EYES ON THE PRIZE- Oaks Christian wide receiver Chris Coyle looks a ball into his hands during Tuesday's practice session. Before any team wins a championship, there always seems to be another team that blocks its path. For the current Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts, that team was the New England Patriots. For the Brooklyn Dodgers, it was always the New York Yankees.

For Oak Park High's football team, their nemesis has been Oaks Christian.

There are six teams in the TriValley League, but more than likely the race will come down to just two teams, Oak Park and Oaks Christian.

"I have a lot of respect for all the teams in the Tri-Valley," Oak Park head coach Dick Billingsley said. "I know Carpinteria and Nordhoff will be good because their coaches do such a fine job, but in the end this is going to be a two-team race between Oaks Christian and us."

Oak Park was the last team to beat the Lions, but that was four years ago, and OCHS has reeled off 46 straight wins since, one short of tying the Southern California high school record.

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers BIG SHOES TO FILL- Oaks Christian senior Chris Potter has taken over the starting quarterback job from Jimmy Clausen, who's now at Notre Dame. Potter will play wide receiver at Boise State. With the Lions only returning six starters, Oak Park feels this is the season they can win the league title. Oak Park players and coaches are currently wearing Tshirts that read: "This is our year."

"We were the last team to beat them, and hopefully we can be the next," Billingsley said. "And hopefully that can happen this year."

One of the reasons Oak Park feels so confident is its defense. The Eagles return eight starters on defense this season, and all 11 firstteam players are seniors. Leading the defense is senior co-captain Sean Westgate, who registered 118 tackles last year and has already made a verbal commitment to the University of Arizona.

"The 11 seniors we have are all jacked up about playing," Westgate said. "We have a lot of trust between each other, and there's no doubt this team is led by the defense. We have all been waiting for this year for a while."

Assisting Westgate will be returning starters David Henningsen, Dustin Geyer, Adam Litzer, Chris Dacar, Andrew Hewitson, Ryan Haines and Kyle Shorten.

The offense will also be led by Westgate who, along with Shorten, will handle the running back duties. The starting quarterback still hasn't been decided, but Billingsley said senior Nick Dipaolo has a slight edge over sophomore Kyle Andrus.

Whoever lines up behind center will have a trio of wide receivers to throw to which includes Haines, Jay Azzarello and Brett Zeolla. Look for Chandler Larsen to be a factor at tight end.

Oak Park believes they'll get over the hump, but Oaks Christian isn't ready to hand over its title just yet. CalHiSports.com has the Lions ranked No. 20 in the state, and once again they'll begin the year as the TVL favorites. Although the team lost a lot of superstar players to graduation, OCHS head coach Bill Redell's expectations remain high.

"A lot of people are going to be surprised at just how good we are," Redell said. "The fans may be a little more forgiving, but the coaches all have the same expectations. This year's team has a lot of speed and athletic ability; the question is whether or not we can be physical enough."

Redell was quick to point out that even though OCHS returns just six starters, the newcomers are not inexperienced. Last season the majority of the new starters received significant playing time during blowouts.

Some of the players that will receive more on-field time in '07 include junior running back Ryan Landseadel and sophomore Malcolm Jones. Jones, the younger brother of Marshall Jones, who now attends USC, made some big plays in last year's CIF state Division III championship game against Cardinal Newman. He'll have a prominent role this year.

A key blocker for Landseadel and Jones will be offensive lineman Trace Biskin, who has committed to the University of Arizona.

The Lions' quarterback is Chris Potter, who slides over from wide receiver. Potter, who has committed to Boise State, will be looking to hook up with wide receiver Chris Owusu. Owusu has committed to Stanford.

Biskin said he doesn't expect a letdown.

"Right now our first priority is winning the first game and tying the record," Biskin said. "The record means a lot because it's not just for us but for all the teams the last four years who were a part of it. At the same time, we want to go out and prove to the fans that we are not going down this year and we plan on winning the league again."

Oaks Christian begins its season tomorrow night at home against Lompoc, while Oak Park opens its season Sept. 8 at Cathedral.