It was a game that lived up to the hype, not to mention the potential.
The first meeting between Oakdale and Escalon on the football field in more than 40 years gave the limited amount of fans allowed in the stands something to savor and remember. By the end of the heavyweight battle, it was a 38-35 Oakdale victory.
The Friday night, March 19 contest was the first in what will be an abbreviated season for the Mustangs. But there was little evidence it was the first game in more than a year as the teams lined up against each other.
Head coach Trent Merzon said it was a special game to be a part of, as the Mustangs learned “why Escalon is Escalon” and the Cougars learned “why Oakdale is Oakdale.”
Two teams with storied histories, plenty of league and Section titles between them, as well as state titles in recent years.
Escalon head coach Andrew Beam noted the only unfair thing about the contest was that – due to COVID-19 restrictions – there weren’t “7,000 fans on each side” of the field to cheer on their team.
It was a battle from the start, with Escalon taking the early lead, capping their first drive with a touchdown, quickly answered by the Mustangs on a 1-yard run from Yahir Ayala. In the second quarter, it was Mustang quarterback Jackson Holt finding Dion Suarez on an 8-yard pass play for the score and Kevin Camelin adding the point after for a 14-7 lead. Escalon again tied the score and the Mustangs used a last minute, first half drive to get into field goal range, Camelin sending it through for a 17-14 Oakdale lead at the half.
All of Oakdale’s second half points came in the third quarter. Donovan Walker found the end zone on a 6-yard run, kick good, for a 24-14 lead. A Cougar touchdown, no extra point, made it 24-20 and the Mustangs looked ready to seal the deal as they got a 10-yard run from Ayala, kick good (31-20) and a pick-6 from Titan Ginger, kick good, to put the host team up 38-20 entering the fourth quarter.
Escalon got a touchdown and 2-point conversion, then another score, to close the gap to 38-35 with a little over four minutes to go.
Oakdale got the ball back, covering the onside kick attempted by Escalon, and refused to turn it over, using a late third down conversion to be able to run out the clock and take the hard fought victory off the field.
Merzon noted that the teams had total respect for each other and that those able to attend saw something many people had been asking about for years; an Oakdale-Escalon battle.
“It was great,” quarterback Holt – who completed 14 passes for 102 yards – said of suiting up. “After 15 months without it, we finally got the opportunity to play, Escalon was tough, but this feels great.”
Oakdale had 365 yards of offense, with 45 rushing plays for 263 yards and the 102 passing yards. The Mustangs committed just three penalties on the night for 15 yards.
“We beat them tonight,” Merzon said, noting that on any given night, the outcome could be different. “You have players and coaches who are super passionate, I have a lot of respect for them … I think both teams will take a lot of positives out of this game tonight.”
Oakdale now goes on the road for three straight, including a March 26 game at Sierra in Manteca, before wrapping up the abbreviated 5-game season with a home contest.
