How to Beat The Oceanside High Pirates

     Perfect Season Complete. Next Objective: State Championship.

     The Oceanside High School Pirates finished their perfect season against Ramona last week, and will host the CIF Division II Playoffs in the second round. They will match up against the unfortunate winner between Mt. Carmel, and Morse High School.

     It seems as if there is no opposition to the Pirates in their division. The only true tests Oceanside had this whole season was against rival El Camino High and national powerhouse Long Beach Poly, where both times the Pirates emerged victorious. In fact, it’s almost guaranteed that the Pirates will take the division crown and move on towards the state championship. There is no team physical enough to test the Oceanside defense, which has been Oceanside’s focal point all year. The Pirate offense has had its rough patches, both of which came against El Camino and Long Beach Poly. Aside from those games, the offense is seemingly flawless, with senior Quentis Clark improving vastly in comparison to when the season began.

     So with a team that has been as closest to perfect as you can get, how do you beat them?

     Oceanside has treated every game this year as a monumental one, beating down opponents as quickly as possible, and never playing down to their level. But there is no team that is unbeatable, and this general rule applies to Oceanside as well, no matter how dominant they’ve been all year. A motivated, smart, and clever team with mediocre talent can get the job done. Not to say the Pirates are succeptible to losing to mediocre talent, but rather a studious team, with strong motivation can surprise Oceanside, if they aren’t dealt with carefully.

     The story of the year has been Oceanside’s lockdown defense. Both the run and pass has proven to be ineffective against the Pirates, as the small and quick secondary swarms the ball almost immediately, while the defensive line quickly shuts down the middle and collapses the quarterback’s pocket. The Pirates’ “bread and butter” is their defense. In fact, should a team upset the Pirates this year, it would most likely be due to a fault in their defense. The Pirates had literally won the game against Long Beach Poly through their aggressive defense, despite lack of rhythm from the offense for the majority of the game.

     With that arises another question: How do you offset the defense? Make the Pirates think. It should be noted that Oceanside has one of the smartest defenses in high school football. But an aggressive, fast defense like the Pirates is targeted by making them just a step slower, second guessing where the ball might go. Running bizarre, trick plays early and often against the Pirates would offset their incredible ability to swarm. Most likely, the trick plays will be ineffective to start. But the point of these plays are not to gain yards. It is to force the Pirates to think before they react. Though it is easier said then done, one shouldn’t be discouraged by immediate failure of these plays.

     Another way to beat the defense is to wear them out. Long Beach Poly was just a few yards away from tying the game at 14, while they methodically moved downfield. A King Holder interception prevented this. But had Poly’s quarterback avoided such a costly mistake, the results might have been different. The stamina of Oceanside’s defense began to lower, as they had been on the field for virtually the majority of the second half. It took a national powerhouse famous for producing NFL players to drain the Pirate defense.

     However, it wasn’t the defense’s fault that their stamina had reached dangerously low levels against Long Beach. That can be attributed to the Oceanside offense. Senior quarterback Quentis Clark has been playing solid all year. But his worst games came against El Camino High and Long Beach Poly, both of which were Oceanside’s closest games. Long Beach Poly challenged Clark to make plays in the second half. When he didn’t deliver, a three-and-out ensued, and the defense was back on the field, trying to stop Poly’s lengthy, but unsuccessful drives. So the question follows: Why did Clark play terrible against El Camino, just as he did with Poly? That question can be answered with one word: Pressure. The word ‘pressure’ isn’t used in football terms, however. The word refers to its psychological meaning, which goes as follows: “a burdensome condition that is hard to bear.” The rivalry between Oceanside High and El Camino is well-documented. The importance of this game to Oceanside was apparent, as losing to the El Camino Wildcats would have caused the Pirate confidence to sink. How did Clark respond to this pressure? He went 9-for-26, while throwing three interceptions. In terms of the game against Long Beach: the significance of the game was also obvious. Long Beach Poly is a prestigious football school and a national powerhouse. Beating the Jackrabbits would earn the Pirates’ legitimacy. Clark responded by throwing two picks, and allowing the offense to get shut out in the second half. Nevertheless, the team emerged victorious. But Clark’s ability to lead his offense under pressure still remains in question. This ability will be tested for the first time since the fourth game of the season, when the Pirates suit up to host the second round.

     On paper, there is no team with the ability to beat the Pirates. However, a team with strong dedication and careful planning, as well as confidence and guts, can upset the Pirates. For that to happen, the Pirates would have to have a hell of a bad day.