San Dimas can beat Oaks Christian
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Friday’s Northwest Division playoff game between Oaks Christan and San Dimas features the four-time defending section division champion Lions (7-3) against the host Valle Vista League co-champion Saints (9-1).
It’s the team that had 11 Division I scholarship players last season that won the state championship bowl game in Division III against the team whose seniors went 0-10 on the freshman team four years ago.
It would appear to be a very one-sided game. In fact, the San Dimas school newspaper calls it David vs. Goliath. So, no way does an upset occur, right?
Wrong.
Friday’s game will be a lot tougher for San Dimas than the Smudge Pot game, but the Saints can pull off the upset if they play a flawless game -- no mistakes, no turnovers, no major penalties.
Oaks Christian’s offense is led by QB Chris Potter and bruising RB Malcom Jones, who has rushed for 1,421 and scored 20 touchdowns. Potter has accepted a scholarship offer from Boise St.
San Dimas doesn’t have the size to match Oaks Christian’s, but if the Saints can contain Potter and somehow slow Jones, then that opens the door for RB Nico Barbone to carry his team all the way to upset town.
Barbone, a junior, rushed for 1,592 and scored 16 touchdowns this season. He is the Saints’ main offensive weapon. The Lion have the speed to contain him but may not be prepared for his physical game.
The Lions have been suspect against the run, so ...
I’m predicting a San Dimas upset, but I’m not picking the Saints to advance to the championship game. My finalist are: Morro Bay (10-0) and Oak Park (7-3).
Here are the Northwest Division’s first-round pairing for Friday’s games:
Top bracket: Northview (Valle Vista T1, 7-3) at Morro Bay (Los Padres 1, 10-0); North Torrance (Pioneer T2, 4-6) at St. Bernard (Del Rey 2, 6-4); Compton Centennial (Pioneer T2, 5-5) at Baldwin Park (Valle Vista T1, 7-3); Nipomo (Los Padres T3, 5-5) at Nordhoff (Tri-Valley T1, 6-3-1).
Bottom bracket: Harvard-Westlake (Del Rey 3, 7-3) at Torrance (Pioneer 1, 7-3); Santa Maria St. Joseph (Los Padres 2, 7-3) at Oak Park (Tri-Valley T1, 7-3); Oaks Christian (Tri-Valley T1, 7-3) at San Dimas (Valle Vista T1, 9-1); Pioneer Valley (Los Padres T3, 6-4) at Gardena Serra (Del Rey 1, 9-1).
-- Jaime Cardenas