the TriValley. “They don’t belong in our league,” Dann said. “They don’t belong in our division. Until they choose to play against their own talent level, we’re stuck with them.” Redell said that there are teams within the league that believe OCHS has an advantage because the private school recruits its players, a practice he denies. “We don’t recruit,” Redell said. “Kids can come from different districts to the school. We don’t give scholarships, although there is financial aid available for those who can’t afford to come. “There’s a lot of misunderstanding and miscommunication about the way kids come to Oaks Christian,” Redell said. “And it’s too bad various schools feel that way. But there certainly is some tension with the schools in the TriValley about unfair advantages as far as recruiting kids.” Regarding comments that his team needs to elevate its divisional status, Redell said various factors such as population, location and competitive balance determine which division each school is in. He added that OCHS is likely to stay in Division XI at least through 2006. Another issue for the Lions is scheduling, as many programs fear losing to a lower division school. Oaks Christian, currently ranked No. 6 in California by MaxPreps.com, buried Division II Burbank, 50-10, in Week 3, just two weeks after crushing Division III Muir, 57-0, on opening night. “I can see why a lot of teams wouldn’t want to play us,” Redell said. “They really have nothing to gain.” For tonight’s game, and throughout the remainder of the season, it’ll be the heavily favored Lions who are playing with everything to loss. Players to Watch Oaks Christian Fillmore QB Jimmy Clausen RB Marc Tyler QB Jonathon Avila RB Nathan Largen LB Matt Allen WR/LB Matt Cobos DL/OL Michael Ebbitt Outlook The USA beat the Soviet Union in hockey during the 1980 Olympic Games, so Fillmore downing OCHS would only qualify as the second-greatest upset in sports history. But it’s just not going to happen. The Lions and quarterback Jimmy Clausen, who will be featured in an upcoming issue of Sports Illustrated, are so talented and deep that there’s a good chance they might not play a close game for the remainder of the season. DL Curtis Cole |
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