HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: THEY PLAY DEFENSE, TOO OVERSHADOWED OAKS CHRISTIAN DEFENSIVE UNIT HAS BEEN IMPRESSIVE.Byline: GERRY GITTELSON Staff Writer WESTLAKE VILLAGE - 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. cast such a large shadow on the Oaks Christian of Westlake Village football team it's a wonder anyone else gets noticed. But that's just fine with linebacker Casey Matthews and defensive lineman Duke Lemmens -- probably because they're too busy knocking opposing players from one end of the field to another to really notice. The duo has keyed a defense that's clamped down so tight on other teams it's allowing just just eight points per game. For all the offensive success keyed by flashy playmakers Playmakers is a TV series on ESPN that depicted the lives of the players on a fictional professional football team. The show starred Omar Gooding, Marcello Thedford, Christopher Wiehl, Jason Matthew Smith, Russell Hornsby and Tony Denison. like Clausen, Tyler, Marshall Jones, Sean Wiser and Chris Potter Chris Potter may refer to:
Matthews, a 6-foot-1, 220-pounder with terrific natural instincts and a mean streak Mean Streak is a wooden roller coaster located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, United States. It is a wooden roller coaster and was the tallest and fastest one of its kind when it debuted in 1991. It was constructed using 1. , leads Oaks Christian (13-0) with 135 tackles, nine sacks, two interceptions and a 20-yard fumble return for a touchdown. Lemmens, a 6-5, 251-pound relentless pass rusher, has 44 tackles and seven sacks. ``The defense actually scored the first two touchdowns this season -- we wanted to have some fun,'' Lemmens said. ``From our core defensive line, to our linebackers, to our strong safety Marshall Jones, teams think twice about going over the middle against us. We're hard hitters.'' It's not like no one has noticed. Matthews is headed to Oregon, Lemmens, who also plays offensive line, is going to Florida, and Jones has committed to USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. -- three of 11 projected Division I signees on a team that has won 44 games in a row and is No. 6 in USA Today's national rankings. ``Well, they always say defense wins championships,'' Matthews said. ``Our job is to keep the other team's offense off the field, so our own offense can get back out there as soon as possible.'' Among the season's fascinating Oaks Christian facts is that the first- team defense has totaled more points than opposing teams while the starters have been in games. ``The defense has helped a lot,'' 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 said. ``Matthews is the obvious key. He's gotten bigger, stronger and faster. And Duke Lemmens is the finest two-way lineman I've ever had.'' Matthews is the son of Oaks Christian defensive coordinator Clay Matthews, a 19-year NFL NFL abbr. National Football League NFL (US) n abbr (= National Football League) → Fußball-Nationalliga veteran who played at USC. ``My dad makes us really go after it, and he's always hard on me,'' Matthews said. ``He looks at me and calls me out all the time.'' Lemmens said he believes it's a great advantage for Oaks Christian to have a coach like Clay Matthews, whose career total of 278 NFL games is the third most in league history. ``Our blitz packages and defensive schemes are actually pretty complicated,'' Lemmens said. ``Our defense is based on USC's defense. That's because most teams don't have a coach who's a 19-year NFL veteran.'' Overall, Oaks Christian has 58 sacks -- 18 players have at least one -- along with 25 interceptions and five fumble recoveries. Yes, the offense averages 55 points and 500 yards, but the defense has more than hung tough. Matthews, Lemmens and Co. plan to be out in full force Friday against their neighborhood rivals -- OakPark was the last team to defeat the Lions back in 2003 -- and after witnessing UCLA's upset over USC on Saturday, they don't plan to take any chances. ``That's true. 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 showed that anything can happen, so our team must prepare,'' Matthews said. It sounds like Oaks Christian, a 27-point calpreps favorite, is even more fired up than usual. The Oak Park players have said they'll play like they have nothing to lose, but the Lions have incentive because they have everything to lose. A loss ruins what has been a epic season, and a victory all but guarantees a Division III berth in next week's first-ever 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 Championship. gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com (661) 257-5218 CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Oaks Christian's Duke Lemmens, left, and Casey Matthews are keys to a defense that has totaled 58 sacks this season. Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer |
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