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The Acorn Camarillo Acorn Moorpark Acorn Simi Valley Acorn Thousand Oaks Acorn |
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The Acorn's High School Football Game of the Week
Canyon Cowboys (2-1) at Thousand Oaks Lancers (2-0) Friday, 7 p.m.
Helpless against a mauling Thousand Oaks offensive line, Buena allowed Lancer senior running back John Lister to rush for a school-record 307 yards on 24 carries last weekend at TOHS. Lister broke his own school record of 256 yards set during his sophomore season against Newbury Park. "The o-line blocked their assignments, and they stayed on guys all the way through the play," said Lister, who has 472 rushing yards on 43 carries (10.9 ypc) in two games. "That's the most important thing—once you stick a guy to continue to block him the whole time. They did a great job of that, and it opened up some huge holes for me to run through." While Lister got the yards, much of the credit goes to right tackle Lucas Clifford, right guard Nick Caprarelli, center Sean Henson, left guard Bob Lamm and left tackle Eddie McGilvra. Backups Wes McLaren, Patrick Shramm and Brendan Berenger also made solid contributions, said TOHS head coach Mike Leibin. "It's impressive when you consider that it was only the second start ever for our five starters," Leibin said. "To have a back go for 307, that's pretty good. "And Lister ran really well, too. He showed a different gear that he didn't have a year ago." Despite the offensive linemen being somewhat undersized, Caprarelli said they have developed a bond through the years that often trumps their physical stature. "We've been playing together since eighth grade, and we're all pretty much best friends," he said. Last week "was probably the best moment we've had so far." Through the first two games of the season, Thousand Oaks has played at a very high level. Before beating Buena, the Lancers knocked off Valencia on the road at a time when Valencia was ranked second in the CIFSouthern Section Northern Division coaches' poll. TOHS, which has seen its ranking rise to No. 4 in the same poll, faces another stiff challenge this week when they host perennial power Canyon. Although Canyon enters the contest unranked, the Cowboys have long been known as a physical squad with an abundance of playmakers. Lister said he expects a playoff-like environment on Friday. "These guys swarm to the ball," Lister said. "It's going to be a big game, pretty much a tempo-setter for the rest of the season. Both teams have something to prove." While Leibin said he's been pleased with T.O.'s running game and the overall play of the team's "bend-but-don't-break" defense, there's still some work to do in the passing game. Dropped balls have plagued the Lancers thus far. In addition, senior quarterback Ian Shultis is without his top wideout, junior Robert Mullaney. When teams start loading up to stop Lister—and when you rush for more than 300 yards everyone takes notice—Thousand Oaks must be able to move the ball effectively through the air. "We've got to do a better job protecting the quarterback," Leibin said. "We've got to do a better job catching the ball. And we've got to do a better job running routes. It's an area we have to shore up." Players to Watch Canyon TOHS QB Jordan Adamczyk WR Charlie Cusumano QB Ian Shultis RB John Lister WR Chris Rivas LB Mitchell Korey OL/DL Cody Piercy DE Dereck Jester Outlook This should be an excellent test for T.O., ranked fourth in the latest CIF-Southern Section Northern Division coaches' poll. Canyon typically fields big, physical football teams, especially in the trenches. TOHS hasn't backed down from anyone
early on. The Lancers won't be intimidated. |
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