Down a quick 7-0, host Oakdale regrouped after giving up the early Friday night touchdown and went on to win, 63-21, over visiting Sierra. It was Senior Night 2024 for Oakdale and the seniors went out in fashion.
Sierra found the end zone first, however, on their opening drive. It was a 43-yard catch and run by AJ Chapman to go up 7-0 with 10:11 left in the opening quarter. Their lead would not last long, though, as Richard Flores returned the ensuing kickoff 87 yards for the score to tie it up. On the following drive, Sierra quarterback Zak Willson had the Timberwolves looking to keep up their momentum but was brought to an abrupt halt when senior Jackson Gilton intercepted the ball with one hand.
“My coaches did a great job lining me up to be honest. They saw it coming and I was just lucky to be there,” said Gilton of his big play.
On the Mustangs first play from scrimmage, Wes Burford took the ball 31 yards into the end zone to give Oakdale their first lead of the night with 8:21 remaining in the first quarter. The Mustangs special teams had their second score of the night when Dylan Krause scooped up the ball off a low punt and returned it 17 yards for the touchdown to give Oakdale a 21-7 advantage with 6:14 left in the quarter. Sierra did not go away quietly as they threatened inside the Mustang five-yard line late in the first quarter. However, their drive came to end when freshman running back Darien East was stuffed at the goal line on a fourth-and-goal inside the one-yard line with 42.5 seconds left in the quarter.
To start the second quarter; Oakdale went on an efficient 99-yard drive that ended in a score when Burford found the end zone on a 49-yard rushing play to expand the Mustangs lead to 28-7 with 10:00 left in the half. Sierra answered within a minute and scored on an 86-yard reception by Tali Vaipuna to cut the Mustangs lead to 28-14. From there Oakdale went on to close the half on a 28-0 run. Chase Lopez scored on a nine-yard rush with 8:03 left to play in the half. Just 90 seconds later Burford slashed the Wolves defense for an 87-yard rushing touchdown to make it 42-14. Sierra would drive down the field but just like he did in the first quarter, Gilton made another incredible interception with 5:35 to go in the second and returned it 33 yards to the Wolves’ 20-yard line. Two plays later Gavin Wyatt carried the ball for an 18-yard rushing touchdown with just under five minutes to play in the half. Oakdale capped off the half with a 45-yard touchdown run by Lopez with 1:50 to play. In the first half Oakdale ran just 16 plays from scrimmage.
The second half saw a running clock and the only score of the third quarter came from Sierra on a nine-yard reception by Chapman as the quarter expired to make it 56-21. In the fourth quarter Oakdale scored the only points of the frame when Bas Stice scored on a rushing touchdown from six yards out with 4:29 left in the contest.
Defensively, Matthew Cooley, Rowdy Sphar and Jaxx Velasco all had sacks. On the last play of the game Velasco had a sack on a blitz to put an exclamation point on the victory.
Oakdale will face off against Manteca in the regular season finale Friday night, Nov. 1 on the road and then wait to see what the postseason holds.
