Oaks Christian Getting a Little Taste of Big Time

As the afternoon practice unfolded on the synthetic turf field, a former NFL star running back demonstrated how to cut through blocking pads, while one of the league’s most durable linebackers kept an eye on the defensive players.

The most coveted high school quarterback in the country, Jimmy Clausen, practiced his three-stop drop, just as one of the nation’s top ballcarriers, Marc Tyler, shared a laugh with his famous father after stumbling over the same blocking pads.

With fewer than 700 high school students, administrators at Westlake Village Oaks Christian School aren’t interested in wearing the crown of a national football power, but the Lions are playing the part this season.

Thanks to the maturation of several highly rated seniors, Oaks Christian has catapulted into preseason national rankings for the first time in the school’s short history -- Sports Illustrated has the Lions listed at No. 3 in the country while USA Today ranks them 12th -- and has been receiving publicity in sports pages from Santa Fe, N.M., to South Bend, Ind.

“I’ve never experienced anything like this,” said Oaks Christian Principal David Cooper, who came to the school three years ago after 13 years as an assistant principal, teacher and coach at Moorpark High. “We’ve been highly successful athletically, but the kind of team we’re putting out this year, it’s amazing talent.”

Athletic participation, as a whole, is unrivaled at Oaks Christian, which is located in an upper-middle class area of the Conejo Valley and draws students from the districts of nearby public schools associated with the highly competitive Marmonte League.

Three out of every four Oaks Christian students participated in athletics during the last academic year and every team is supported by a general athletic fund, eliminating the need for participation fees and team fundraising.

The school has one of the few Olympic-sized swimming pools in Ventura County, an all-weather rubber track and synthetic grass for the baseball and softball fields.

As for results, the athletic teams at Oaks Christian have accounted for 15 Southern Section team titles since 2003, primarily at the small-schools level, and have won 44 league championships in 87 different seasons of varsity competition.

Without question, the football team generates the biggest buzz on campus. Because most of the top players have attended Oaks Christian since they were freshmen, school officials have had time to brace for the attention. Nevertheless, accommodating an onslaught of reporters, from local newspapers to national publications, has been a chore.

“The biggest issue is trying to keep the balance,” Cooper said. “We’re a pretty serious college preparatory high school and not a Division I program. But we’re getting some of the attention of a Division I program.”

That included increased calls in the off-season from coaches looking to test their teams against the Lions, who will play in Division X this season -- after playing in Division XI in their first four years of varsity football -- and have never played a highly regarded opponent.

Bill Redell, Oaks Christian’s football coach, took a conservative approach when contacted by two of the Southland’s top teams, scheduling a nonleague game Sept. 22 at Ventura St. Bonaventure, but passing on a home-and-home series against Mission Viejo.

“As early as we were talking about it, nobody goes one year,” said Mission Viejo Coach Bob Johnson, who has led the Diablos to three Southern Section Division II titles in the last five years. “I said, ‘Why, we’d be glad to play you a second year,’ and [Redell] said, ‘We’re not going to be any good.’ ”

Redell, who began his head coaching career at Encino Crespi in 1982 and made stops at La Canada St. Francis and the USFL, said a series against the Diablos would convey the wrong message.

“This is an unusual situation to have a team of this caliber,” he said of his current squad. “If you play a two-year series with Mission Viejo, you’re telling everyone you’re a Division I team.”

Cooper said he also weighed in on the decision to bypass Mission Viejo.

“We certainly didn’t want to send that message that we’re going to be the Mater Dei of Ventura County,” he said. “I don’t think we can sustain that with the vision we have for this school as a whole.”

A vision for the school began in the early 1990s, when a wealthy family headed by David G. Price was inspired by the education their grandchildren received and the values they were taught at a Christian elementary school in Pacific Palisades.

Price built his fortune as founder of American Golf Corp., a leader in golf course management. After selling that business, he founded Santa Monica-based American Airports Corp., which manages six airports, including five in Los Angeles County.

The Price family began investigating the possibility of opening a private Christian high school and, after years of searching for a location, purchased the school’s present site, across the Ventura Freeway from the Westlake Village Golf Course, in 1998.

Athletic Director Jan Hethcock remembers touring the area not long after he was offered the position. He looked at the fancy blueprints, scoured the barren landscape surrounding a single industrial building that formerly housed a defense contractor and wondered if somebody was playing a joke on him.

Headmaster Jeff Woodcock assured him by saying, “The money’s in the bank.”

Because Hethcock had spent his career as an educator in San Diego and Palm Springs, he wasn’t familiar with Redell until receiving his thick resume. After watching Redell coach a game for St. Francis in 1999, he offered him the job over Clay Matthews, an NFL linebacker for 19 years who was defensive coordinator at nearby Agoura High before accepting the same position at Oaks Christian in 2004.

Hethcock remembers making the proposal to Redell at a time when only 10 kids were enrolled at the school, and eight were girls.

“We could be horrible,” Hethcock remembers telling Redell. “We have no idea who is coming to this school.”

One of the Lions’ first high-profile players was Aaron Ware, brother of Los Angeles Loyola High and UCLA standout Matt Ware. Aaron still holds Oaks Christian’s career records for rushing yardage and touchdowns, set from 2001 to ’04.

The current group of seniors came from wide-ranging areas but were attracted to Oaks Christian for similar reasons, including the school’s first-class facilities, its experienced coaching staff, strong academics and faith-based environment.

As the only private school in the area that fields a football team, Oaks Christian seemed a logical destination for families hoping to experience both. The football team, like the other sports programs on campus, became a small-school powerhouse, winning three consecutive section titles in Division XI, usually in convincing fashion.

“It wasn’t a football factory that went out to get players,” said Matthews, whose son, Casey, is an Oregon-bound linebacker for Oaks Christian.

Tyler lived in Lancaster with his father, former UCLA and Los Angeles Rams running back Wendell Tyler. They visited Newhall Hart, Lake Balboa Birmingham, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame and Valencia before Wendell learned of Oaks Christian through the father of another player.

Wendell was quickly sold on the school’s Christian-based environment, but couldn’t afford to move into the area until last June. In the meantime, Marc lived with the family of Clausen for three years.

“I didn’t really want to go here at first, but my dad kind of made me,” said Tyler, who has committed to USC. “It has really helped me out a lot.”

Symbols of success are everywhere at Oaks Christian, where dinner auctions have raised as much as $700,000 in one night and its board of directors are frequently top executives from Fortune 500 companies.

Members of the school have performed and tutored overseas, visited President Bush on the steps of the White House and produced award-winning art projects. Students pass their Advanced Placement exams at a 90% rate, according to the school brochure, and every teacher serves as an academic advisor to about a dozen students, meeting once a week.

“It’s a unique school,” Hethcock said. “You can see how the parents would want their kids to come to this school.”

dan.arritt@latimes.com

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The Times’ preseason rankings

*--* Rk School Division Pts Comment 1 Canyon Country Canyon Northern 147 J.J. DiLuigi leads host of returning players from last year’s Southern Section Div. II champions. 2 (t) Mission Viejo Pac-5 136 Diablos’ offense may be its best ever, which is saying something. 2 (t) St. Bonaventure Northern 136 Seraphs have 24-game winning streak, six titles in seven years. 4 Servite Pac-5 132 Friars led by receiver D.J. Shoemate and linebacker Chris Galippo. 5 Mater Dei Pac-5 131 Monarchs could have their best team in years, led by sophomore QB Matt Barkley. 6 Oaks Christian Northwest 124 Nationally regarded, but Division XI champion has never played a top-25 team. 7 Dominguez Western 107 Brandon Johnson returns from team that dominated Notre Dame in Division III final. 8 Hart Northern 104 Alex Pettee takes over at QB after filling in admirably last season. 9 Long Beach Poly Pac-5 96 Jackrabbits must replace 11 offensive starters, as if that will be a problem. 10 Loyola Pac-5 91 Reigning Division I champions could be better this year. 11 (t) SO Notre Dame Pac-5 82 Defense might not meet past standards, but offensive line is cornerstone. 11 (t) Birmingham City 82 Young team paid dues last season against tough schedule. 13 Orange Lutheran Pac-5 81 Top-flight talent includes QB Aaron Corp and TE Blake Ayles. 14 Edison Pac-5 79 Athletic and quick, Chargers must prove themselves in trenches. 15 Norco Inland 52 Strong offensive line will miss Toby Gerhart, the state’s career rushing leader. 16 Corona Centennial Inland 50 Running backs Ryan Bass and Tracy Johnson provide fireworks, but line lacks depth. 17 Taft City 47 Exavier Johnson, a 3,000-yard passer, means Toreadors will move the ball. 18 Esperanza Pac-5 46 Had state’s seventh-highest single-season rushing total and return Charles Neal. 19 Redlands East Valley Inland 44 15 starters return, including QB Ronnie Fouch, who threw for 34 TDs. 20 Valencia Northern 43 With QB Michael Herrick gone, it’s RB Shane Vereen’s team. 21 Crenshaw City 33 Explosive Raymond Carter should keep City champion running on track. 22 Los Alamitos Pac-5 23 Strong ground game, defense should take pressure off sophomore QB Clark Evans. 23 Corona Santiago Inland 14 Strong offensive line and skill players give Sharks chance to match up with anybody. 24 (t) Rancho Cucamonga Inland 12 Plenty of skill but inexperienced at quarterback and thin on the offensive line. 24 (t) Moorpark Northern 12 Defensive shortcomings could be offset by balanced offense led by RB Darrell Scott.

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Voted on by a panel of six staff members. A vote for No. 1 is worth 25 points down to 1 point for No. 25. Also receiving votes: Charter Oak (9 points), Temescal Canyon (6), Chino Hills (6), San Clemente (5), Rio Mesa (4), Ridgecrest Burroughs (4), St. John Bosco (3), Peninsula (3), St. Francis (2), Los Osos (2), Venice (1), Crespi (1).

Los Angeles Times