Live Oak hosted Lincoln Friday night to celebrate Homecoming, but it was the Lions who turned it into their own party with a 25-7 win. The win keeps Lincoln (5-1, 4-0 in BVAL-ST) tied atop the BVAL Santa Teresa "B" Division standings with Gunderson.
"I think they key for us is that we really swarmed to the ball and we stayed disciplined to each one of our jobs," Lincoln middle linebacker Chris Perez said. "Everybody did what they had to do and came out on top.”
After a scoreless first quarter, Lincoln running back Mario Hidalgo scored a pair of second-quarter touchdowns to give the Lions a 12-0 lead. The first TD, a three-yard run, was set up by an interception by Lincoln defensive back Christapher Ortez.
"Coach puts us through game-like situations during practice and we practice hard," said Lincoln running back/defensive back Ortez, who also handles punt and kick return duties. "Coach prepares us well.”
Following Hidalgo's second touchdown, on a 17-yard run, Live Oak’s Matthew Bergantz and Lincoln’s Francisco Cruz traded interceptions late in the second quarter. Lincoln was able to preserve its 12-0 lead at halftime.
With a relatively quiet third quarter from Lincoln, Live Oak pushed to gain momentum with an interception from Mark Butterworth. However, the Lincoln defense held yet again and the Lions led, 12-0, heading into the fourth quarter.
“We did the same thing as we do every week; we tried to practice as hard as we could. They’re a tough team. They had some unfortunate incidents with kids who couldn’t play for whatever reason," Lincoln coach Kevin Collins said. "If they had been there, it probably would have been a different ball game.”
Lincoln extended the lead to 18-0 on an 11-yard run by Jacob Avery, his first of two touchdowns. On the ensuing kickoff, the Acorns avoided the shutout as junior Trevor Bearden raced 82 yards for a score on the return.
Bearden ripped off a 60-yard run later in the quarter, but the Lincoln defense, led by Perez (17 tackles), a senior linebacker, and senior cornerback Francisco Cruz (2 INTs) stopped the Acorns again. Avery capped the scoring with a four-yard run late.
“We played a very good football team," Live Oak coach Mike Gemo said. "They do what they do and they do it well.”
Live Oak (5-2, 2-2) goes on to play Gunderson (6-1, 4-0) at home having lost two in a row.
“We’re going to fix some things," Gemo said. "Work a little harder this week and if we run three off in a row we’re going to be in the playoffs, so let’s see what we can do."
The Lions look to remain unbeaten in league play when they host Silver Creek next Friday night (7 pm).
