Lions to play in state championship game
By Stephen Dorman sdorman@theacorn.com

Oaks Christian will play for the Division III state championship Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Home Depot Center in Carson.

The Lions (140) were selected by the CIF to represent the South in the state’s first football title games since 1927. OCHS will play Cardinal Newman (131), the North Division III representative from Santa Rosa.

In other games on Saturday, the Division II title matchup will feature Orange Lutheran (11-3), winners of the Southern Section’s Pac-5 Division, taking on Palo Alto (13-1) at 3 p.m.

The nightcap has Canyon High (11-2) playing Concord De La Salle (14-0) at 7 p.m.

Canyon defeated Moorpark High 2422 in the Northern Division championship last weekend at the Home Depot Center. De La Salle is the state’s top-ranked team, according to CalHiSports.com. USA Today ranks De La Salle as the No. 1 prep squad in the nation.

Tickets are $15 for general admission and $8 for students, children and seniors. A single ticket is good for all three games. Each game will be televised on FSN Prime Ticket.

Oaks Christian, ranked No. 6 nationally by USA Today, has won 45 consecutive games. If the Lions beat Cardinal Newman, they’ll move into a tie with Canyon and Temple City for the longest winning streak in Southern California history. Canyon won 46 straight contests from 1983-86, Temple City from 1969-73.

De La Salle owns the nation’s longest winning streak, having won 151 games in a row from 1992-2004.

OCHS senior running back Marshall Jones said despite the Lions’ load of national hype, his team still has something to prove.

“We want to show everyone that we’re the best team in the nation,” Jones said. “We want to prove that we can beat anybody, anywhere.”

Although they enter the game as heavy underdogs, Cardinal Newman shouldn’t be a pushover.

Cardinal Newman already snapped Modesto Central Catholic’s 61-game winning streak earlier this season, the second-longest streak in state history.

The Cardinals are led by senior running back Brian Hutton and senior quarterback Ryan Lingle. Hutton’s rushed for 1,767 yards and has scored 27 touchdowns. Lingle has completed 170-of-258 passes for 2,368 yards with 23 touchdowns and six interceptions.

OCHS’ offense is fueled by quarterback Jimmy Clausen, the state’s alltime leader in touchdown passes, and a group of talented wide receivers including Chris Potter, Sean Wiser and Chris Owusu.

The Lions’ defense is airtight, with Casey Matthews (143 tackles, 10 sacks), Michael Ebbitt (11 sacks) and Anthony Gildon (10 INTs) leading the charge.