Hitting The Big Time

TRUE, THEY are California powerhouses, but Ryan Keys had modest expectations when he put two $7 tickets for last Friday's clash between St. Bonaventure ( Ventura) and Oaks Christian ( Westlake Village) on eBay. Instead, on the Tuesday before the game, his tickets sold for $73.50. "I couldn't believe it--that much for a high school game?" said Keys, 22. "That's pretty crazy."

Not when you consider that Fox Sports Net was televising the matchup nationally and that an offshore gambling site (thegreek.com) had posted a betting line on the game.

Why all the hoopla? Oaks Christian and St. Bonaventure came into the matchup riding winning streaks of 33 games and 27 games, respectively. Oaks Christian has nine seniors who will likely play Division I-A football next season, led by the nation's top player, quarterback Jimmy Clausen. St. Bonaventure was ranked No. 1 in the area by a local newspaper.

Last Friday fans started lining up outside Ventura's Larrabee Stadium at about 2 p.m. for a 7 o'clock start. USC fan Al Pacheco, 70, took an Amtrak train 86 miles from San Pedro to see Oaks Christian's future Trojans, running back Marc Tyler and safety Marshall Jones. "I had to see if they're as good as they're supposed to be," Pacheco said.

They were. Oaks Christian racked up 600 yards of offense in a 59--13 shellacking of St. Bonaventure that put to rest talk that the Lions had built its sterling reputation by beating up on small-school opponents. Tyler ran for 271 yards and five touchdowns; Clausen was 16 of 26 for 227 yards and two scores.

"There's no doubt they're the real deal," said former UCLA and UTEP running back Tyler Ebell, a Ventura High grad who was on the St. Bonaventure sideline.

Ryan Keys thought he had a real deal as well, but he should've sold his tickets later in the week. Last Friday morning a pair went on eBay for $132.50.

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