Lions tie CIF-Southern Section record with fifth consecutive title
OCHS routs Nordhoff, 52-7, to claim Northwest Division championship
By Stephen Dorman sdorman@theacorn.com

IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers ON TOP AGAIN- Oaks Christian team captains, from left, Chris Potter, Trace Biskin, Chris Owusu and Dominic Denham display the CIF-Southern Section Northwest Division championship plaque.

The Oaks Christian football team continued its assault on the California high school record books last Friday night in the CIFSouthern Section Northwest Division championship game.

In rolling through Nordhoff 52-7 at Newbury Park High, the Lions (11-3), according to CalHiSports.com, became only the second team in Southern Section history to win five consecutive section titles. From 1997 to 2001, Lancaster Paraclete established the CIF-SS record.

"It's a wonderful accomplishment that the kids can take a lot of pride in," OCHS head coach Bill Redell said.

Oaks Christian, owners of the longest winning streak in Southern California history at 48 games and the best overall winning percentage in state history (87-8-1 all-time record, 91 percent), has put itself in position to become only the second team from Southern California to capture six straight section championships.

Wilmington Banning won six consecutive L.A. City Section titles from 1976 to 1981.

"Our objective every season is to win a CIF championship; that's the goal," said Redell, who's won six CIF rings as a head coach- one at Crespi High and five at OCHS.

"The fact that we can play for six in a row next year makes our goal even sweeter."

After struggling through a 4-3 start to the season, including a Week 3 loss to St. Bonaventure that ended the program's 48-game winning streak, the Lions regained their unstoppable form from years past down the stretch.

OCHS won its final seven games by a combined score of 331 to 55. Redell said the team's wake-up call was its 25-20 defeat to Oak Park on Oct. 19.

"Right after the Oak Park loss, it was like a light went off in their heads," Redell said. "It wasn't that they weren't trying before, but they really started to focus on what needed to be done after getting beat."

No OCHS team had lost more than three games during a season in school history, and the players put it on themselves to make sure they didn't become the first group to do so, the coach said.

"We talked about that right after the Oak Park game, and their focus became a lot more concentrated," Redell said. "I was actually surprised with how well we did toward the end and into the playoffs. The kids really responded well."

Take last weekend's championship game, for example.

After building a 70 firstquarter lead on a 51-yard scoring scamper by sophomore running back Malcolm Jones, Oaks Christian exploded for four more second-quarter touchdowns to push its lead to 35-0 at halftime.

In the second-quarter outburst, Jones found pay dirt from 8 yards out to make it a 14-0 contest. Jones' second score was followed by touchdown tosses of 11 and 30 yards from senior quarterback Chris Potter. Wide receiver Chris Owusu added a 39yard touchdown run late in the first half.

Oaks Christian's offense finished the first half with 413 total yards. Nordhoff, meanwhile, could only muster 64 yards of total offense through the first 24 minutes of play.

In the second half, OCHS played its backups and still breezed to victory.

"The whole week at practice we prepared for them to go full speed ahead," said Oaks Christian's Arizonabound offensive tackle Trace Biskin. "We knew Nordhoff would be tough on every play, but we just kept pushing and pushing until we broke through."

Biskin was ecstatic to keep the Lions' title-winning tradition alive.

"Some of my best friends graduated off last year's team," Biskin said. "It means a lot to me and the other seniors to be able to continue the legacy those players left behind."

Owusu, the wideout who will attend Stanford, claimed four CIF titles during his tenure with the Lions. His younger brother, Brian, a junior wideout/defensive back, now has three of his own, giving the Owusu brothers a total of seven championship rings.

"It's a wonderful feeling," Chris Owusu said. "This program has been on top for a few years now. There aren't too many players who get a chance like this."

Of all the Lions who made an impact during the past few years, none was more versatile or vital to the team's success than Potter, the Boise Statebound studentathlete who switched to quarterback after earning All-State and All-CIF honors as a wide receiver during his sophomore and junior campaigns.

Potter also played defensive back for OCHS this season and intercepted nine passes, one short of the school record.

"Chris Potter could have gone to another high school and been the starting quarterback for four years," Redell said.

"He had an outstanding season and career for us. He's a great kid, a very humble kid and an exceptional leader. We were really fortunate to have Chris in our program. He's a special, special person."

St. Bonaventure earns bid

To have a chance at being selected for its second consecutive trip to the CIF State Division III bowl game this weekend at Home Depot Center, Oaks Christian needed Hart of Newhall to beat St. Bonaventure in last weekend's CIF-SS Northern Division final.

Unfortunately for the Lions, St. Bonaventure, led by superstar running back Darrell Scott, was victorious, 42-28.

Last Sunday, the CIF selected St. Bonaventure to play against Central Catholic of Modesto Saturday at 11:30 a.m. for the Division III title.

"They beat us," Redell said. "St. Bonaventure deserves to be there."