Oakdale cruises past Patterson, will face Merced in D-IV semifinals
This could be a November to remember for the Oakdale High football team.
First, the Mustangs beat rival Central Catholic on Nov. 1 to claim a share of the Valley Oak League crown.
Now Oakdale appears poised to play for a Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV championship.
The Mustangs crushed Patterson 67-21 at The Corral on Friday night, and are rolling into the semifinals.
“We think we play our best football in November,” Oakdale coach Trent Merzon said.
Second-seeded Oakdale will host sixth-seeded Merced next Friday night. Merced upset No. 3 seed Casa Roble, rallying for a 38-28 win.
The Mustangs will be hard to beat, as long as they keep playing November football.
Oakdale features a hard-hitting defense, a physical offensive line and a 1-2 punch at running back few teams can match.
Junior Zeke Saffar rushed for 207 yards and two touchdowns and senior Leo Ayala ran for 155 yards and two TDs to lead the impressive offensive effort.
“We play our best football in November and it all starts up front,” Saffar said. “I give all my O-linemen the credit.”
Dom McDonald gets some credit, too, after having a big night on defense and special teams.
McDonald kicked a 33-yard field goal, connected on eight extra points, and picked off a Patterson pass and returned it for a touchdown.
Shifty running back Obadiah Godbolt was Patterson’s only bright spot, running for two touchdowns.
It was a tough way to end the season for the Tigers (7-5), but coach Rob Cozart was proud of the way his team battled this season.
“There are a few games we would want to have back,” Cozart said. “But considering the roster we had going at the start of the season, we did some good things. We played some teams really tough.”
While Patterson looks back on a successful season, Oakdale is looking ahead to what can be a really special month.
If the Mustangs can get past Merced (7-5) in their final home game next Friday, they’ll play for the section title on Nov. 30 against the winner of the Rio Linda-Sierra matchup. Rio Linda is the top seed in Division IV.
Merzon said not only is he happy with the way his team is playing, he’s impressed with his players’ attitude and work ethic.
“We work our a-- off,” Merzon said. “We lift year-round in the morning. We’re going to be in the weight room Monday morning at 6:30. (It’s) probably the strongest football team I’ve ever coached.”
This story was originally published November 15, 2019 at 11:37 PM.
