‘A season for the ages’: The two-year journey that won Oakdale cross country a state title
The Oakdale High cross country team’s journey to this year’s Division III state championship began last season.
After qualifying for state by winning a Sac-Joaquin Section Division III title, the unknown Mustangs went into state with relatively low expectations.
They blew those out of the water. They were the first team from the section to finish and placed fourth out of all Division III teams in California.
“If we got Top 10 we were gonna be happy,” coach Guy Fowler said. “We didn’t expect (fourth). Then and there is when they decided this is doable. It started right then.”
The Mustangs set their sights on this year’s state title at the end of last season. They trained through the winter and through track season. Fowler says he could tell how much they had worked when they showed up for workouts at the beginning of this year.
“The summertime is when they really put in the time,” Fowler said. “They were still able to go on family vacations, but we would give them the workouts and they did them.”
The Mustangs started the season ranked fourth in the state, but quickly worked their way up. After the Roughrider Invitational in October, Oakdale was ranked first and traded the top spot in the Division III state rankings with the North Coast Section’s Campolindo for the rest of the season, creating a rivalry. Going into the Nov. 26 state meet at Woodward Park in Fresno., Campolindo and Oakdale were first and second, respectively.
“Right towards the end of the season, we got put back down to second and Campolindo went over us,” senior Dax Daley said. “We were kind of mad about it, but it gave us that extra firepower when it came to state.”
The Mustangs ran the Cougars off the track.
Scoring in cross country is similar to golf, meaning the team with the lowest score places higher.
Oakdale finished first in Division III with a score of 58. Daley (2nd), junior Omar Alsaidi (5th) and senior Caleb Cavanaugh (7th) all finished in the top 10 and each of the team’s top five runners set new personal best times. Their overall score placed them fifth in the state regardless of division.
Experience was key
While Oakdale added a few new players this year, most of the runners from last year’s state qualifying team were back this season, making them more comfortable with the state meet environment and pressure that comes with it.
“We knew we wanted to get out really hard,” said Alsaidi, who transferred from Ripon High. “We kind of knew who was going to be in that front pack and after that first mile, it was just like, ‘Let’s go.’ We were comfortable where we were, but it was time to make a move, so we made a move. Each mile we dropped some points and it turned out really well.”
Said Daley: “We all went to bed surprisingly pretty early the night before. “Last year we kind of messed around because we weren’t really predicted to place very high but we were really focused this year.”
Second straight Valley Oak League and Sac-Joaquin Section titles. A first ever state title. Dream season complete.
“A season for the ages,” said Fowler. “They had an inkling that they could do this at the end of last cross country season and they trained through track season … they were just dedicated all summer, putting in the time and the miles, listening to us and buying into the program.”
The 2022 team cemented their legacy as both the best in school and Stanislaus County history after becoming the county’s first Cross Country State champion.
Looking to change the culture
Fowler says that two years ago, Oakdale never had had a single boy let alone a team, qualify for state in the school’s history. Last year was the first they won sections; this year they repeated. Last year’s league title was the first for an Oakdale boys cross country team since the 1970s.
“There’s been nothing like this before,” Fowler said of the team’s success.
Cross country numbers are down at Oakdale. The Mustangs had 30 runners for its entire program, which in the past had upward of 85. With the emergence of club sports, cross country has taken a hit. Fowler hopes the recent success will change that.
“We’re changing the atmosphere around here about distance running. Hopefully we’ll keep it going.”
Alsaidi will be back next year. He was recognized as one of the top individual Division III runners in the state, according to prepcaltrack.com, and earned a First-Team All-American award after finishing in the Top 10 and leading the Oakdale Mustangs XC Club team in the Garmin RunningLane Cross Country Championships in Huntsville, Ala., on Dec. 3. The team participated in the national event independent from Oakdale High School, and coaches did not make the trip.
Oakdale will lose Daley and Cavanaugh. But along with Alsaidi, Jackson Oliveira, who finished 16th at this year’s state meet, will be back for his senior year. Jackson’s twin brother Mason will return, as will Cavanaugh’s younger brother, Jacob, who was a sophomore this season.
“It’s looking like next year, we’re going to be just as good, I think,” Alsaidi said. “I think we, as a team, set the bar pretty high. I know Dax and Caleb were here as freshmen and set that standard. We all followed through and now it’s just we want to bring everyone on this team up. It’s a small roster with 15 guys, but I think we can elevate ourselves to that level that our top five is right now.”
