It was hard to not start thinking about the Oakdale Mustangs’ huge upcoming non-league contest against Novato High as the Mustangs jogged off the Corral turf after crafting an unimaginable 42-0 halftime lead against the Turlock Bulldogs.
The Mustangs kept their focus and continued to pound the Bulldogs in second half action on Friday night, finishing off Turlock 56-6 in arguably the worst beat down in the two programs’ storied history.
Turlock posed no problem for the Mustangs, finding themselves overmatched moments into the game’s second period. Tim House got things under way with a 19-yard touchdown jaunt, disposing of a would-be Turlock defender on his way into the end zone.
Oakdale would continue to score, and score often, racking up an uncontested 35 points over the game’s next 16 minutes.
The Mustangs got scores from running back Devin Brooks on back-to-back possessions and then saw quarterback Tanner Combs and junior running back Daniel Linder get in on the action with scoring runs of their own,
Before Turlock knew what had hit them, there was just 30 seconds remaining in the half and Oakdale was more than halfway to 80 points.
The onslaught continued when Gino Valente raced the length of the field after a heralded Oakdale defense rejected a Turlock scoring drive at the 13-yard line, Valente took a trap 87 yards for Oakdale’s seventh score of the contest.
Linder would race 48 yards for the final Mustang score of the evening, solidifying the expectations of one of the Valley Oak League’s top tier teams.
Defensively, Oakdale saw standout play from defensive back Daniel Gasdik and senior linebacker Charlie Gilstrap, who recorded an interception in the blowout.
Oakdale now has to transition its attention the Novato Hornets, who will show up to the Corral on Sept. 19, hungry after dropping their first contest of the year 17-14 to the Foothill Falcons of Pleasanton.
Turlock had the looks of a team that would provide Oakdale with a stiff physical challenge, but the Bulldogs clearly showed none of that. Novato, on the other hand, will undoubtedly show up ready to play, eager to put their first loss of the season in the rearview mirror.
Novato was edged out by a strong Foothill team that was able to push through a fourth quarter field goal that proved to be the difference. The Hornets have shown a horrific habit of dropping the ball on the turf, amassing 10 fumbles in just two games with seven of those bringing out Novato’s defensive unit.
JV/FROSH
The Oakdale High JV football team did not kick off the season in the manner they had planned, dropping the season opener 21-0 to the Turlock Bulldogs.
Oakdale was unable to get anything going after a productive first quarter drive, failing to get into the end zone in the squad’s home opener.
The freshman team proved to be a stiffer challenge, taking down the Bulldogs on their home field 31-14 to open the 2009 season 1-0.
Both teams will look to take care of business when they battle with the Novato Hornets to continue along their non-league schedule.
