Thursday night saw the freshman Ponies gallop to a 41-0 home win over East Union. This was the regular season opener and Oakdale got off to a fast start.

Oakdale’s Zeke Saffar rushed a dozen times for 164 yards on the ground and three touchdowns. Saffar also was involved in the passing game, gathering 38 receiving yards. Donovan Walker scored the first points of the game on a 24 yard rushing play to set the tempo. Walker finished with over 100 net yards with 64 on the ground and 44 yards from the air. Enrique Vasquez rushed the ball three times and scored a touchdown for Oakdale.

On the defensive side, Zachary Aloisio continues to have a solid season as he scored on a 14-yard fumble recovery.

“Our defense played really well again,” head coach Rodney Long said of his defensive unit. “We need to continue to work hard and improve in all areas of the game. We are playing a talented Weston Ranch team this week. They will test us on both sides of the ball.”

Kickoff for that game will be Thursday, Sept. 28 at 6 p.m. inside The Corral.           

In junior varsity action, Oakdale clashed with the East Union Lancers on Friday night. Oakdale rallied from seven points down in the first quarter to defeat East Union 28-13. Cole Niemi scored three times for Oakdale in the victory. Oakdale’s other touchdown came on a 68-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Dominic McDonald to Cameron Snow with 4:12 left in the half. The play was on a third and 35 attempt.

“This was a very important game for us. We wanted to set the tone early in the season to let the other seven teams in the Valley Oak League know that we are a physical team,” said quarterback McDonald.

This Friday night Oakdale travels to Weston Ranch to play the Cougars. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.