Oakdale wins ‘tough guy contest’ with CC, forces three-way split of title

They are a true rags-to-riches story, these galloping Oakdale High Mustangs.

Ten weeks ago, Oakdale, ravaged by graduation, stumbled and fumbled its way through a 27-13 season-opening loss at Sonora.

It was the kind of defeat that gave many pause, except the Mustangs, who went back into the garage and emerged a champion on the final Friday of the regular season.

Will Semone led an electric Wing-T attack and the defense forced four turnovers as Oakdale stunned Central Catholic, 34-21, forcing a three-way split of the Valley Oak League title.

Semone rushed for 161 yards and two touchdowns against his former team. The senior running back transferred after sitting out his entire junior season with a shoulder injury.

He was just one piece in the puzzle, though.

Oakdale attacked with a converted defensive back (Cameron Cherry), a state-caliber wrestler (Bronson Harmon), a defensive end lined up at wide receiver (Cullen Bearden) and a host of juniors pressed into action.

It took coach Trent Merzon nearly three months to put the pieces together. Their patience was rewarded with a champion’s reception. Red-and-gold fans spilled onto the field at The Corral, where the Mustangs are 75-6 in the last 12 years.

“Tonight’s special. It’s fun to do things people say you can’t do,” Merzon said after a short embrace from his former high school football coach, 92-year-old Jack Walker.

“We don’t get to play that underdog card over here very often. I’m so incredibly proud of our kids. The effort they put forth tonight… that’s a great football team we beat. We were underdogs for a reason. They have athletes all over the field.

“We talked all week about turning this into something we understand. Let’s not turn it into a track meet. Let’s not turn it into an athleticism contest, because we don’t stand a chance. Let’s turn it into a tough guy contest.”

Oakdale (8-2, 6-1) rolled up its sleeves in the second half, outscoring the four-time defending CIF State Bowl champions 27-14.

The Mustangs scored on back-to-back possessions to start the third and fourth quarters, removing the drama from one of the most intense rivalries in the Stanislaus District.

Harmon rushed for 100 yards and two touchdowns on four carries. He also had a 37-yard touchdown called back by a penalty and nearly picked off two passes.

The junior has emerged as a key cog on both sides of the ball after sitting out last season to focus on wrestling. His decision produced two milestones: Harmon was a Masters champion at 152 pounds, qualifying for the CIF State Tournament; and now, a VOL champion in his return to the gridiron.

“Wrestling is in my DNA,” Harmon said, “but this feels good. This feels really good.”

Cherry had 124 yards on 14 carries, including a 63-yard burst on Oakdale’s second offensive play of the third quarter. A personal foul by Central Catholic moved the ball to the 10. Harmon exploded around the edge one play later, overriding a facemask penalty with a touchdown.

Oakdale rushed for 388 yards on 40 carries, and had nine runs of 10 or more yards against the stingiest defense in the Valley Oak League.

“We stayed true to who we are,” Merzon said. “We talked all week about we ride together. Win, lose or draw, whatever it is, we ride together. Our kids bought into that mantra and they were amazing tonight on both sides of the ball.

“Our goal at the end of this football game was to play so well as a team that not one guy would stand out.”

True to form, most of the post-game chatter was about the team’s next conquest.

By way of a tiebreaker, Oakdale is the league’s No.1 seed and should receive a top ranking in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III tournament, which will be announced Saturday afternoon.

“We got the VOL championship, that’s all that matters,” said Bearden, who also forced two fumbles. “We’re the No. 1 seed going into playoffs and and we have three home games to look forward to. ... The Corral, everybody says it’s magic, but I honestly think it’s the heart of this town.”

By virtue of its run of section titles, Central Catholic (7-3, 6-1) has been moved up to Division II, and will remain there until they fail to qualify for the postseason or fail to reach the semifinal round of the postseason in consecutive years.

Division II will be a tall order for the small-school Raiders, whose mistakes were compounded by the loss of running back/safety Jared Rice.

The shifty senior had to be carried off the field with seven minutes left in the third quarter, favoring his left leg. He did not return.

Rice was injured after disappearing into a pile of players following a 5-yard run. He finished with 129 yards on 16 carries, most of which came on an 86-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

Montell Bland scored twice on goal-line runs in the second half, but the Raiders’ offense was largely one-dimensional without Rice.

His absence was felt on the defensive side of the ball, too.

After Central Catholic turned the ball over on downs deep in their own end to start the fourth quarter, Oakdale made it 28-14 with a 27-yard touchdown strike to Cullen Bearden.

Marc Dickson’s throw hung up in the air, but the taller Bearden wrestled the ball away from the Central Catholic defensive back at the goal line.

Along with four turnovers, Central Catholic missed two field goals.

Coach Roger Canepa tipped his cap to the Mustangs, who punctuated their season-long journey in victory formation against a perennial section champion.

“They played harder than we did,” Canepa told his team afterward. “We made too many mistakes.

“We got a co-championship (and) we’re going to the playoffs, but we better rebound.”

This story was originally published November 5, 2016 at 12:28 AM with the headline "Oakdale wins ‘tough guy contest’ with CC, forces three-way split of title."