GILDON CAN'T BE OVERLOOKED OAKS CHRISTIAN DB HAS 10 INTERCEPTIONS.Byline: KEVIN CONNELLY Kevin Connelly was born in Middlesbrough, England. He is an impressionist comedian, and after dinner speaker and is probably most famous for his role on the popular BBC television programme 'Dead Ringers'. Special to the Daily News WESTLAKE VILLAGE - Anthony Gildon is not the fastest guy on his team. That distinction, he admits, goes to USC-bound safety Marshall Jones. The Oaks Christian of Westlake Village defensive back is confident and outspoken, but go ahead and ask him about the team's emotional leader. ``That's not me either,'' Gildon laughs. ``Sean Wiser is our guy. He's a natural leader.'' And did he mention Jimmy Clausen James Richard "Jimmy" Clausen (born September 21, 1987, in Thousand Oaks, California[3]) is an American football player. He is a quarterback at the University of Notre Dame. and Marc Tyler Marc Tyler (born September 27, 1988 in Palmdale, California) is an American football running back for the University of Southern California Trojans football team. High school career Tyler attended Oaks Christian High School in Westlake Village, California. ? Gildon has waited patiently in the shadows for four years, as that backfield tandem developed a following some established NCAA NCAA abbr. National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I stars would be happy to have. Oaks Christian has 11 seniors who are expected to sign Division I offers before next season, making it difficult for Gildon to stand out at times. But he has done just that this season, notching a team-high 10 interceptions to match Eagle Rock's Damien Fuentes for the area lead. Gildon, who has verbally committed to Oregon, is the No. 9-ranked prep cornerback in the nation, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. rivals.com, and one of the main reasons Oaks Christian's defense has given up just more than eight points per game this season. ``People always say so and so is living in mine and Jimmy's shadow. We don't look at it like that here,'' said Tyler, a running back who has committed to USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. . ``We play football here and don't worry about shadows. ``I've known Anthony since we were both freshmen here at Oaks Christian, and he is a very good football player. He's one of the best defensive backs I've seen.'' A 5-foot-11, 185-pounder, Gildon had eight interceptions in his first seven games this season, including at least one in all seven of those games. His interception total would likely be higher at this point, but teams simply stopped passing the ball in his direction out of respect for his talent. He has just two interceptions in his past seven games, as opposing quarterbacks have instead thrown their interceptions to the likes of Jones and the Stanford-bound Wiser. Although Gildon admits he likes the attention, he is content with his role on an Oaks Christian team that has won a state active-best 45 consecutive games. The Lions (14-0) won their third straight Southern Section title last week with a 46-7 victory over Oak Park, and they will play in the inaugural state Div. III bowl game at 11 a.m. Saturday. Oaks Christian, ranked No. 6 in the nation by USA Today USA Today National U.S. daily general-interest newspaper, the first of its kind. Launched in 1982 by Allen Neuharth, head of the Gannett newspaper chain, it reached a circulation of one million within a year and surpassed two million in the 1990s. , will face Northern California Northern California, sometimes referred to as NorCal, is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The region contains the San Francisco Bay Area, the state capital, Sacramento; as well as the substantial natural beauty of the redwood forests, the northern representative Cardinal Newman of Santa Rosa (13-1) at Hope Depot Center in Carson. The Lions are favored by 12 points, according to calpreps.com, but most who have watched them this season expect a much larger margin of victory. ``We're a confident team,'' Gildon said. ``I really believe we're the best team in the nation. ``You look at how deep this team is, and it's scary.'' But De La Salle De La Salle is the name of several educational institutions affiliated with the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, also known as the Lasallian Brothers, a Roman Catholic religious teaching order founded by French priest Saint Jean-Baptiste de la Salle: Oaks Christian is ranked No. 2 in the state behind De La Salle, but will not meet the Spartans in a bowl because the CIF (1) (Common Intermediate Format) A standard video format used in videoconferencing. CIF formats are defined by their resolution, and standards both above and below the original resolution have been established. The original CIF is also known as Full CIF (FCIF). bowl structure is based on enrollment. ``We're not overlooking Cardinal Newman, but I wish we were playing De La Salle,'' Gildon said. ``We want to play the best team out there, and everyone says that's De La Salle. I really think we would beat those guys.'' If Gildon's tone sounds familiar, it should. Then again, he's used to being overlooked by now. kevin.connelly@dailynews.com (818) 713-360 CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Oaks Christian's Anthony Gildon has a team-high 10 interceptions this season and has verbally committed to Oregon. Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer |
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