Mark Weber (47), T.J. Ornduff, left, and the rest of Live Oak's defense did their best to stop Leland on Friday at Richert Field. The Chargers rallied to a 27-22 victory. (PHOTO BY PHIL SILVEIRA.)
MORGAN HILL -- Should the Leland Chargers upset Pioneer next week, Live Oak football can say it was four second-half turnovers away from beating the Mount Hamilton Division champions.
The Acorns fumbled and threw away that opportunity Friday at Richert Field. They lost three loose balls and had a pass picked off in the final 19 minutes, allowing the Chargers to rally from eight points down to win 27-22 and keep Live Oak's postseason hopes in flux.
Following a fumble recovery by defensive back Christopher Santini, Anthony Russell scored the go-ahead touchdown on a delayed 10-yard screen pass from Alex Gonzalez with 9:42 remaining.
"We beat ourselves tonight with turnovers," Live Oak coach Jon Michael Porras said. "Our defense gave us every opportunity to score tonight, and we just kept turning the ball over."
Gonzalez completed 16-of-25 passing for 171 yards and three touchdown passes to Russell, who had four catches for 74 yards. The two hooked up for scoring strikes of 12 and 17 yards in the first half as Leland built a 14-0 lead.
Vincent Gemette rushed for 165 yards and a touchdown in 18 attempts for the visiting Chargers (7-2 overall 4-1 league), who spoiled the Acorns' Senior Night as well as their chance to lock down a Centra Coast Section playoff spot.
"I think we'll bounce back from this. We know we played a good game tonight," Acorns linebacker Mark Weber said. "We just made too many mistakes. That was the difference."
Live Oak (3-6, 3-3) still controls its own destiny, though, heading into a climactic final week of the regular season. The Acorns are tied with Oak Grove for the division's fourth and final playoff spot, but hold a tiebreaker over the Eagles by virtue of their 9-7 head-to-head victory Oct. 16. Live Oak can clinch a CCS berth with a victory at Santa Teresa High this Saturday, or if Oak Grove falls to Piedmont Hills on Friday.
If the Acorns lose and the Eagles win, Live Oak's season will likely be over.
"We got to move on and work hard (this) week," Acorns two-way lineman Nico Devillires said. "We feel like we should have won tonight. We were pushing them pretty good up front in the second half."
Leland held a 199-97 edge in yards of total offense in the first half, but the Acorns needed only a few big plays to keep the score close.
The first came a play after Gonzalez and Russell connected for their second score with 3:05 left until halftime. Jacob Montoya returned the ensuing kick-off 83 yards for a touchdown, following a wedge up the middle before breaking loose near the LOHS 40-yard line.
Leland's next drive ended with free safety Ryan Hennings intercepting a tipped pass thrown by Gonzalez and returning it 55 yards. That set up a trick play for a score with five seconds left. Cody Van Aken threw a backwards pass to wideout Dominic Leach, who squared up and lobbed a 34-yard pass to Julio Aguayo for a touchdown. Santini blocked Montoya's PAT kick, leaving the Chargers ahead 14-13 at the half.
"The interception return and double-pass were huge," Porras said. "Those really helped swing the momentum in our favor."
Aguayo finished with 76 total yards, Montoya rushed for 61 yards, and Blair Zerr carried 10 times for 89 yards and a touchdown to lead Live Oak.
All three players lost fumbles in the second half.
"We need to do a better job holding onto the football," said Acorns quarterback Dylan Frechette, who had a pass intercepted by Santini after Live Oak's defense turned Leland away scoreless on fourth-and-one from inside the LOHS 5 late in the fourth quarter. "Our defense was excellent tonight. Our offense has to limit mistakes from here on out."
The Acorns took the lead, 15-14, when defensive tackle Erik Poulsen sacked Gonzalez in the Chargers' end zone with 7:15 left in the third quarter. The safety was made possible by Leach's 49-yard punt that was downed at the LHS 3.
Zerr turned an inside dive into a 53-yard touchdown run three minutes later, pushing Live Oak's lead to 22-14.
Leland answered with Gimette's 50-yard score on a counter play. The Chargers failed a 2-point conversion run.
"In our offense, that's like a long pass," Leland coach Mike Carrozzo said of Gimette's big run. "Vinnie and our defense really stepped up in that second half. At times, our defense was frustrating and abysmal, but they created turnovers when we needed them."
Leland and Pioneer -- ranked No. 8 in the county by the San Jose Mercury News -- will play for first place outright in the Mount Hamilton this Friday at Pioneer High.
Both teams will join Piedmont Hills and either Live Oak or Oak Grove in CCS.
Scott J. Adams Scott J. Adams covers Morgan Hill sports for South Valley Newspapers. Send him an email or call him at 779-4106.
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