Oakdale High School varsity football hosted Spanish Springs of Nevada this past Friday night. The Mustangs defeated Spanish Springs 48-14, making a long trip an even longer one for the Cougars.
In the first quarter, Oakdale scored on a Jackson Holt one-yard keeper with 7:29 remaining. Oakdale entered the locker room with a 28-0 halftime advantage following a trio of touchdowns in the second quarter. Kevin Camelin scored on a 25-yard touchdown toss from Holt with 11:01 left to play in the half. Yahir Ayala added a one-yard rushing touchdown and with less than a minute to play in the half, Holt connected with Jack Kjeldgaard on a 21-yard catch and run to give the Mustangs a commanding halftime lead.
The third quarter started off with Dalton Vargas scoring from short distance to extend the lead to 35-0. However, Spanish Springs found some momentum as they scored on back-to-back drives. Caanye Stinson caught a short pass and found the end zone to avoid the shutout. Ayala and the Mustangs bounced back and scored on an 18-yard rushing touchdown, his second of the evening, to make it 41-7 with 3:56 to play in the third. The high-flying offensive attack of both teams continued to exchange points in the third quarter as Spanish Springs scored on a 37-yard catch and run by Stinson to make it 41-14 with 2:07 left.
Oakdale then scored the final points of the night on an Ayala one-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter to make it 48-14.
The Mustang defense had plenty to celebrate as Titan Ginger had a few key plays. The senior made a crucial tackle in the first half that forced a turnover on downs, then recovered a fumble in the second quarter.
“Our defense is tough, and we knew that tonight was going to be a challenge, so we made it a point to show that we would not back down. Everyone did their job tonight on the defensive side of the ball. I am proud to play defense and proud to be a Mustang,” said Ginger.
Mason Gilton came up with an interception in the first half and Zander Espinoza came up with a stop on a key fourth down play.
Mustang quarterback Holt finished his night going 11-for-13 for 181 yards passing with three touchdowns. The rushing attack was balanced and punished the Cougars throughout the night.
“Our offensive line was truly the star of the night, in my opinion. They stood tall tonight,” said Camelin on the effort of the offensive line.”
Coach Trent Merzon and the Mustangs had time to prepare and rest for this game as they had been off for 14 days as their game against Edison was canceled due to COVID related issues.
“It feels great to be back out here under the lights and playing. Tonight’s win was a big one against a very good team. I don’t think they (Spanish Springs) realized how good we are. I am not saying that they overlooked us, but it seems like we caught them by surprise early and they did not regroup,” said Merzon.
This Friday night, Oakdale will host Archbishop Mitty at 7:30 p.m.
JV/FRESHMEN
Friday night was a triple header at The Corral. Both the freshman and junior varsity squads played prior to the varsity contest.
The freshmen took the field first and held on for a 12-0 victory over Spanish Springs. The score was 0-0 at the half and Oakdale scored a pair of touchdowns in the second half for the win.
The junior varsity was not as fortunate as they fell to Spanish Springs by a 41-8 final. Oakdale’s lone score of the game came in the third quarter on an Aiden Saso touchdown.
Thursday night, Sept. 9 the freshmen are scheduled to host Hughson at 6 p.m. Friday night the junior varsity is scheduled to take on Archbishop Mitty at 5 p.m.
