Football: Oaks Christian deserves praise

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I know there are plenty of Oaks Christian haters out there, but the players and coaching staff deserve lots of credit for reaching the Northern Division final.

Remember, lots of people thought the Lions didn’t have the depth to play the grinding schedule of the Marmonte League. In fact, Oaks Christian lost its quarterback, Trevor Gretzky, early in the season, and was without its standout receiver, Jordan Payton, for several games.

But the Lions are 11-2 and playing Westlake for the championship. I don’t know many schools that could have gone this far while losing their starting quarterback.

While Westlake should be a solid favorite, Oaks Christian has improved enough to be considered a very dangerous team, particularly with the progress of the offensive line.

-- Eric Sondheimer