IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers GOOD TIMES—Oaks Christian special teams coach Mike Maio, left, a T.O. resident who's been involved in high school sports for 48 years, jokes with freshman Jordan Payton at practice. Local high school football fans will finally get a glimpse of one of the state's top-ranked teams Friday night when the Oaks Christian Lions host the Diamond Ranch Panthers.

OCHS, No. 16 in the latest CalHiSports.com state rankings and No. 1 in the CIF-Southern Section Northwest Division coaches' poll, has outscored its first two opponents—Bakersfield Christian and Muir—by a combined total of 78-21.

Both games were played on the road.

Diamond Ranch lost to Muir, 166, in its season opener but rebounded last week with a 21-0 victory over Colony, a two-time defending section champion.

Lions head coach Bill Redell, who's been selected to lead the West team at the 2009 U.S. Army AllAmerican Bowl in San Antonio, Texas, said Oaks Christian's defense has been playing at a high level early on.

The offense still has some work to do, he added.

"We've been a little sluggish, a little inconsistent on offense, but our defense has played very, very well," Redell said.

"It's not to say the defense hasn't made a few mistakes, but the offense needs to be a little more consistent."

According to Redell, defensive standouts thus far include linemen Cassius Marsh and Chris Coyle, linebackers Zac Stout, Chris Judge and Malcolm Jones, and cornerbacks Brian Owusu and Ryan Landseadel.

"They've all played really well, especially our cornerbacks," Redell said.

As a five-time defending CIF section champion, standards remain sky-high at Oaks Christian.

Expectations were only increased, then, when junior quarterback Nick Montana joined the program in July, having transferred from Northern California powerhouse Concord De La Salle.

Two months later, Montana, the son of the Hall of Fame quarterback, had wrestled the starting job away from another transfer, senior Tony Macarena, formerly of St. Bonaventure.

Although he admits that he's still not 100 percent up to speed with the Lions' offense, Montana is pleased with the progress he's made in a short period of time.

"I'm still learning, picking up on things during every game and every practice," Montana said. "I just want to continue to get better during each week of the season."

In his first two varsity starts— Montana was on the JV team as a sophomore—the 6foot2, 185pound signal-caller threw for 309 yards and five scores. He's completing 52.6 percent of his passes.

Coyle, an Arizona State commit, has been a friend both on and off the field to Montana since the quarterback moved to Southern California for the first time in his life.

"Nick has really done well," Coyle said. "He's done a great job passing so far, and he's got the mobility we need. He's definitely fitting into the offense."

Macarena, possibly the most experienced backup in Ventura County, if not the entire Southland, has dealt with his current situation and remains upbeat that he can help the team in the future.

"When I'm with the scout team, playing against our defense, I just try to complete every (pass) I can. That helps keep me ready," Macarena said. "And mentally, I just try to take everything as it comes. Football is not everything in life. It's fun. I enjoy it a lot. But it's not everything."

Friday's kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.

Outlook

Diamond Ranch played Oaks Christian tough a year ago before losing, 34-21. Panther head coach Roddy Layton said he's told his team not to worry

about the ballyhooed names on the back of O.C.'s

jerseys. Still, Layton's biggest concern should be the Lion defense, which can suffocate any offense.