David Biderman
Special to Rivals High

When the Westlake Village (Calif.) Oaks Christian football team plays host to Pomona (Calif.) Diamond Ranch on Friday, it'll be in a no-win situation.

Diamond Ranch is a decent program, but it is to Oaks Christian what minor league baseball is to the majors.

Lion Pride

Nick Montana, son of NFL Hall of Famer Joe Montana, transfered in to Oaks Christian from Concord (Calif.) De La Salle.

If Oaks Christian wins by 30, well, that was expected. If the Lions lose, or even struggle, there goes any hope for a berth in a state-title game.

A seemingly logical solution, at least in the eyes of Lions coach Bill Redell and athletic director Jan Hethcock, would be to switch leagues. The Lions currently play in the average Tri-Valley League. The Marmonte League, comprised of eight teams close to Oaks Christian, typically offers tougher competition. If the Lions played those stronger teams and proved their worth, Redell and Hethcock say, a light non-league schedule wouldn't be a big deal.

There's even a good team with which to switch places: Calabasas (Calif.) High, which only recently snapped a 44-game losing streak.

So, what's the hold up?

"We've got no plan or desire to change things right now," Agoura (Calif.) High athletic director Jason Rosenthal said. "We can't deal with (Oaks Christian). They recruit; they get to hand out money for scholarships.

"First, they take the best kids from our area, and now they want to play against us with them."

The recruiting and scholarship rumors about Oaks Christian that ruminate through the San Fernando Valley have soured the Lions' reputation with numerous school officials in the Tri-Valley, Marmonte and Frontier leagues.

The 13 schools of the Tri-Counties Athletic Association, composed of the Frontier and Tri-Valley leagues, voted 8-4 (with one abstention) in mid-March to ask Oaks Christian to leave the association.

Redell and Hethcock have one question: Where should the Lions go?

They want to join the Marmonte League, but a switch requires unanimous approval from the athletic representatives at each school in both leagues involved in the swap.

Tri-Valley officials would oblige, but not the Marmonte League. As evidenced by Rosenthal's comments, Agoura, for one, would be against a switch.

With its ever-improving powerhouse program that recently welcomed junior quarterback Nick Montana, a transfer from Concord (Calif.) De La Salle and the son of NFL Hall of Famer Joe Montana, Oaks Christian has limited options.

Officials from Marmonte and Tri-Valley league schools, including Rosenthal and Oxnard (Calif.) Santa Clara coach Fran Fredette, suggested that if the Lions want more competition, they should play in leagues in Orange County that include other private schools.

The drive from Oaks Christian to any school in Orange County would take at least an hour without traffic. But several officials said Oaks Christian easily could afford the extra gas money.

Oaks Christian is the only private school in the Tri-Valley League, and the Marmonte League includes only public schools. While public schools might struggle to pay for the transportation, the thinking is Oaks Christian would be fine.

That's not the issue, though, Hethcock said.

"We're in the process here, all of these schools, to help kids not just in athletics but in school," he said. "The money, the travel ? it's not that. It has to do with pulling kids out of class several hours early to get out to games. We don't want to do that.

"Plus, none of (the Orange County) schools want to drive two hours to our place."

The root of the problem is that "success breeds success, and kids will try going wherever they think they've got the best opportunity to win," Hethcock said.

For instance, an eighth-grade football player in the San Fernando Valley will want to play where he's got the best chance to be recognized. Oaks Christian provides that. In addition to dominating its league the past several years, the Lions routinely receive coverage from the Los Angeles Times, ESPN.com and even "Access Hollywood" for their heavily recruited players.

"We look forward to the challenge of playing Oaks Christian because they're such a good program," said Fredette, whose Santa Clara squad is playing its first season in the Tri-Valley League this year. "I'm pretty sure the other schools feel the same way, but there's definitely a feeling that it's extremely difficult to compete with them."

The question local school officials ask is how all those talented players pay Oaks Christian's $21,640 annual tuition. Sure, Joe Montana's kid can afford it, as can Will Smith's son (Trey, a sophomore receiver) and Wayne Gretzky's son (Trevor, a sophomore quarterback). But others find it hard to imagine all the Lions football players paying that fee.

Of the more than 700 students at the school, Hethcock said about 32 percent receive financial aid. About 75 percent of Oaks Christian students participate in athletics, so it's likely about 24 percent of the athletes get some scholarship money.

Patrolling the Middle

Zac Stout, at 6-foot-2 and 220-pounds, is a force in the middle of the defense playing linebacker.

Oaks Christian's Web site says the school never awards financial aid purely for a student's athletic ability. Parents of potential students applying for aid submit their tax records, and an admissions committee offers scholarship money accordingly, Hethcock said.

There currently are no athletics officials on the admissions committee. Hethcock was on it in 2000, but he said he asked off so he could "look someone in the face and say I have nothing to do with that."

Hethcock points to other Oaks Christian teams as proof of the separation of athletics and admissions. The boys basketball team was 21-7 overall and 8-4 in the league (third place) in 2007 and 15-13 and 7-5 in the league (tied for third) in 2006. The baseball team was equally average: It was 6-6 in the league (tied for fourth) in 2007 and 9-3 in the league (tied for second) in 2008.

"If we could recruit, don't you think I'd have all the best teams in the area?" Hethcock said. "I'd have the best 18 baseball players in the state, right?"

The Lions' track, volleyball and swimming teams typically enjoy great success. And Oaks Christian teams have dominated in the postseason; in the past six years, the Lions have won 58 league championships and 22 CIF-Southern Section titles.

"We like our league to be balanced," Rosenthal said. "It wouldn't be fair to have to compete with them. We're public schools and they're private, so they work differently.

"If they joined the Marmonte League, the teams wouldn't be on a level playing field."

The back-and-forth between Oaks Christian and nearby high schools will continue for at least another season. The Lions don't currently have as many Division I-caliber seniors as they have in the past, but Redell said the team is as good as ever. Several talented underclassman, including juniors Malcolm Jones (running back) and Zach Stout (linebacker), highlight a roster featuring 15 returning starters.

The future looks bright. By August 2009, Oaks Christian expects its middle school (currently under construction) to be open. Thus, students who attend the middle school presumably would get to spend three more years with Oaks Christian coaches.

The growth also will coincide with an increase of Oaks Christian's enrollment. There currently are about 187 students per grade. Future plans call for that number to jump to 240.

"We have a great school with a great environment that isn't only about sports," Hethcock said. "I think, overall, we've had a positive effect on the area. And we're not going anywhere."