As we approach the tail end of the 2018 calendar year, Oakdale High School will turn its focus to the winter sports season. Basketball, wrestling and soccer are all on the horizon for this winter.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Inside the gym, Oakdale High School’s boys basketball team looks to gain from their improvement from last season. Head coach Hondo Arpoika and the varsity boys return this weekend for a road scrimmage at Riverbank. Their first preseason game is the Foundation Game at 7 p.m. at Oakdale High School on Monday, Nov. 17. The annual Oakdale Rotary (varsity and junior varsity) Tournament will be held Dec. 26-28 at Oakdale High School and the freshmen will travel to Grace Davis for the annual Davis Tournament those same days. Valley Oak League action starts on Wednesday, Jan. 2 at home against East Union. Oakdale’s junior varsity will be coached by Kelly Power and taking over the freshman team is Jeremy Fields. Last season Oakdale’s varsity finished with a 10-18 overall record including a 3-12 league record.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Coach Julie Ford returns for her fourth season as head coach of the Lady Mustangs. This weekend all three levels of the program are scheduled to participate in a scrimmage against four teams. Their preseason schedule is loaded with their first six on the road and they will host Downey on Saturday, Dec. 1 for their first home preseason game (freshmen start the day off at 11 a.m. with junior varsity and varsity to follow). Oakdale’s Valley Oak League season begins on the road at Manteca and they will host Sierra on Wednesday, Jan. 9 in their home opener. Junior varsity is coached by Cheri Martin and the freshmen will be coached by Justin Martin.
WRESTLING
The powerhouse of Sac-Joaquin Section gears up for another run. The Mustangs sent eight wrestlers to state in 2018, with four earning medals. For over a decade Oakdale has dominated the Valley Oak League and the Sac-Joaquin Section. Head coach Steve Strange returns with his assistant coaches Vic Moreno and Abel Colunga. The team had a few graduate from the program but still have lots to offer on their roster. Brayden Abell, Clayton Bashor, Ricky Torres, Henry Porter, Gabe Martinez, Cody Golding, Seth Borba and Max Moore are all slated to return along with an impressive group of young freshmen looking to make an impact. The weekend of Nov. 16 and 17 Oakdale will host their varsity and junior varsity scrimmage. Saturday, Dec. 8 Oakdale will host the 43rd Annual James Riddle Invitational starting at 9 a.m.
BOYS SOCCER
The Mustangs return for their second winter season. Last year Oakdale advanced to the second round of the postseason and finished in third place in the Valley Oak League standings. The Mustangs start their season with a pair of road scrimmages and will host Central Valley on Friday, Nov. 16 in their preseason opener. Tuesday, Dec. 11 the team opens up against Manteca at home in their Valley Oak League opener. The varsity is coached by Alfredo Quiroga, Matt Harris and Hector Padilla. For the junior varsity a large group of players showed up for tryouts making it difficult on head coach Jaime Martinez to trim his roster down before their opener.
GIRLS SOCCER
The Lady Mustangs will host Lincoln Nov. 21 in their preseason opener. Head coach Grace Fernandes enters her third year as head coach and had a league record of 6-6-2 in 2018. The team will start their regular season on the road when they take on Manteca on Wednesday, Dec. 12. Oakdale will host Sierra on Wednesday, Dec. 19.
