Homecoming 2026 went in favor of the varsity football Oakdale Mustangs as they defeated the Patterson Tigers, 49-21. Friday night, Oct. 2 the Mustangs used their defense to help earn the win in front of a packed house at The Corral.
Midway through the first quarter, Oakdale looked to take the lead when they had the ball at the Patterson one yard line but fumbled the ball and the Tigers jumped on the loose ball for the turnover. Just three plays later, Patterson’s Scout Silva threw the ball into the hands of Oakdale’s Beau Kesterson who returned it for a 27-yard interception for a touchdown to give Oakdale a 6-0 lead with 4:58 left in the first quarter. Kesterson followed that up when he recovered a surprise onside kick moments later. Oakdale capitalized on the recovery when Anthony Navarro scored on a 21-yard run rushing touchdown with 1:12 left in the first quarter and a successful two-point conversion made it 14-0 Mustangs.
Two plays into the second quarter, Oakdale went up 21-0 when Navarro ran it into the end zone from 37 yards. Oakdale continued to overpower the Tigers as Dex Edwards II scored on a 25-yard reception from quarterback Christian Amerine with 7:25 left in the half to go up 28-0.
Patterson got on the scoreboard when Silva called his own number from the one-yard line to make it a 28-7 ballgame with 2:15 to play in the first half. Oakdale countered when Lucas Oberg threw the ball to Luke Sousa for a 41-yard catch and run making it a 35-7 game with less than a minute left in the half. Patterson did not flinch as they bounced back with an 18-yard reception by Alex Ventura with just eight seconds left before halftime. Oakdale led 35-14 at the half.
Oakdale’s Amerine scored on a one-yard rushing touchdown with 5:26 left in the third quarter to make it a 41-14 advantage for the Mustangs. The Tigers responded with a touchdown of their own when Ventura scored from 16 yards out on a reception from Silva with 3:39 remaining in the third quarter. The only score in the fourth quarter came on an interception by Peyton Wallace for a 25-yard pick six with 9:44 left to play.
“Our defense and special teams did a lot for us tonight,” said Mustangs coach Garrett Martin. “I am pleased with the way we played and ultimately got the much-needed win.”
Kesterson finished the game with two interceptions and four tackles.
“We wanted this game, we really worked hard for it all week,” said Kesterson.
“I saw the ball in the air and it was coming my way so I just stepped in front of it and ran with it,” he added about his first half pick six.
With the win, Oakdale is now 2-0 in Valley Oak League and they will have their bye week on Friday. They return to action when they travel to Manteca to face East Union on Friday, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m.
Oakdale’s junior varsity came away with a 42-20 victory over Patterson.
VOLLEYBALL
The varsity Lady Mustangs took a hard-fought loss on the road, falling to Mountain House by a 3-2 final on Sept. 30. They did get back in the win column on Oct. 5, as they swept visiting McNair, 3-0.
WATER POLO
It was a win in the pool for the varsity water polo girls, putting away Sonora by a 16-4 final at the Oakdale Aquatic Center on Sept. 30.
The varsity boys, meanwhile, battled but fell just short, losing to Sonora by an 8-7 final in the Sept. 30 contest.
FLAG FOOTBALL
At Sierra, the varsity flag football girls for Oakdale got on the scoreboard but managed just seven points, losing by a 40-7 final to the host team on Oct. 5.
Editor Marg Jackson contributed to this report.
