Football is a truly a game of inches. On Friday night, Sept. 11 that was the difference between victory and defeat between Oakdale and Escalon. Unfortunately for the visiting Mustangs, they were on the other side of that equation. On fourth-and-1 from inside the Cougar five-yard line, Mustangs quarterback Christian Amerine ran the ball up the middle but was stopped shy of the marker by inches, resulting in a turnover with 1:32 remaining in the game and the Cougars held on to win 21-14.
This was during what has become an annual preseason meeting of the teams, the Battle of 120, for the coveted Mayor’s Cup trophy. Oakdale had held the trophy the last two years after Escalon won it the inaugural game of the series. Now, once it has been engraved with this year’s final score, Oakdale Mayor Cher Bairos will be delivering it to Escalon.
On the field, Oakdale opened the game with a three-and-out and the Cougars took advantage. Escalon drove the ball 86 yards down the field in just six plays as Dylan Ball scored the first points of the night when he rushed for a seven-yard touchdown with 6:48 remaining in the first quarter to go up 7-0. On the ensuing drive for Oakdale; the Mustangs faced fourth-and-1 from the Cougar 31. Anthony Navarro rushed for what appeared to be the first down, however a holding call negated Navarro’s efforts. Things got even worse for the visitors as Oakdale was flagged for delay of game and forced to punt once again with 3:13 remaining in the first quarter. Escalon would be pinned deep in their own territory and when the Cougars lined up to punt from the three-yard line, Luke Sousa blocked the punt and recovered it in the end zone to tie the game at seven with 1:18 left to go in the first quarter.
In the second quarter Escalon faced a fourth-and-goal from the four-yard line and Archer Sanders threw a touchdown pass to Ian Trejo to go up 14-7 with 8:11 remaining in the half. The Mustangs bent but did not break. They answered back when Amerine connected with Dex Edwards II for a 17-yard gain. This set up a one-yard rushing touchdown for Navarro to tie the game at 14 with 2:53 to play in the half. Escalon moved the chains and looked to take the lead into the locker room; however, when they lined up for a field goal attempt it was blocked by Beau Kesterson to end the half. The Cougars ran 27 total plays in the first half, while Oakdale ran 19.
In the third quarter, Ball broke a 65-yard rushing touchdown but was negated by a holding penalty. With 4:29 left in the third quarter Escalon lined up for a field goal attempt but was missed. Later in the quarter, Escalon scored the final points of the night when Ball rushed for a 66-yard touchdown at the 2:26 mark to go up 21-14. Just before the end of the third quarter, Amerine connected with Kesterson on a 37-yard catch and run to the Cougars 21-yard line. In the fourth quarter, that same drive, Oakdale faced a fourth-and-8 from the Cougar 9. Amerine’s pass was broken up in the end zone for the turnover with 10:13 left in regulation. With 3:41 left to play; Edwards II picked up 27 yards on a reception to bring the ball to the Escalon 41-yard line. However, this would not be enough for Oakdale as the late quarter rally fell short.
“It is our (the coaches) responsibility to have the players ready to go and I feel like we did not do that tonight. Penalties, turnovers, things that are uncharacteristic of Mustang football contributed to the outcome tonight,” said Oakdale head coach Garrett Martin. “But do not get it wrong; Escalon is a tough group of kids who played very well tonight. They deserve credit.”
Oakdale has now lost two straight games and will wrap up the preseason with a home game against Crean Lutheran at 7 p.m. this Friday night, Sept. 18.
Oakdale’s junior varsity lost to Escalon by a tight 16-13 final for their first loss of the season.
Editor Marg Jackson contributed to this report.
