Oaks Christian football team eying Division XI three-peat

Brethren have lost a grand total of zero games since the conclusion of their Week 2 matchup on Sept. 16, a contest won by the Lions, 48-7.

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers NORDHOFF NO MATCH—OCHS wide receiver Christopher Potter navigates his way through the Nordhoff defense during last weekend’s CIF semifinal victory. The Lions will go for their third straight Division XI championship Saturday night against Grace Brethren. The game is at Newbury Park High. Not only are both teams winning every single weekend, but they’ve manhandled their opponents en route to Saturday night’s Division XI championship rematch at Newbury Park High.

Tri-Valley champion Oaks Christian (12-0) easily got by Nordhoff, 35-7, at home in their CIF-Southern Section semifinal contest.

The Lancers (11-2), winners of the Olympic League, are fresh off a 20-7 semifinal victory over San Jacinto last weekend in a game that was also played at Newbury Park High.

It was the ninth time in their last 10 games that Grace Brethren had allowed seven points or fewer. Since Oct. 1, the Lancer defense has five shutouts.

The win, however, didn’t come without a heavy price tag for Grace Brethren, who likely lost quarterback Travis Chupp for Saturday’s title game because of a toe injury.

On Tuesday, Lancer head coach Terry Gourley said there was a “5 percent” chance Chupp was going to play, a number that had risen from “0 percent” on Monday.

“Right now Travis has a real positive attitude and he’s trying to get better,” Gourley said. “But you can only do so much mentally to get over a physical injury. We’re preparing to go with the freshman.”

That freshman would be quarterback Kevin Ramay.

Ramay has completed 13-of30 pass attempts for 116 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions this season.

One option for Gourley could have been to have defensive lineman Rick Elmore start at quarterback. Elmore played the position during the Lancers’ run to the Division XII championship last season and was the team’s starter in Week 1 this year.

Gourley said he’s opted to prepare Ramay instead because he doesn’t want to lose Elmore on defense, adding that Elmore’s not completely comfortable behind center anyways.

The way the two-time defending Division XI champion Oaks Christian defense has played all year, letting them face a freshman quarterback in the championship game could be like feeding T-bone steaks to a pack of wild dogs.

OCHS defensive coordinator Clay Matthews’ bunch is allowing 7.3 points per game.

The unit is led by Matt Allen (150 tackles), Casey Matthews (106 tackles), Marshall Jones (five INTs), Duke Lemmens (six sacks), Kane Roberts (88 tackles), Tommy Grillo (four sacks) and Anthony Gildon (three INTs).

“Clay Matthews has done a fabulous job with our defense ever since he’s been here,” Oaks Christian head coach Bill Redell said. “This year’s defense is a lot better than last year’s defense and it’s primarily because they are learning what Clay wants them to do.”

Matthews, a member of the USC Athletic Hall of Fame, played 19 seasons and 278 games in the NFL, the third most in NFL history.

In addition to the star power in the coaching staff, there’s also plenty of gridiron talent for both teams on display Saturday night.

Oaks Christian fields a pair of juniors that college scouts are drooling over in quarterback Jimmy Clausen and running back Marc Tyler, both of whom were seen on the USC sideline during last weekend’s thumping of UCLA.

Lemmens is also a highly touted college prospect, according to Redell.

Grace Brethren counters with Elmore and his twin brother Cory, who’ve each committed to play at the University of Arizona. Rick leads the Lancers with 10 sacks. Cory is a starting offensive lineman. Both stand 6-foot-5.

Lancer linebacker Steve Gourley has logged a team-high 150 tackles. He will also be playing football for a Division I college.

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 288 pounds, offensive/defensive lineman Steve Josker is a candidate to play at the next level as well.

Coach Gourley said the four players have been vital to the Lancers’ string off success in recent years.

“Steve Josker, Steve Gourley, Ricky and Cory are the foundation of this program, and you only have one foundation,” Gourley said. “Their work ethic, their desire to play the game and compete, their track record has helped our meteoric rise.”

In the Week 2 game between the schools, Grace Brethren kept the game close until late in the third quarter when Tyler ran for a 98-yard touchdown after the Lion defense had stopped Grace Brethren on 4th-and-goal from the 2-yard line.

The defensive stand and ensuing touchdown run killed any momentum the Lancers had built up to that point and sent OCHS into cruise control for the remainder of the contest.

“I think Grace Brethren is a good football team,” Redell said. “The game we played against them was closer than the score indicated.”

Gourley said his team must control the clock with their running game—Grace Brethren had nearly 32 minutes of time of possession and 58 rushing attempts in the first matchup—to have a shot to win.

The Lancer defense will have to play better in the rematch, too, said the coach.

“There’s no reason for someone not to want to come see this game,” Gourley said. “We’ve got that whole David and Goliath thing going. It’s a great chance for everybody to see all of theses good players in a big format.”

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.