SAN JOSE -- Even as their preseason goals began to fall by the wayside this year, the Live Oak Acorns never lost faith in themselves.
Even as their early losses piled up, culminating in a 1-4 mark at midseason, they kept their sights set on returning the Central Coast Section playoffs, the staple feat of all good football teams.
How good are these Acorns? Good enough to play with the best in Division III.
Live Oak completed one of its most resilient campaigns in recent history Saturday with a 22-14 victory over the Santa Teresa Saints. The win, coupled with Piedmont Hills' triumph over Oak Grove on Friday, helped the Acorns (4-6 overall, 4-3 league) secure the Mount Hamilton Division's fourth and final CCS berth.
Interestingly enough, it was Live Oak's first road win in league play since 2007, when the Medium School-final bound Acorns beat Independence 41-28 on Oct. 26. Live Oak missed the playoffs last year.
"It says a lot about how far we've come," coach Jon Michael Porras said Monday. "We've improved a lot from the beginning. ... We were terrible. But we've turned it on a little bit each week. We feel like we could have beaten anybody, looking back."
Saturday's victory in San Jose was textbook 2009 Live Oak football. Although inconsistent at times (two turnovers), the Acorns prevailed with strong defense and a few big plays on offense.
Blair Zerr and Trevor Hickey found the end zone on short runs in the first and fourth quarters, respectively, and Dylan Frechette hooked up with wideout Dominic Leach for a 35-yard scoring strike in the second. Live Oak's defense worked a shutout in the final 24 minutes.
"We're still winning ugly," said Porras, whose team started the year 0-4 with losses to rivals Gilroy and Sobrato. "But we couldn't even do that at the start of the season."
Frechette completed 7 of 11 passes for 100 yards, including a 25-yard pass to Julio Aguayo. Zerr carried 13 times for 68 yards, and Aguayo totaled 46 yards rushing and 28 yards receiving.
After Live Oak failed a PAT try, the Saints (3-7, 1-6) took a 14-13 lead at halftime with quarterback D.J. Renteria's 1-yard touchdown run.
Jacob Montoya's 41-yard field goal in the third quarter put the Acorns ahead, 16-14, for good.
"It really wasn't our best game," Porras said. "We've played a lot better in recent games. So it's tough to tell where we are right now."
Seeded No. 8 in the Division III tournament, Live Oak travels to Pacifica on Friday to play No. 1 Terra Nova (7-3, 6-0) in the first round. The Tigers edged Half Moon Bay 27-26 this past weekend to win the Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division title outright.
"I think they're a very good team, but they have some weaknesses we can exploit," Porras said. "Maybe they'll come in confident because we're 4-6."
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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