Mendoza’s late heroics lift Sierra to stunning victory over Oakdale in D-IV title game
Sierra quarterback Shane Johnson said the Timberwolves’ fourth down play call was one the team had practiced all week.
Trailing 19-14 with 1 minute, 24 seconds remaining against Oakdale in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV Championship on Saturday, Sierra needed 3 yards for a first down.
Despite cold and windy conditions, Sierra elected to pass.
It was the right call as Johnson faked the handoff and rolled out to the right, connecting with wide receiver Nyco Mendoza for 23 yards. Mendoza did the rest, breaking a tackle and running 35 yards to the end zone for a touchdown.
“When we called it, we said we were scoring on that play,” Johnson said.
Mendoza’s big night wasn’t over as he intercepted a pass on Sierra’s 8-yard line a minute later as the Timberwolves beat Oakdale, 22-19, for their first championship since 2015.
“It’s crazy,” Mendoza said. “We faced a lot of adversity and nobody thought we could do it.”
Sierra (11-3) finished in fourth place in the Valley Oak League during the regular season and lost to Oakdale, 38-14, on Oct. 11.
“I told them all year just to be the best of yourself,” Sierra coach Chris Johnson said.
It was an ideal start for Sierra as running back Kimoni Stanley scored on a 69-yard touchdown run on the second play of the game to give Sierra an early 7-0 lead. Stanley finished with 16 carries for 137 yards and the score.
Oakdale running back Zeke Saffar scored on a 46-yard run to tie it with 1:40 left in the first quarter. The Mustangs (9-4) took a 13-7 lead a little more than a minute later as running back Issac Valero scored on a 1-yard run. Oakdale missed the extra point.
Running back Leo Ayala gave the Mustangs a 19-7 lead on a 52-yard run with 3:42 left before the half. Oakdale failed on the two-point attempt. Ayala finished with 115 rushing yards and Saffar added 108.
Shane Johnson limped off the field multiple times with knee and ankle injuries but never missed a play and scored on a 1-yard run to cut Oakdale’s lead to five with 7:18 left in the third quarter.
“It’s the Section game,” Johnson said. “I was not going to give up on my team.”
Both teams struggled the rest of the way with Johnson making a key deflection on third down to force the Mustangs to punt with a little over four minutes remaining in the game.
After Sierra took the lead, Johnson said there was little time to celebrate as Oakdale still had a chance to score. However, Mendoza, who Johnson described as the team’s unsung hero, sealed it with his pick.
As the Timberwolves celebrated, Oakdale players, coaches and fans left stunned, coming up short of their first title since 2016 and third in last six years.
“There’s not much to say right now,” Oakdale coach Trent Merzon told the team. “We will talk on Monday.”
This story was originally published December 1, 2019 at 12:25 AM.
