Lightning able to improvise

Sage Hill School’s football team doesn’t get shaken by much, which is why Coach Pete Anderson said the Lightning would be fine, even without starting tight end Craig Jackson.

Jackson, a junior, sustained a concussion in the Lightning’s 37-28 win over Brethren Christian on Saturday, so Sage Hill will be employing a three-wideout set tonight at 7 against visiting Capistrano Valley Christian.

The Lightning usually switch between a three-wide set and a basic formation with two wide receivers and a tight end. Anderson said they would probably use three receivers more against Academy League rival CVC, and sophomore backup Connor Gaughan will play some at tight end.

“He does a real good job on the junior varsity level, so we’ll be fine,” Anderson said.

Sage Hill (7-2, 1-1 in league) is looking to capture its second league win and secure a spot in the CIF Southern Section Northeast Division playoffs against the Eagles (4-5, 0-2).

Capistrano Valley Christian lost, 63-7, to St. Margaret’s, and fell, 13-10, to Brethren Christian.

A Sage Hill loss and a Brethren Christian loss would create a three-way tie for second place. In that instance, since the teams were all 1-1 against each other, a coin flip would decide which school got the league’s second guaranteed playoff berth.

St. Margaret’s is the No. 1 Academy League playoff representative, and would win the league title outright with a victory tonight over Brethren Christian, or a Sage Hill loss.

If St. Margaret’s is upset and Sage wins, the two would be co-champions, though St. Margaret’s would be the league’s No. 1 playoff representative since it beat Sage Hill.

“It’s playoffs for [CVC] too,” Anderson said of tonight. “It’ll be the same playoff intensity on both sides of the ball. Both teams want to extend their season past [tonight].”

The Eagles use a run-oriented version of the wing-T, and Anderson said the team’s big players make for a physical matchup.

SORAYA NADIA McDONALD may be reached at (714) 966-4613 or at [email protected].