Look who’s coming to dinner: Oak Ridge line and Lamson roll Indekrum in D-I semifinal

A statement was made Friday night in El Dorado Hills.

After second-seeded Oak Ridge High School beat No. 3 Inderkum 56-21 in a section Division I semifinal, players and coaches celebrated with hugs, cheers and a message to any team standing in front of them.

They are ready.

“We don’t want this season to end,” Oak Ridge coach Eric Cavaliere said. “We played our most complete game of the season tonight.”

And the Trojans had to, considering the stakes beyond facing a team that came in 11-0.

Oak Ridge quarterback Justin Lamson led the charge. The junior passed for 262 yards and had touchdown passes of 70 yards to Brandon Barthel and 17 yards to Avant Jacobs, who had nine catches for 161 yards. Lamson also rushed for 85 yards.

Lamson loves to play, and his coaches rave about how much of a competitor he is.

“He’s the most competitive player I have ever coached,” Cavaliere said. “He wants to win and wants his teammates to get better. He’s the first junior to be a team captain for us in the entire time I’ve been here (since the early 2000s). He’s the real deal.

“He just has that fire within him,” the coach added. “He’s a complete football player.”

Last season, Oak Ridge saw the potential in Lamson as a sophomore, so he was brought up to play linebacker and be the backup quarterback.

As the starting quarterback this year, it’s team now and he’s accepted his role as a leader.

“I just like to win,” Lamson said. “This is the greatest team I’ve ever been apart of and that’s why I play as hard as I can for my guys every day.”

Lamson’s offensive line of Ethan Criswell, Sean Gatson, Cole Hathaway, Nicholas Scalise and Brandon Summers sure appreciate him. Every Monday, Lamson and his linemen friends have dinner at his house. Chicken fried steak was on the menu last week. This week, the line will get a special treat.

“We are having ribs because that’s their favorite,” Lamson said of his offensive line. “I love those kids. They eat everything.”

The blocking up front was also appreciated by running back Gui Lozada. He started in place of the injured Dylan Warfield and had a breakout game. Lozada only rushed for 34 yards, but had three 1-yard touchdown runs and another one from 4-yards, in the second half.

“Gui stepped up big for us tonight,” Cavaliere said. “He’s a tough kid who was ready for the challenge this week. He’s been wanting a challenge like tonight all season.”

The Trojans are playing with purpose. Oak Ridge freshman football coach Jason Clark died earlier this year due to complications from pneumonia. All the Oak Ridge players have dedicated this season to him, including Lamson, who has “Clark Strong” written on his backplate.

“This whole season is for him,” Lamson said. “That was my favorite coach. Our team gets emotional talking about him because of how great of a person and role model he was.”

The purpose was felt coming out of the locker room as Oak Ridge outscored Inderkum 28-0 after leading 28-21 at the break. The defense played its best when it had to, stifling a prolific Tigers team build on speed and the big play.

“Our defense just kept getting better and better as the game went on,” Cavaliere said. “We made some adjustments at halftime to stop Inderkum in the second half.”

The Trojans will face Monterey Trail next Saturday at Hughes Stadium for the Sac-Joaquin Section championship. Last season, the Mustangs beat Oak Ridge 48-20 in the section semifinals. Trojans players and coaches are delighted to have the week off from school because of Thanksgiving break. They will focus on the dangerous Monterey Trail veer offense that can turn a tight game into a track meet in an instant — like last season’s meeting.

“It’s really about their speed,” Cavaliere said of Monterey Trail. “Their speed is something else.”

Right now, Lamson is just happy to be practicing on Thanksgiving day — which is a tradition for many powerhouse programs like Oak Ridge, who has made it to nine section finals, winning four of them.

“I’m so excited,” Lamson said while grinning ear-to-ear when asked about practicing on Thanksgiving. “If you make it to Thanksgiving practice, that’s when you know you made it far in the playoffs.”

This story was originally published November 23, 2019 at 4:57 AM.