Lions win first-ever postseason playoff outing

Acorn Staff Writer


It wasn’t the steamrollering you might expect from the collision of undefeated Oaks Christian with humble Pasadena Polytechnic last week at Thorsen Stadium.


Sure, the Lions won 27-21 in their first California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) playoff game, but the undermanned 4-5 Panthers, ranked last in CIF polls, battled them into double overtime and turned much of the game into a grinding tug-of-war for scarce yardage.


The Lions’ first successful drive began late in the first quarter when tight end Kyle Salter caught a 30-yard pass, moving the line of scrimmage to the 14 yard line. Quarterback Joey Halzle carried the ball to the 9-yard line.


Then frosh running back Aaron Ware, seemingly tackled behind the line, broke free to the 3-yard line. He concluded the drive with a slant off the right tackle and into the end zone.


Though less than two minutes remained, the ball was soon in the Lions’ hands again following an interception by defense back Adam Richter.


But the second quarter brought setbacks.


The Panthers picked off a deflected ball, allowing their Randy Sherman to break away with it. Ware made a touchdown-saving tackle only to suffer an apparent shoulder injury that removed him from the game. And in spite of his efforts, the Panthers soon scored.


After halftime, the Panthers continued to prove this was no one-sided game. With 8:12 remaining in the third quarter, Pasadena’s Robert Small ran for 34 yards, breaking a tackle and visiting the Lions’ end zone in the process.


The intimidating kicking power of the Panthers’ Jaime D’Amato forced Oaks Christian to start deep in Lion territory.


But then a series of running plays in the fourth quarter, mostly through the middle of the line, carried the ball 80 yards in the other direction.


It helped that running back John Giangregorio, who had sat out the beginning of the game, was back in action. The Lions finally scored a touchdown that tied the game at 14 with 11:03 to go. Minutes later, Salter sacked the Panther quarterback.


The remaining minutes of the last quarter saw impressive defensive play by OCHS wide receivers Bryan Price and Matt Peterson that stopped the Panthers from scoring.


In overtime, the Lions switched from a running to a throwing game.


A few minutes into overtime, Salter scored a TD. Then, when Pasadena got its chance to respond, it gained a touchdown off a pass that was almost caught by a Lion defender. The game would have been over, but, heartbreakingly, the pigskin bounced into the waiting arms of a Panther.


The next time the Panthers tried to hurl a pass into the end zone, however, it was intercepted by Oaks Christian defender Jon Adams. And minutes later, Richter completed a halfback option pass off the left tackle and seized the game-winning touchdown.


Next week Oaks Christian enters round two of the CIF Southern Section playoffs against Capo Valley Christian Academy.





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