In the opening round of the postseason, Oakdale High School started off hot as their special teams and defense made an instant impact on visiting Ponderosa. The CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division 3 playoffs kicked off on Friday night, Nov. 14 as Oakdale knocked off seventh seeded Ponderosa 35-20.
Oakdale, the second seed in the tournament, got out to a fast 6-0 lead as Caden Adams blocked a punt and recovered the ball in the end zone with 10:46 remaining in the first quarter.
“As a senior that was special,” said Adams. “I will always remember that; but more importantly, it helped our team out. It is something that we practice and I saw the opening and it worked out for us.”
On the ensuing kickoff, Ponderosa coughed up the ball and set up the Mustangs as they took over deep in Bruins territory. With 9:43 remaining in the opening quarter, Wes Burford scored on a one-yard rushing touchdown, giving the Mustangs a 14-0 advantage. Late in the first quarter Ponderosa marched into Mustang territory and faced a fourth and one from the Mustang 15. Oakdale’s Dom Call and Eli Fisher chased down quarterback Colton Ridgley and forced an incomplete pass and the turnover on downs with 3:18 left in the quarter. Oakdale took the 14-0 lead into the second quarter.
Just seven seconds into that second quarter, Burford scored from four yards out to put the host Mustangs up 20-0. Ponderosa scored their first points of the night when Ridgley connected with Weston Komulainen from seven yards out with 6:45 left in the half. The extra point attempt was blocked by Adams.
The Mustangs looked to add to their 20-6 lead late in the half but misuses cost the home team. Quarterback Grant Gardner took a sack with 28 seconds left in the half making it fourth and 20 at the Bruins 31. The next play Gardner threw the ball into coverage deep down field and Ponderosa was called for pass interference, setting up the Mustangs for a potential score. With 16 seconds remaining in the half, however, Burford was stopped for a nine-yard loss to end the first half.
In the third quarter, Oakdale’s offense stumbled out the gate as Gardner was intercepted on the opening drive by Zealand Jenks. Later in the quarter, Oakdale turned the ball over on downs setting up a short field for the Bruins. On fourth and four from the four-yard line with 2:32 left in the third, the pass attempt by Ponderosa fell short in the end zone for a turnover on downs. Burford scored his third touchdown of the game when he plowed his way through the Bruins defense and rumbled for a 65-yard rushing touchdown with 54 seconds to play in the third quarter making it 28-6.
Oakdale took the 28-6 lead into the fourth quarter. Ponderosa cut into the deficit as Jenks scored on a 53-yard reception with 8:29 remaining in the contest to make it a 28-14 Mustangs lead. With just over two minutes remaining, Burford scored his fourth touchdown of the night when he went in from nine yards out. The final score of the night came from Komulainen on a 25-yard reception with 1:37 to play, but the Mustangs had the game well in hand and walked off with the victory.
“Tonight was a win and we are happy about that but we have some work to do. The tournament only gets more challenging from here and (next week) we need to play much better to keep our season going,” said coach Garrett Martin. “I will say that our offensive line did a great job tonight freeing up some space for our backs and our defense and special teams got us started tonight.”
Next up for the Mustangs will be Vanden. The Vikings are the sixth seed in the tournament and came away with a thrilling 26-25 victory over third seed Merced. Vanden defeated the Mustangs in the playoffs last year in the Section finals. Kickoff for the Friday night game, Nov. 21, will be at 7 p.m. in The Corral.
This game will be the semifinals; the winner moves on to face the winner of the number one Woodcreek vs. number five Rio Americano contest in the Section D3 championship game on Saturday, Nov. 29.
