A loss isn’t always a bad thing, really

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So we were talking Friday night in the press box at Santa Ana Stadium after Orange Lutheran’s impressive 31-12 victory over Mater Dei. It was mentioned that losses aren’t always a bad thing for a football team. And that’s true. A loss can often point a team in the right direction, show what it needs to work on, and pay huge dividends down the road.

Lutheran last season had its Servite. An overtime loss, and then the Lancers went on to win the Pac-5 championship and Division II state bowl game in impressive fashion.

Lutheran had its Servite this season, too. Before knocking out Mater Dei on Friday, Lutheran’s last on-field experience was a 28-13 loss to the Friars. Clearly, the Lancers moved on without looking back.

Servite had its Sherman Oaks Notre Dame a few weeks ago. It necessitated the move of D.J. Shoemate to tailback, and the Friars have played like the best team in the Southland since.

And now Mater Dei has its Orange Lutheran. Now the Monarchs know firsthand they won’t win by just showing up. Now they know there exists a blueprint for success against them. Now, it’s time for the team that was No. 1 in the Southland, No. 1 in the state and No. 5 in the nation to refocus.

‘They had tasted the bitter pill of defeat,’ Mater Dei Coach Bruce Rollinson said of Orange Lutheran, ‘and now we’ve tasted it. Now we’re going to have to find out. If we like the taste, we’ll get hit in the mouth again next week (against Servite). If we don’t, we’ll rise up and do what we do.’

To watch Orange Lutheran’s victory over Mater Dei, check out Vootage.

-- Martin Henderson

-- Image from www.wegotcards.com