Some Oakdale High School sports teams are wrapping up Valley Oak League action, while others have already or will soon start postseason play.
Here is a look at some of the recent contests on the links, courts and diamonds for the Mustang squads.
GOLF
The Mustangs once again claimed the Valley Oak League championship, carding the low score of 403 at the Micke Grove par 72 course.
East Union was a distant second at 446, followed by Kimball in third at 452. Manteca, Sierra and Central Catholic rounded out the VOL teams.
Nolan Harris came in with the tournament’s low score, a two-over par 74 to lead Oakdale. Cooper Pitney shot a 78; Robert Bordona 79; Carson Middaugh 86; Skyler Mitchell 86; Owen Hauselmann 88.
“We closed out VOL with another championship,” said head coach Lee McGhee.
The team continues on to postseason play, heading to Copper Valley Golf Club in Copperopolis for their next event.
Tapped for honors were Nolan Harris, named MVP for the Valley Oak League. Teammates Cooper Pitney, Robert Bordona and Carson Middaugh were named as All-VOL selections.
TENNIS
On Tuesday, April 25, three members of the Oakdale High School tennis team – Jaden Lebsack, Camden Knight, and Parker Whitemyer – traveled to Central Catholic High School for the season ending VOL singles tournament.
Camden Knight faced one of the top players in the league in the first round and although he fought valiantly, he ultimately lost 1-8.
Jaden Lebsack got off to a fast start winning his first-round match 8-6 against Julian Marquez from Central Catholic High School. In the second round Lebsack played Ivan Barajas from Manteca High School earning a spot in the semi-finals. In the semi-finals he faced off against the number one ranked player in the league and battled hard but ultimately lost to Yok Chai Ma from Manteca High School.
Parker Whitemyer played Alex Azavedo from Central Catholic in the first round and prevailed 8-6. He got off to a slow start in the second round falling behind 3-6 but then rallied from behind to earn the victory and a place in the semis at 8-6. In the semi-final round Whitemyer played Brady Alves from Sierra High School and lost the first set 0-6 and the second set 4-6.
Reflecting on the season, Oakdale High School head tennis coach Grant Miller said, “We were a very young team with no seniors but all our players worked extremely hard throughout the season and improved each week. It was exciting see Parker and Jaden advance to the semi-finals this year. We will be even better next year.”
BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Wrapping up a memorable inaugural year on the volleyball court, the Mustang varsity boys finished in fifth place in the Valley Oak League. Their final game was on Thursday night, April 27.
“We finished with a 2-10 record, defeating Central Catholic twice for the two wins,” said head coach Kelly Nasrawi. “JV had an overall league record of 3-7.”
This was Oakdale’s first season of boys volleyball; Nasrawi served as head coach for varsity, Kelly Olson for the JV team.
“Overall, it was a season full of learning,” Nasrawi said. “There were lots of laughs, some bruises (literally), some life lessons, and so much fun! When I signed up for this, I had no idea what to expect. We found 18 boys who had no prior competitive volleyball experience but were willing to work, listen, and learn. I definitely wish I had more time with my seniors, it feels like some things were just starting to click for them. Although I am sad to see them go, I am so happy they were able to have this experience. They made Oakdale High School history, and I am so proud of them for embracing the challenge of starting this program.”
Next week, look for a wrap of the team’s overall statistics from this inaugural season.
“I think I can speak for the entire coaching staff and say that every young man in this program was a delight to coach and they all made this inaugural season so enjoyable,” added Nasrawi.
BASEBALL
Varsity action on the baseball diamond saw Oakdale take a 10-6 win over Manteca on Wednesday, April 26. Hosting the Buffaloes, Oakdale yielded one run in the top of the first but scored five in the bottom of the frame. They added two more in the second, one in the third and two in the fifth, rapping out nine hits on the day. Manteca scored a run in the third, three in the sixth and added one more in the seventh.
Manteca returned the favor just two days later on their home field, getting past the Mustangs 11-8. Oakdale built up a 4-0 lead with two runs in the second and one each in the third and fourth innings, but Manteca erupted for six runs in the bottom of the fourth to take the lead. They added two in the fifth and three in the sixth. Oakdale countered with one in the sixth and rallied for three in the third, falling just a little short.
The team has two games left in league, ending with Sierra. Senior Day is Wednesday (May 3) and then the Mustangs travel to Manteca to face Sierra to close out league play on Friday, May 5.
“As we close out the season, we are continuing to emphasize the importance of staying in the moment. Our goal is to get better each and every moment and our boys are continuing to buy into that,” head coach Joey Machado said. “Postseason play will be announced on Saturday. Like I said, we are just staying in the moment and we will take care of Saturday when Saturday comes.”
SOFTBALL
The Oakdale Mustangs varsity softball team dropped to second place in the Valley Oak League after losing to the Central Catholic Raiders on Tuesday, April 25 in Modesto, and then rebounded with a big 9-2 win over the Manteca Buffaloes on Thursday, April 26 in Manteca.
The Mustangs managed only three hits and no runs against Central Catholic senior Randi Roelling while the Raiders erupted for five runs in the fourth inning on the heels of getting one run in the third to earn a 6-0 win over the Mustangs. The one bright spot for the Mustangs was catcher Presley Barnes who collected a double and two singles in three trips to the plate and was the only Mustang to achieve a hit off of Roelling.
The varsity girls bounced back in strong fashion on Thursday beating the Manteca Buffaloes. After two scoreless innings, the Mustangs were able to push three runs across the plate in the top half of the third inning. With two outs, Bailey Peterson reached on an error. Barnes stayed hot by singling to left field and Delainey Everett surprised most at the park by bunting for a base hit loading the bases. Morgan Merzon then sent a line drive double to center field, which cleared the bases giving the Mustangs a 3-0 lead.
In the fourth, the Mustangs scored again on a single by Maddi Bohannon, who then stole second. Jayci Volonte singled in Bohannon as the Mustangs increased their lead to 4-0. The Mustangs earned yet another two-out run in the fifth on a single followed by a stolen base by Merzon and an RBI single by Morgan Wright. In their half of the seventh inning, the Mustangs exploded for four runs. Pinch hitter Jaelyn Lee singled and Barnes went yard over the left field fence. Kylee Joseph then singled and advanced to second on a single by Abby Rushing. Raegan Everett reached on a dropped fly ball, ending up at second, scoring Joseph and sending Rushing to third. Rushing then scored on a sacrifice bunt by Bohannon.
Pitcher Delainey Everett sailed along for six-and-two-thirds innings, until giving up two unearned runs on two walks, an error and a single before getting Jessica Almeida, who had been perfect at the plate up to that point, to pop up to shortstop Bohannon to end the game. Everett scattered 5 hits on the day, struck out 14, walked three and hit one batter.
The Mustangs’ final three games will be at home, against Kimball on May 4, Sierra on May 9, and the Senior Day game against Central Catholic on May 10.
Sports Correspondent Pete Simoncini and Leader editor Marg Jackson contributed to this report.
