Oakdale defeats Escalon in an overtime thriller to secure ’120 Cup’

In a nail-biting clash under the Friday night lights, Oakdale and Escalon battled to the very last second — literally — with Oakdale emerging victorious in a thrilling 21-20 overtime win.

Oakdale’s one-two-punch backfield of juniors Wes Burford and Chase Lopez led the charge for the Mustangs’ offense in their victory against the Cougars at Engel Field.

Out of 57 offensive plays for the Mustangs, 50 were rushing attempts. Forty-five of those carries came from the tandem of Burford and Lopez.

Oakdale is known for wearing down the opposing team’s defenses. “That’s what we try to do,” said head coach Garrett Martin. His run-heavy offensive scheme has been in effect all season, contributing to their blowout win over Galena last week.

Once Escalon crept back in the fourth quarter, it was a little too close for comfort this time.

After a nearly 11-minute opening drive for Escalon that ended in a turnover on downs, Oakdale also failed to convert on 4th down in their first drive. A quick three-and-out for the Cougars introduced the first punt of the game. With both teams establishing run games early, the fourth drive of the game (second for the Mustangs) started with eight minutes left in the half.

Oakdale quarterback Grant Gardner connected with junior running back Chase Lopez for a 9-yard touchdown. The Mustangs went up 6-0 after missing the PAT.

With under ten seconds left in the first half, Escalon had one play to run before heading to the tunnel. Junior quarterback Logan Huebner dropped back and threw a completion to senior tight end Ryan Lewis. Realizing time would expire if he went down, Lewis lateralled the ball to speedy wide receiver Chase Cummings at the 30-yard line, who ran to the goal line. Escalon players and coaches jumped in excitement until officials ruled that Cummings did not break the plane and was tackled at the 1-yard line – halftime.

Mirroring the start of the game, Oakdale and Escalon traded turnovers on downs to begin the second half. With seconds left in the third quarter, Gardner threw a pass to Burford, who juked past three Cougar defenders for the score. Lopez ran in for the 2-point conversion to bring the lead to 14-0.

With eight seconds left in the third quarter, junior fullback Jeremy Grivette ran for a gain of 31 yards to set up Escalon in good field position. During the first play of the fourth quarter, Huebner found freshman running back Dylan Ball off a nearly-intercepted deflected ball for a 32-yard touchdown to decrease the lead to 14-7.

“Huge swing of momentum,” said Martin on giving up the touchdown. “Could be a pick; we’re up driving. Instead, we go down 14-7.”

Escalon forced a punt on Oakdale’s next drive, opening the door for a comeback. With momentum in their favor, the Cougars tied the game with just over five minutes remaining with a 16-yard touchdown reception by junior running back Ben Gonzalez from Huebner.

The Mustangs drove down the field in search of breaking the tie. Oakdale snapped the ball with just over 30 seconds remaining in the game on Escalon’s 33-yard line. Gardner dropped back to throw, and Huebner, playing safety, jumped on the throw and intercepted the pass to send the game to overtime.

AN OVERTIME BATTLE

Each team gets a chance to score in overtime in the Sac-Joaquin Section. After a coin toss, one team starts on the opponent’s 25-yard line. If they score a touchdown, the opposing team has the opportunity to score one as well. The teams play until a team gets a stop on defense after scoring a touchdown.

Oakdale started the overtime period with possession. After four plays, Chase Lopez carried the ball in for a 9-yard touchdown.

Escalon started their redemption drive with a false start, backing their offense up to the 30-yard line. In the next play, Huebner connected with Dylan Ball yet again.

Down 21-20, Escalon decided to go for the 2-point conversion for a chance to end the game. It worked for them last year in the Section Championship game. That time, they converted for 2-points and took the lead with 36 seconds remaining to win their fourth-straight Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV Championship.

Friday night had a different outcome.

After pressure from Oakdale’s senior linebacker Tyler Stroup, Huebner threw the ball in the direction of some of his receivers. The pass landed well short of his targets, and Oakdale secured their 21-20 overtime victory.

“It comes down to one play,” said Martin. “It could’ve easily gone the other way, but it went our way tonight.”

Martin was relieved that his team played hard all four quarters. “That’s (Escalon) a very well-coached, hard-nosed football team. They do a great job of running, and it’s a great test.”

Oakdale not only improved their record to 2-1, but they also took home the “120 Cup.” The “120 Cup,” a trophy established by the mayors of Escalon and Oakdale a year ago, has been displayed at Escalon High School since their 41-21 win over Oakdale in 2023. After tonight’s Mustang victory, the Cup will head 10 miles East on Route 120 to be displayed at Oakdale High School for the first time.

The trophy wasn’t a focal point for Martin’s game plan for his team going into the week. “The trophy’s a new thing,” he said. “The towns dislike each other a little bit. I think we’re very similar people. Sometimes when you have similar people, they clash.”

Security for the game put up a sign on the way to the opposing bleachers stating, “NO ESCALON STUDENTS PAST THIS POINT.” Even in a high-stakes environment, there weren’t any noticeable altercations between players, coaches, or spectators.

BURFORD/LOPEZ TANDEM

Oakdale running back Wes Burford finished the game with 24 carries for 152 yards. He also caught a 27-yard TD reception.

Burford’s teammate, Chase Lopez, had 21 carries for 109 yards, including the game-winning rushing touchdown. He also caught a touchdown pass in the first half and ran the ball in for the 2-point conversion.

Escalon’s defense wasn’t able to get a break from Oakdale’s rushing attack. After a Burford run, Lopez would do the same, at times even more potent.

“Burford’s continuing what he did last year,” said Martin. “I really love the growth of Chase (Lopez). The last few weeks he’s finishing runs.”

Oakdale’s protection from their offensive line helped Burford and Lopez wear down Escalon’s defense. “I want to give it all to my O-line,” said Burford. “I wouldn’t be doing any of it without any of them. If they weren’t there, there would be no running for me.”

Burford and Lopez, both juniors, are excited about their running committee for the next two years. “He’s just lowering his shoulder, getting those extra yards, running through guys,” said Burford on his teammate Lopez. “He’s balling out. He’s going to be crazy with us this season. Even next year, we’ll still be back there.”

CONFIDENCE FOR ESCALON

After returning in the fourth quarter down two scores and losing in overtime, Escalon head coach Andrew Beam thinks his team will have confidence after the loss. “Defensively, all those young guys in their third start, this is a game where they built confidence,” he said. “They had some big-time stops when Oakdale could’ve gone up a couple scores.”

On the offensive side of the ball, Beam was proud of his freshman, Dylan Ball, for stepping up to the challenge. “All these big-time games early that we play hopefully set us up for success later on in the TVL and the playoffs,” he said. “We’re gonna win and lose some of these, but we’re at least gonna put ourselves against a quality opponent.”

Beam was happy his team rallied in the fourth quarter to tie it after being down 14-0. “To find a way to come back and tie it in the fourth and not give up – those are all things that you can build off of going forward with a young team,” he said. “It’s only their third game for a lot of these guys. Two-thirds of these guys have never played varsity football, so a lot of good to learn from.”

LOOKING FORWARD

Oakdale will host Vista del Lago next Friday for their final non-conference game.

Escalon has a week off and will prepare for their first Trans-Valley League game against Sonora on Friday, September 20th.