Oakdale’s varsity boys water polo team earned an exciting 14-10 home win over Pitman on Thursday, Sept. 21. The boys were led by Dakota McNeil and his five goals.

The team jumped out to an early lead and did not let up. Caden Nord also had a strong presence in the pool for the boys as did Ethan Perry for Oakdale.

“We are starting to piece it together and are starting to gel,” head coach Diane Kline said of her team’s efforts. “It is perfect timing because we start Valley Oak League play next week.”

Oakdale will travel to Ripon on Tuesday, Oct. 3.

On Sept. 26, Oakdale traveled to Modesto to take on Downey in non-conference action. The game was held following The Leader’s press time.

The varsity girls struggled in their contest against Pitman but ultimately came out on top.

A see-saw battle between the two schools saw Oakdale rally from two goals down in the fourth period to win 6-5.

“It showed a lot of character to come from behind like that and win in such a close game,” Kline noted.

Camryn O’Neal was in the net for Oakdale and shut out the Pitman team in the fourth period.

Oakdale will travel to Sacramento to face Rio Americano on Thursday, Sept. 28 with the game scheduled for 5 p.m. The girls will then travel to Ripon on Tuesday, Oct. 3 for league action.