Oakdale’s varsity football team took a road trip to Moraga to take on the Cougars of Campolindo on Friday night, Sept. 16. The Mustangs overcame a slow start to defeat the Cougars 28-21. Down 7-0 after the first quarter, Oakdale scored two touchdowns in the second quarter to tie the game at 14 as the first half came to a close.
The Mustangs ground and pound attack was in full force as senior Will Semone carried the ball 34 times for a season high 234 yards and scored four touchdowns for Oakdale in the road win. The visitors took a 21-14 lead into the fourth quarter and held on for the win, both teams finding the end zone in that final frame.
“Great win for our program. Only the third loss for them at home since 2011,” Mustangs head coach Trent Merzon noted.
After a road loss to former league rival Sonora to start the season, Oakdale finished their preseason with 2-1 record after knocking off Crater of Oregon and Campolindo. The Mustangs now turn their attention and focus to Valley Oak League action.
The VOL is stacked this season with tough talent and is wide open for the taking. Currently Manteca, Weston Ranch, and East Union and Sierra are all 3-0 after preseason play. Central Catholic finished preseason with a 1-2 record but are always a threat with their explosive rushing attack.
“The real season starts on Friday night, Sierra has a nine game winning streak going on. It’s going to be a good one,” Merzon said of the upcoming VOL season opener.
Oakdale starts the VOL season on the road against Sierra this Friday night, Sept. 23. Last season Oakdale defeated Sierra 54-14 at The Corral but stumbled at Sierra in 2014, 31-20. The Mustangs will then host Kimball on Sept. 30 in their home opener. This game will feature the Mini Mustangs young cheerleaders at The Corral to entertain the home crowd.
Junior Varsity
In a hard fought battle, the Colts came up short in their road game against the Cougars. Oakdale fell 35-28 to Campolindo to remain winless on the year. Oakdale travels to Sierra on Friday night to open up their VOL campaign.
Freshmen
The youngest Oakdale football players suffered their first loss of the season as Campolindo came into The Corral and defeated Oakdale 27-20 on Thursday, Sept. 15. The night began with a scoreless first quarter but quarterback Steven Morris scored the first points of the night on a six-yard keeper in the second quarter. Tied at 7 at the half, Campolindo took a 13-7 lead with 5:35 remaining in the third quarter on a 30-yard touchdown pass. Oakdale regained the lead on a Cole Niemi one-yard rush with 1:41 left in the third to go up 14-13. The Ponies found themselves down 19-14 late in the fourth, until Peyton Bradford recovered a fumble in the end zone to give Oakdale a 20-19 lead with 3:12 left. Campolindo marched down the field in five plays and used clock management to score with just 37 seconds left to win the game.
“I thought we played sloppy throughout most of the night to be honest and at all three phases of the game, too,” head coach Rod Long said. “They (Campolindo) are a quality team and the kids will learn from this experience. It’s their first loss as a high school team and it came from a quality team.”
Oakdale will host Sierra on Thursday night with kickoff set for 6 p.m.
