Live Oak out for redemption

Dan Johnson calls it the bus ride "most people dread."

It will take his Live Oak High football team nearly four hours on stomach-churning roads to reach Weaverville for tonight's Northern Section Division III semifinal against Trinity.

And while his team travels West on the ever-winding Highway 299, there will be one thing on the mind of the Lions — redemption.

Earlier this year, the Wolves scored a touchdown with a 1:29 left to edge the Lions 24-20 on Live Oak's home field, setting the tone for a fruitless four weeks where the Lions went winless.

Now after edging Rio Vista in week 10 to reach the postseason and squeaking by fourth seeded Willows 22-21 last Friday, the fifth seeded Lions (6-5) are primed to get another shot at the No. 1 Wolves (7-3), Johnson said.

"We're excited to get another chance," the first-year coach said. "It will be a great game, we are as mentally and physically ready as we can be."

When these two Sacramento Valley League opponent's last faced off, the lead changed hands four times in the second half. But where Live Oak really hurt itself was before halftime when the Lions let the Wolves return a kickoff 80-yards for a touchdown.

Like last time, Johnson expects to see the Wolves depend on running back Luke Curran, who is by far the leading rusher in the SVL with 1,279 yards despite being a sophomore. Against the Lions, he ran for 104 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

"They have a really good back and they didn't do anything too tricky" Johnson said. "They ran straight ahead and we didn't tackle like we should have."

For Live Oak, the strategy is not centered on one running back. Johnson, who feels "kind of blessed" to have a number of kids that can carry the ball, plans to rotate players in and out of the backfield.

One player the Lions will surely miss is Tony Montes, who when healthy was a playmaker on both sides of the ball. Against the Wolves, he ran for 75 yards and had 10 tackles. But the junior has been battling leg issues all year, and the standout back and safety hurt himself pulling down an interception against the Honkers.

While his loss will no doubt be felt, Johnson remains while sticking to his no frills mantra of "limiting turnovers and depending on the "D-line and linebackers stepping up."