Oakdale running back Semone is Bee’s Football Player of the Year

Will Semone had dreams of becoming the next great running back at Central Catholic High School.

The senior wanted that burden of responsibility, the carries and the spotlight. He wanted to be the first name off the coach’s tongue … the same way Louis Bland, Ray Lomas, Matt Ringer and Justin Rice were.

But flush with talent at the position, Central Catholic wanted something different for Semone, a former Central Saint.

“I thought I could be like those guys,” Semone said, “until my sophomore and junior years, when they got replacements for you and you become the backup, the insurance guy. I didn’t feel like that was my role.”

So the two parted ways. Semone transferred to Valley Oak League rival Oakdale, taking with him the frustration that clouded his three years in the Raiders’ program.

In 2014, he served as a backup to Jared Rice on the junior varsity team and eventually saw action at linebacker and on special teams during the Raiders’ run to a CIF State Bowl.

Last fall, he sat. A shoulder injury cost him his junior season. While the Raiders capped the school’s first perfect season with a fourth straight State Bowl, Semone wore a letterman jacket. He was just another face in the crowd, and that drove him crazy.

“I wasn’t sure if I was good, because I never had the chance to showcase my skills,” Semone said.

In his mind, he was more than a role player. He was a workhorse, a special talent, an MVP candidate.

He was right.

When plugged into the Mustangs’ Wing-T, Semone transformed from a bit player with the Raiders to The Bee’s All-District Football Player of the Year.

“He had questions about what he was capable of,” Oakdale coach Trent Merzon said. “That’s why he wanted to play. He wanted to know, ‘Am I good?’

“Where does he rank? I think he’s one of the best players to come through this district – with a fantastic story. Don’t let anyone say you can or can’t do something. Go find out if you’re good enough. That stuff is inspiring. People get told ‘no’ all the time. Sometimes, deservedly so, but sometimes, people are wrong. He didn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. He took his shot and it paid dividends.”

Semone didn’t just write his own story. He led one of the most decorated medium-sized schools in Northern California down a historic path.

Oakdale (14-2) seized a share of the VOL title with a thorough victory over Central Catholic on the final day of the regular season, and then used that as momentum. The Mustangs didn’t stop until they had collected Sac-Joaquin Section, regional and state championships.

The final toll was staggering: Oakdale won 14 of its final 15 games and outscored its opponents 68-0 over the final five quarters of the season.

“Growing up in the Central program, you’re used to winning and there being no other option,” Semone said. “This felt different. It was unbelievable because we had that rough start (a 27-13 loss at Sonora in Week 1). At that point, you’re thinking is it a fall-off year? Once we beat Campolindo (the third week), that got the ball rolling. We saw our potential.”

Semone rushed for a Stanislaus District-record 2,851 yards, passing the likes of Lomas, Ringer and Rice – the Central Catholic greats he hoped to follow – on the all-time chart.

He followed their path, all right; he just did it in a new system.

“It’s the fearlessness of the Wing-T,” Semone said. “We don’t care who you are. We’re relentless. We’re happy with 4-yard gains. I’m built for that. I’m built for the ground-and-pound – the durability, the toughness.”

Slowed by an ankle injury early in the season, Semone did his best work down the stretch. The 5-foot-8 senior packed a season’s worth yards into one postseason, rushing for a district-record 1,684 yards in six playoff games. Justin Rice had set the record last year with 1,331.

Semone had a school-record 337 yards in the Mustangs’ 51-14 victory over Christian Brothers of Sacramento in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III final and another 303 yards in a 27-10 triumph over Sutter in the Northern California regional bowl.

Oakdale was headed back to a State Bowl for the second time in five years.

For Semone, it was his third trip, but his first unleashed.

In La Jolla, the site of the Division III-A State Bowl, Semone capped his remarkable season with 219 yards and six touchdowns as the Mustangs cruised to their first state championship with a 47-0 thumping of Bishop’s.

He passed Ripon Christian’s Andrew Brown atop the district’s rushing chart with a 3-yard gain early in the fourth quarter and then punctuated his career with a 55-yard touchdown, bursting through the line of scrimmage and into space.

Semone accomplished all that he wanted. All he needed was a change of scenery.

“I was out to prove I could be the man. Maybe I got my point across,” said Semone, who says he also sought a tougher course load at Oakdale, specifically mechanical drafting and a wider array of advanced placement courses. “More than that, though, I’m happy about the team success. Football isn’t a personal game. It’s a team game, and it felt good to do this together.”

This story was originally published December 24, 2016 at 2:41 PM with the headline "Oakdale running back Semone is Bee’s Football Player of the Year."