No offense to Aesop or his fables, but apparently he was wrong when he penned the phrase "familiarity breeds contempt."
The old scribe's saying definitely doesn't apply to tonight's Class 3 semifinal football game between the California Pintos and the Oak Grove Panthers.
That's because the teams, which are very familiar with each other, lean more toward respect than contempt.
The teams scrimmaged during the summer and California coach Marty Albertson said he's not surprised the Panthers are still playing at this point in the season.
California at Oak Grove
["We knew they were a very good football team," he said. "We saw them in camp in June and they have a lot of talent.
"They've got two running backs that are pretty awesome, ... their offensive line up front is big and aggressive, and their quarterback is a big kid who will run the ball some and will pass if he has to."
The Panthers got the better of the Pintos in that meeting, but don't take too much from it.
"They took it to us pretty good, but we didn't have all of our players," Albertson said. "We didn't have (offensive/defensive linemen) Nathan Squires or Ramiro Garcia, and (quarterback) Jaden Barr was injured, so hopefully that will make a difference this time around."
Barr had a broken thumb during that meeting and wasn't the unstoppable force he's been this entire season, both running and passing the ball.
"Our second-team quarterback, Landon Mouse, wasn't there, either, so we were down to Jaden basically handing off," Albertson said. "He couldn't run the ball or throw the ball, so they stacked the line up pretty good and controlled us."
Speaking of familiarity, the teams are linked by their recent showdowns with a team not playing today, Maryville. Oak Grove had lost to the Spoofhounds in the quarterfinals each of the past two seasons, while California had fallen to Maryville in the next round both of those times.
But this year, it will be the Panthers and Pintos bidding for a spot in the Class 3 state title game.
"Everybody is now excited to play, because you're one game away from the (Edward Jones) Dome and they know if they can get by us, they're in the championship, and we know the same thing," Albertson said. "I think everybody's going to come out and give it their best and hopefully everything will turn out well for us."
Oak Grove stunned many observers with last week's 69-23 rout of Maryville, ending the Spoofhounds' 42-game winning streak. If the Pintos are to get a win today, they'll need to avoid the problem the Spoofhounds had.
"We have to move the ball and control it a little bit and not give it to (Oak Grove) so much," Albertson said. "Maryville fumbled six times and you're not going to beat anybody if you fumble six times, especially this time of year when all the teams are good.
"Oak Grove ... took advantage of their opportunities. They probably created most of them since they were hitting so hard. It wasn't all Maryville, it was Oak Grove, too."
California advanced last week by having to shut down Orchard Farm's two-pronged running attack that had a pair of runners who had combined for more than 3,000 yards. It's a similar story this week, as Oak Grove brings in two runners who have combined for a whopping 3,698 yards.
Aaron Graham, a senior, leads the team with 2,448 yards on 224 carries, an average of 204 yards in each of the 12 games he's played in. Landon Cairer, a junior, has piled up 1,250 yards on 134 carries in just 11 games, good enough for 113 yards each contest.
With Graham racking up 10.9 yards per carry and Cairer at 9.3, the Panthers are basically assured a first down any time one of the two touches the ball.
And it's not just those two, as the rest of the team has combined for another 1,754 yards on the ground.
When you add in Oak Grove's 946 yards passing - senior Austin Blackston had completed 38-of-92 passes for 864 yards to lead the way - the Panthers have racked up an astounding 6,398 yards of total offense, or 492 yards per game.
"They're basically a running team - they don't want to throw unless they have to - but if they do, (Blackston) can throw it," Albertson said.
On the defensive side of the ball, Oak Grove operates out of a 4-3 front.
"It's nothing we haven't seen, we're very familiar with that," Albertson said. "They've got a good defensive line and good linebackers. I think you have to throw the ball against them because if you sit there and run, they're going to load up the box on you."
Senior linebacker Michail Winstead leads the Panthers with 113 tackles, while senior nose guard Dalton Brinegar is close behind with 109. Junior defensive tackle Josh Klipper has a team-high eight sacks and Brinegar has seven.
"I figure we have to keep them guessing," Albertson said. "We have to throw the ball when they think we're going to run it, and we have to run the ball when they think we're going to throw it.
"We need to control the football and take what they give us. I think those underneath routes will be open, and we've got to be able to throw it. Then we can spread them out and also be able to run the football."
The teams appear to be evenly matched when it comes to line play.
"Size-wise, they're not that much bigger than us," Albertson said. "They've got a couple good kids that are about 250, 260 (pounds). ... We match up pretty well with our two lines."
Don't be surprised to see a game that has the scorekeeper working hard to keep up.
"I think it's going to be a heck of a ballgame," Albertson said. "Turnovers and special teams may decide the game. We work hard on special teams and that may be something that can tip the scales our way."
Game time is 7 p.m. at Oak Grove.
Notes: California comes into the game with a record of 13-0 and is ranked second in the state, while Oak Grove is 11-2 and ranked 10th. ... The teams have no common opponents on their schedules. ... The Pintos are coming off a streak where they played six of seven games at home, including all four playoff games. "All the home-cooking has been awfully nice and we'd like to have another one at home, but it didn't work that way," Albertson said. "So we're going to get on the bus and leave early and get up there and get adjusted to their stadium. That's just part of it. We got a little break in that we only have to go to Oak Grove and not all the way to Maryville."
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