Friday night action, Sept. 22, saw the Oakdale High School varsity football team head out on the road to Modesto to take on Enochs. The non-conference showdown took place at Thomas Downey High School and marked the end of the preseason campaign for Oakdale. The high scoring contest saw the Mustangs leave with a 49-35 victory.

Enochs tried to catch the Mustangs off guard with an onside kick to start the game but it was recovered by Sonny Rodin at midfield. Oakdale marched down the field and scored the opening points of the night on a five-yard rushing touchdown by Wes Burford with 10:01 left in the first quarter. Later in the quarter, after Enochs had put a field goal on the board, Gabe McDonald scored on a three-yard rush that gave Oakdale a 14-3 advantage with 1:28 remaining in the opening frame.

The Mustangs continued to build their lead into the second quarter on Burford’s second touchdown of the night on a two-yard touchdown run with 11:57 remaining in the half to go up 21-3. Enochs did not go away quietly, however, as they found the end zone with 7:00 remaining in the half to make it 21-9. Oakdale’s Chase Lopez answered back with a 12-yard rushing score with 5:02 left to put the visiting Mustangs up 28-9.

With one minute left in the half, the Eagles clawed a little closer, as Enochs scored on a nine-yard reception and the extra point to make it 28-16. The ensuing kickoff, however, was taken back 71 yards by Oakdale’s Cameron Gutherie to give Oakdale what appeared to be a safe 34-16 halftime lead.

It was a scoreless third quarter for Oakdale, but Enochs scored a pair of touchdowns in the quarter and that made it 34-29 heading into the final frame. The Mustangs regrouped and added a couple more scores to give themselves some breathing room.

With 9:36 remaining in the game, Burford scored his third touchdown of the night to give Oakdale a 41-29 advantage, and he scored for a fourth time with 2:17 left in the game to secure the 49-35 road win. Enochs tacked on a score in the fourth quarter as well to get to the 35-point plateau but couldn’t quite catch up to the explosiveness of the Mustang offense.

Defensively, Oakdale’s Charlie Kjeldgaard had a strip sack in the first half that was recovered by Ryder Cross. Rafi Rios Avila had an interception late in the game.

This Friday night, Sept. 29, the Mustangs open up Valley Oak League play against the Sierra Timberwolves on the road in Manteca. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

JUNIOR VARSITY

Friday night saw the JV boys come away with a convincing 30-6 road win over Enochs. In the victory, Oakdale fell behind 6-0 in the first quarter but did not give up any points the rest of the way. They had contributions from multiple players in putting the win on the books against the Eagles. Oakdale’s JV team will face Sierra on the road Friday night, Sept. 29, to open league play. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.