Oak Grove s Anu Tuiono, here scoring a touchdown last season against Pioneer, said the goal down the stretch is to go to the playoffs and win. (John Green/staff)
The true measure of this football season for Oak Grove won t come until the playoffs.
The Eagles were the overwhelming favorite to repeat as the Blossom Valley Athletic League Mt. Hamilton Division champions, and they have exceeded even those expectations.
Oak Grove has outscored the four division opponents it has played 182-17, including a 36-0 victory last week over previously unbeaten Live Oak.
Still, this must be asked: How good are the Eagles?
Mt. Hamilton teams lost nine of 12 nonleague games against other A league teams, and Oak Grove had two of the losses, to St. Francis and Valley Christian.
But the Eagles (5-2, 4-0) note that their roster improved after the Valley Christian game as some of their academically ineligible players returned after making a grade-check period cut.
Oak Grove responded by closing out its nonleague schedule with a 46-7 victory at Palo Alto, then has rolled through its Mt. Hamilton opponents.
Making the grade?
But fast approaching is another grade-check period.
This week will be big for us because grades come out, coach Jay Braun said. After the Valley game, grades came out, and we had our best team. Now grades come out again on Friday, and that s been our problem in years past. Injuries are one thing, but you have to have guys make grades.
This is a big one because it s the last few games of the year, plus the playoffs. We re in pretty good shape right now. There might be one or two guys who are real close. I think we ll be able to keep our team intact, so to speak, and I think that will be exciting for us and give us a better opportunity.
By the numbers
Rashaan Fontenette rushed for 160 yards and three touchdowns in the team s win over Live Oak on Friday, pushing his season total to 1,433 yards and 16 TDs.
Strong safety Anu Tuiono – the Mt. Hamilton s player of the year last season – had 11 tackles (five solo), an interception, a fumble recovery, a deflected pass and a 38-yard touchdown run against Live Oak.
Live Oak wasn t bad, Braun said. But I just think our guys were pretty excited about the game. They were excited about the opportunity, a team coming in 6-0.
Now, assuming grades don t hammer the team, the Eagles have three games left to fine tune for a playoff division that could include St. Francis, Valley Christian and Archbishop Mitty, as well as Los Gatos and Wilcox.
Asked about goals for the rest of the season,Tuiono said, To go to the playoffs and win.
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