HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: SPECIAL DELIVERY LED BY STAR QB, OAKS CHR. IS A DOMINANT FORCE.Byline: Vincent Bonsignore Staff Writer The long summer was coming to a end for 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 the football team from Oaks Christian of Westlake Village when the junior quarterback was asked about goals for his final two high school seasons. Without hesitation, Clausen outlined his plans. ``When we're finished, we want to make sure we were one of the best football teams to ever play around here,'' said Clausen, the top recruit in the country. ``And we feel we have the ability to do that.'' Clausen then paused. ``It's up to us, of course, but it's there for us.'' He won't get much argument. Love or hate the Lions - and many fans have expressed both emotions about the private school perched above the 101 Freeway - there's no denying this is a program with an embarrassment of riches An embarrassment of riches is an idiom that means an overabundance of something, or too much of a good thing, that originated in 1738 as John Ozell's translation of a French play, L'Embarras des richesses (1726). . Forget the 18-game winning streak Noun 1. winning streak - a streak of wins streak, run - an unbroken series of events; "had a streak of bad luck"; "Nicklaus had a run of birdies" , back-to-back Southern Section Div. XI championships and 48-5 overall record heading into its fifth season of varsity competition. Some scouts have called Clausen football's version of LeBron James LeBron James (born December 30 1984) is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). . He has an electrifying e·lec·tri·fy tr.v. e·lec·tri·fied, e·lec·tri·fy·ing, e·lec·tri·fies 1. To produce electric charge on or in (a conductor). 2. a. group of receivers that one day will likely be catching passes at big-time colleges. Running back 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. is so good, former UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX and L.A. Rams star Wendell Tyler Wendell Avery Tyler (born May 20, 1955 in Shreveport, Louisiana), was a former professional American football player who was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the 3rd round of the 1977 NFL Draft. A 5'10", 205 lbs. now is known best as Marc's father. As for the offensive line, an opposing coach walked up to Lions' coach Bill Redell Bill Redell (born April 17, 1941 in Red Bluff, California) is an American football coach and member of the College Football Hall of Fame. Redell serves as head coach at Oaks Christian High School in Westlake Village, California, since 2000, and has formed them into one of after a recent scrimmage and said: ``That's a Div. I line you got there.'' Redell responded: ``High school or college?'' As the curator of the most powerful team in the area in more than a decade, Redell is like a kid in an arcade armed with a pocket full of quarters. The only potential problem is having enough time to play all the games. Or enough footballs to keep everyone satisfied. ``We're such a small school and a tight team that players honestly are happy for one another when they get a chance to do something special,'' Tyler said. ``And we all know with the offense we have and the quarterback we have spreading the ball around, everybody will get enough chances to do their thing.'' That faith might get tested over the next two years as players expect to be showcased more often. Redell estimates 11 to 12 players will end up playing Division I college football, and a handful of those will be able to chose from any program in the country. Of the 12, nine have at least two years remaining at Oaks Christian. ``If we do what we're capable of, who knows how many more games we can win in a row,'' Clausen said. ``But we're going to have fun finding out.'' Clausen, who threw for 3,665 yards and 56 touchdowns as a sophomore last year, recently set off a firestorm when he admitted on national television he already has received a number of scholarship offers. The problem: The offers arrived before college coaches were allowed to extend them to the junior, sending more than a few coaches scurrying scur·ry intr.v. scur·ried, scur·ry·ing, scur·ries 1. To go with light running steps; scamper. 2. To flurry or swirl about. n. pl. scur·ries 1. The act of scurrying. to their compliance directors to admit the mistake. USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. was one of the programs that self-reported the violation to the NCAA NCAA abbr. National Collegiate Athletic Association . The Trojans joined South Carolina South Carolina, state of the SE United States. It is bordered by North Carolina (N), the Atlantic Ocean (SE), and Georgia (SW). Facts and Figures Area, 31,055 sq mi (80,432 sq km). Pop. (2000) 4,012,012, a 15. and Michigan State in making the mistake. It's a minor infraction Violation or infringement; breach of a statute, contract, or obligation. The term infraction is frequently used in reference to the violation of a particular statute for which the penalty is minor, such as a parking infraction. INFRACTION. , but a major statement about Clausen's talent. ``I've never seen this kind of attention for a player so young,'' said Greg Biggins, the recruiting director for Student Sports magazine. ``People were talking about Jimmy as an eighth grader. I don't think I've ever seen that before.'' But it's not just about Clausen. His supporting cast includes a number of budding stars. ``I've been doing this for a long time, and without a doubt this is one of the deepest young teams I've ever seen,'' said Biggins, who compares the Lions to some of the recent Long Beach Poly teams that sent more than 10 players to Division I college programs. Tyler, a junior running back, split time with current UCLA freshman Aaron Ware last year but still managed 802 yards and 12 touchdowns on just 49 carries, a whopping 16.37 yards per carry. He also caught 37 passes for 830 yards and 12 touchdowns. Marshall Jones, another junior, added 486 yards rushing on 37 carries and 26 catches for 308 yards. He also is a dominant safety. Sophomore Chris Potter caught 32 passes for 504 yards and junior Sean Wiser added 23 for 352. ``Our skill people can play with anyone,'' Tyler said. ``And add in Jimmy spreading the ball around like he does and you see how dangerous we can be.'' Vincent Bonsignore, (818) 713-3612 vincent.bonsignore(at)dailynews.com OAKS CHRISTIAN Head coach: Bill Redell, sixth year 2004: 14-0, 5-0, Tri-Valley Players to watch: Jimmy Clausen, Jr., QB; Joe Dembesky, Sr., OL; Marshall Jones, Jr., DB/WR; Duke Lemmens, Jr., DL; Casey Matthews, Jr., LB; Chris Potter, So., WR/DB; Marc Tyler, Jr., RB/LB; Sean Wiser, Jr., WR. CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: Oaks Christian, led by standouts (from left) Duke Lemmens, Marshall Jones, Jimmy Clausen, Joe Dembesky and Marc Tyler, has won back-to-back Southern Section Div. XI titles. Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer Box: OAKS CHRISTIAN (see text) |
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