Lions tame top-seeded Rangers in semifinals
By Jesse Phelps

An incredible season that saw the Rangers go undefeated in league and earn the No. 1 seed in the CIF-SS Division XI polls came to an end in the CIF-SS Toyota Football Championships semifinals Friday night in Westlake Village.

In a rematch of the game that gave Nordhoff (10-3) the league title, this time it was the Oaks Christian Lions that triumphed, 33-14, behind the quick legs of Marc Tyler, Aaron Ware, Joe Giuliani and Mark Richardson.

The game was tight in the first half. For a time, the teams exchanged blow for blow. Nordhoff scored on its opening drive when James Martinez found pay dirt for the first time all season. But the Rangers couldn't keep the momentum as they gave up a 34-yard kickoff return, followed immediately by a 54-yard scoring run to even the score.

The Oaks Christian (11-2) defense then dug in, holding the Rangers to two consecutive three-and-outs, even after Garrett Wyatt recovered a fumble to give the Rangers good field position on their third possession.

The Lions went 76 yards on their next possession, capping the drive with a 37-yard pass from quarterback Joey Halzle to Giuliani, to take a 14-7 lead near the start of the second quarter.
Then it was Nordhoff's turn to put together a long drive. Hayden Herbruck's 26-yard reception was the big gainer as the Rangers went 71 yards in 11 plays to tie it. Will Strong (19 carries for 78 yards) scored his 24th touchdown of the year to complete the drive.

Nordhoff had a golden opportunity to grab the lead back minutes later. Oaks Christian got tricky, trying a double forward pass which a wide-open Richardson bobbled and dropped. That forced a punt, which Micah Reed blocked, setting the Rangers up at their own 40 with 6:45 to go before halftime.

But Oaks Christian managed to sack Nordhoff quarterback Ryan Whitcomb twice to force a Clark Bigler punt. Minutes later, Richardson atoned for his drop with a nice grab of a perfect pass in the end zone, giving the Lions a lead they would never relinquish.

In the first matchup between the two teams, Nordhoff reeled off 22 consecutive points to earn the victory, mainly attributable to a size and strength advantage in the trenches.
This time, the Rangers tired first and the speed of Oaks Christian proved deadly in the second half.

Nobody scored in the third, but by the fourth, the Rangers began to look tired. First Ware scored, then Tyler on a 52-yard scamper. Perhaps realizing the end was near, Strong yelled as he came off the field after Tyler's touchdown, "Make an effort!"
After time expired on game and season, Nordhoff coach Cliff Farrar said he knew his team had, in fact, given it all they had.
"Our kids never quit," he said. "That's what made us a champion this year."

And though they didn't add the CIF crown, undefeated champions of the Tri-Valley League, a league that placed four teams in the semifinals of the divisional play-offs isn't bad at all.
Farrar said he was particularly proud of the seniors and of Will Strong, who carried a huge load for the team all year.

"Great group of kids," he said. "Out of all the years I've been here, I've been here 17 years, this has been a particularly super group."

© 2003 The Ojai Valley News

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