Friday night inside The Corral returned on Sept. 21 when Oakdale hosted Weston Ranch. The Mustangs scored all 47 of their points in the first half on the way to a 47-10 varsity football victory.
In the win Oakdale’s Max Moore had a pair of touchdowns (each from one yard out) to help power the Mustangs to the Valley Oak League victory. Moore’s first touchdown came with 9:52 left in the first quarter to go up 6-0. Weston Ranch answered with a 37-yard field goal to make it 6-3 with 7:35 remaining in the quarter. This would be the closest that the Cougars got to make it interesting.
Sophomore Zeke Saffar scored 90 seconds later on a 60-yard run to make it 12-3. Moore closed out the first quarter with a one yard touchdown to make it 19-3 with 1:09 left in the opening frame. Moore finished the game with nine carries for 46 yards and two touchdowns while Saffar had four carries for 108 yards.
With the score getting away from Weston Ranch, Oakdale’s starting backfield got a rest throughout most of the game.
In the second quarter, running back Adam Haley powered his way for a seven-yard rushing score to give Oakdale a 26-3 advantage early in the quarter. On the next drive, Oakdale’s Evan Waite gutted the Cougars defense on a two-yard rush for a score to go up 33-3 with 8:31 left in the half.
Oakdale’s quarterback Hayden Knittel displayed his talents on Friday night as the senior threw for 66 yards and a touchdown. In the second quarter Knittel connected with Anthony Martinez on a 12-yard touchdown pass.
“My teammates got open and my line gave me the time to find them tonight,” said Knittel, who completed five of his 10n pass attempts.
The team scored their final points of the evening on a John Creech 11-yard run to go up 47-3 with 1:28 to play in the half. The second half saw a running clock and backups in the game for Oakdale. The Mustangs defense gave the Cougars a lot to think about on the way home as Peyton Bradford picked up his tenth sack of the season. He also had a fumble recovery as Leo Ayala had a sack and forced fumble in the second quarter. Jaiden Williams had a big hit, while Angel Penenurri had two sacks. Carson Frazee had an interception for Oakdale as well.
With the win Oakdale improved to 2-0 in Valley Oak League play and 5-1 overall. The Mustangs are currently tied with Central Catholic for first place. This Friday night Oakdale heads to Manteca to take on the Buffaloes of Manteca High School (2-3, 0-1). Manteca is coming off a tough 35-28 road loss to the Central Catholic Raiders.
Last year Oakdale defeated Manteca 36-15 during the regular season but lost to the Buffaloes in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Championship game 34-17. Kickoff for this blockbuster is scheduled for 7 p.m.
