The 2016-2017 school year at Oakdale High has begun and that means varsity Mustang teams are returning to the practice field, course, gym and pool. The CIF has moved boys soccer from the fall to the winter season and they (along with girls soccer) will join wrestling and basketball at that time. Here is a quick glance at each of the OHS fall sports.
More in depth previews for each of the individual sports will be featured in upcoming editions of The Leader.
This fall semester will see Mustang varsity teams compete in six different sports. The girls tennis team hits the court for a pair of scrimmages beginning Tuesday, Aug. 23 at home against Turlock scheduled for 3 p.m. Their second scheduled scrimmage will be two days later on Thursday on the road against Enochs scheduled at 3:30 p.m. Oakdale tennis begins league play at home against Weston Ranch on Tuesday, Sept. 6. The team is coached by Judy Vejar.
Jeremy Fields and Lee McGhee return to the green as Oakdale’s girls golf coaches. Oakdale golfers hit the links on Tuesday, Aug. 30 against Weston Ranch at Van Buskirk Golf Course and host their first contest on Tuesday, Sept. 6 against Lathrop. Tee time is set for 3 p.m.
Oakdale’s cross country team will host their only home race in the Red and Gold Fox Trot scrimmage on Friday, Aug. 26. The scrimmage is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. The team opens up league action on Thursday, Sept. 1 at the Jaguar Invitational hosted by Kimball, race time is scheduled for 3 p.m. Returning to manage the boys will be Guy Fowler, with Lori Vargas serving as girls head coach. Team mangers for the girls are Madison Morgan and Sophia Fifer with Karen Fowler as meet assistant.
Looking to make a splash in the pool will be both the boys and girls water polo teams. Last season the girls water polo went 6-0 in league play and won the Sac-Joaquin Section Championship for the third straight season. Head coach Diane Kline returns in hopes of leading the girls back to a championship game for a sixth straight season. The girls host their scrimmage on Saturday, Aug. 27 against multiple schools beginning at 9 a.m. For the boys, coach Brian Kline returns to help build the program. The boys reached the playoffs last season and won their first match. Oakdale takes on Christian Brothers and El Capitan in Merced on Saturday, Aug. 27 at 9 a.m. Oakdale hosts their first match on Tuesday, Sept. 20 against Lodi.
Coach Heather Gonzalez enters her second season as the girls varsity volleyball coach. Last season Gonzalez and the Lady Mustangs went undefeated in league play (14-0). Gonzalez and the girls hope to repeat as VOL champions as they open the season on Thursday, Sept. 8 on the road against Pitman. Their first home league game will be Monday, Sept. 12 against Sierra with the varsity game scheduled for 6 p.m.
Coach Trent Merzon and his staff return to the gridiron for another exciting year of Mustang football. The team went 6-1 in league play last season; with their lone loss coming against league champion Central Catholic in the team’s regular season finale, 42-37. The Mustangs fell short in their revenge game against the Raiders in the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs on Dec. 4, 21-7. Oakdale hosts Tracy on Saturday, Aug. 20 for a scrimmage and travels to Sonora to face their former league rivals on Friday night, Aug. 26. The Mustangs begin league play on Friday, Sept. 23 on the road against Sierra. The team will have to wait to face Central Catholic in the regular season finale on Nov. 4 at The Corral. All varsity games are scheduled for 7 p.m.
