Friday night two high-flying offenses meet in a Santa Clara Valley Athletic League-El Camino Division game as Cupertino looks to remain unbeaten when it hosts Fremont (4-2, 1-1).
The Pioneers (6-0, 2-0), who won just three games combined over the last two seasons, face what appears to be their most difficult challenge of the season. In winning its first six games, Cupertino has beaten teams with a combined record of 5-24-1.
Fremont, coming off a 46-21 win at Lynbrook, should pose a formidable challenge for Cupertino coach Chris Oswald, who is thrilled with his team's progress to date.
“Many of the players out there last year were juniors and sophomores and now they are building on all that they learned last year," Oswald said. "They had an amazing off-season, pushing each other to new levels in the weight room and on the field. Their success this year does not surprise me but rather justifies all the hard work that we as a program have put in the past two seasons.”
Last week Cupertino defeated Los Altos 34-0. Running back Joseph Ochsner had two touchdowns for the Pioneers, while quarterback/defensive back Patrick Johnson had a 3-yard touchdown run along with a 32-yard interception for a touchdown.
Johnson stressed the importance of an intense run defense against Fremont running back Keenan Smith, who is coming off a massive breakout game in which he scored seven touchdowns in a victory against Lynbrook.
“The game will be determined on how well we tackle and rally to the ball, so we can stop their running game," Johnson said. "We’ve heard and seen how big Fremont is. We are impressed by their size and their running back’s speed, so we know if we shut him down, we have a good chance of winning.”
Johnson’s passing game should also be a key factor.
“We know now that teams are going to try and stop our run game," said Johnson, "and we must take advantage with pass plays.”
The Firebirds have struggled in the past two seasons, winning only four games in that span. Smith has been one of the keys to the turnaround, along with safety/running back Joe De Los Santos (76 tackles) and defensive lineman Adam Cacheiro (46 tackles).
Offensively, Fremont -- which relies heavily on Smith (69 carries, 777 yards, 10 TDs), De Los Santos (48-368, six TDs) and quarterback Ricky Teo (39-of-84 passing, 646 yards, 4 TDs) -- faces a Cupertino defense that has yielded just 86 points all season.
