Even as athletes wait for the temperatures to cool to more seasonal levels for October, there is plenty of action as they wind through the league campaign. Following are recaps of some of the contests this past week.
Water Polo
In a much-anticipated showdown in the Mustang Aquatic Center on Thursday, Oct. 6, the Ripon Indians girls and boys water polo teams overwhelmed their Mustang opponents. In the girls’ match, Ripon led 8-3 at the end of the first half and then scored five consecutive goals to begin the second half in storming to a 13-5 win. Kaci Jericoff led the Mustang attack with two goals, complemented by one goal apiece by Emma Frazer, Kenadee Martinez, and Morgan Thoni.
In the boys’ game, Ripon came out firing, scoring the first five goals of the match and then added three more in the second quarter to storm to an 8-2 halftime lead. Oakdale came out aggressively in the third quarter scoring three goals, but Ripon answered each Mustang goal with one of their own, and then cemented their 15-6 victory in the fourth quarter with four consecutive goals. Senior Jebb Fox led all Mustang scorers with three goals, followed by one each from Wiley Ballantyne, Cullen Liekhus, and John Roche.
Lady Mustang Golfers
Tuesday, Oct. 4 saw Oakdale’s golf girls defeat East Union, 226-312.
“Senior Leadership once again with Kaylie Parola leading the way shooting the low score on the day of 40,” said head coach Lee McGhee. “Two of our super sophomores, Hannah Herschbach and Xcaret Duque turned in scores of 46. Janelle Velazquez, a senior and Reagan Shatswell, a freshman, were the final two scores that counted for our team with 47's.”
Back on the course for a Thursday, Oct. 6 competition, the varsity Lady Mustangs were 100 shots better than Sierra, winning 228-328.
“Hannah Herschbach was the medalist with a score of 41, a very good score with the course conditions as tough as they are right now,” said McGhee. “She hit several drives that were straight down the middle that allowed her opportunities to score well. Her focus and determination have started to pay off with lower scores.”
Kaylie Parola finished the day with a score of 44. Aubrey Thompson added a score of 46. Makenna Wright contributed to the team score with a total of 53 on the day. The final two scores were Janelle Velazquez with a 54 and Hailee Rueda with a 59.
“We are looking forward to strong play from all of our players to finish out the season,” added McGhee. “This week we have our final 9-hole league match with Kimball on Thursday here at OGCC starting at 3 p.m. and that will also be a special night for our seniors as the last home match of their OHS golfing career.”
Then they wrap up VOL play with the VOL Championships on Tuesday, Oct. 18 at Swenson Park Golf Course with an 18-hole tournament.
Playoffs start the following week on Tuesday, Oct. 25 at Micke Grove Golf Course with a 10 a.m. shotgun start.
Volleyball
On the road against Sierra on Oct. 4, the freshman and varsity volleyball teams came back with wins. Oakdale’s frosh defeated Sierra by a 2-1 verdict while the varsity prevailed, 3-1. The JV team took an 0-2 loss.
Wednesday, Oct. 5, the teams put on a Texas Roadhouse Drive-Thru Fundraiser and Bake Sale at the high school.
“We had a very successful fundraiser where the players sold tickets for the drive-thru pick-up dinner at OHS. The dinner included BBQ pulled pork, chicken breast, corn, coleslaw, and rolls,” said varsity head coach Kaitlin Burke. “Each player also took the time to bake a special treat to include in the bake sale. All in all, a great way to raise money. Thank you to all that supported OHS Volleyball.”
Back in action and on the road Thursday, Oct. 6 at Manteca, the freshmen fell 0-2 while the JV girls crafted a 2-0 win and the varsity prevailed in a 3-2 contest.
“Very close match, ending the fifth set with a score of 16-14,” Burke said.
The freshmen then traveled to the VOL Tournament at Central Catholic on Saturday, Oct. 8 and battled, coming away with second place honors.
The varsity girls went to the Stockton Classic at Edison High on Saturday and finished seventh at their site in a tourney that featured several large, higher division schools.
The varsity girls are currently in second place in VOL, JV is currently in fourth, and frosh is currently in second.
This week the girls were scheduled to host East Union for Pink Out in support of Breast Cancer Awareness on Tuesday, then host Kimball on Thursday, Oct. 13.
