Under the leadership of head coach Bill Redell, Oaks Christian is teeming with talent this season.
Photo by Louis Lopez
In a few short years, Oaks Christian has grown quickly into a sports juggernaut with a resume that's especially impressive in football.
The Lions are 65-6 over the last five seasons, making them one of the
Top 10 California Football Dynasties.
2011 will be much of the same for head coach Bill Redell and staff, as star athletes
Jordan Payton and
Ishmael Adams return alongside several key returning starters and a host of impact transfers to form what could be the most complete Oaks Christian team yet.
Transfer
Luke Falk is in the running to be the team's starting quarterback, giving Oaks Christian a major talent behind center. Receiver Zach Hernandez, a transfer from Alemany, is in the mix for the starting receiver job opposite of Payton and could give Falk another trustworthy target.
Defensively, the Lions return most of their starters from last year. Marcus Piechowski, Devoreaux Stewart, Logan Quiroz, Ben Johnson and sophomore Marcus Jones all return up front, with linebackers Cameron Judge and Carlos Mendoza back at two of the linebacker spots.
Adams and Payton will both start in the secondary. Transfer
Malik Cyphers, if healthy, will be a shutdown corner. Fellow sophomore
Tyrone Faanono, also a transfer, could have an impact at linebacker.
With so many playmakers on both sides of the ball, the only issue for Oaks Christian will be whether the team jells with so many new faces. The Lions closed the season on a 10-game winning streak. If its offensive line holds up and allows its skill players the opportunity to break big plays, Oaks Christian should be significantly improved and challenge for a CIF Bowl Game bid.
Local look: "A year ago, Oaks Christian won a (section) championship that few saw coming. The Lions were young, lost their starting quarterback to injury but peaked in the playoffs. Now they are loaded at virtually every position and have picked up transfers to provide depth. They'll still have to get past St. Bonaventure and Westlake, but this is a program with as good a coaching staff as there is in Southern California."
- Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times
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