VOL Preview: Section champ Oakdale will rely on potent offense

Last year, the Oakdale football team pummeled opponents with a three-hit combo en route to Valley Oak League and Sac-Joaquin Section championships.

Coach Trent Merzon softened defenses with heavy doses of senior fullback Frankie Trent and then sent senior Brock Whiting slashing through those gaps. For a change of pace, Merzon turned loose shifty junior Darus Nelson, forcing defenses to guard every square inch of the field.

Little good that did.

All three running backs topped the 1,000-yard plateau for the Mustangs, long the measuring stick for medium-sized schools in the Stanislaus District. But only one returns: Nelson, who hopes to finish his varsity career on the same stage he got his start — a CIF bowl at Sacramento State.

Nelson was called up for the postseason run in 2012 after leading Oakdale to the VOL freshman championship. He got a handful of carries in the Mustangs’ 42-15 loss to Serra in the Division II state bowl, whetting his appetite for success.

“We hope to be the best we can be,” he said when asked about the Mustangs’ prospects this fall. “We have a lot of returners on offense, so I think we’ll be explosive there. We lost a lot of people on defense. We only return two starters, so we just have to pick up the slack there.

“When it comes down to it, we just love playing together.”

Don’t think for a second that the Mustangs are retooling. More like reloading.

Trent and Whiting have moved on, but key components from last year’s potent offense remain. The offensive line is buoyed by Alex Pena, Zack Cordoza, Louis Marsella and Eric Jackson.

Quarterback Adam Olsen begins his fourth year in the system. He’ll have a familiar target downfield in tight end Greg Hickman, another returning starter.

“He’s the most under-the-radar player around,” Merzon said of Olsen.

Brad Aquino and Austin Burke, along with varsity newcomer Clay Harding, will fill out the backfield.

“What people don’t see is that coach Merzon morphs his offense around the backs he has. It’s never a one-back team,” Nelson said. “That’s why he’s the best in the area.”

The most intriguing piece remains Nelson, a fast-action running back who can influence a game in a variety of ways. He’s a dynamic return man, a bona fide talent out of the backfield and a playmaking defensive back … when his number is called.

Nelson rarely played defense last season, but when he did check in, fortune followed. He had an interception against Turlock, then recovered a fumble in a runaway victory over Manteca at Levi’s Stadium.

“We’re going to move him around,” Merzon said, “because he can do so many things.”

Like all the great ones, Nelson is hard-wired for the big moments.

“Making plays for my team,” he said, “that’s what’s most fun for me.”

Still, Nelson has realistic expectations for this fall’s stampede. The season will build toward a fantastic finish. Oakdale hit its stride in 2014 following a midseason setback to Sierra, the VOL co-champion.

After being held to a season-low 20 points in a loss to the Timberwolves, Oakdale rattled off seven consecutive wins. The Mustangs toppled Central Catholic; routed Pacheco, Vista del Lago and Rio Linda; then stormed back from a 20-point deficit to beat Inderkum for the Division III crown.

“That was an unbelievable run,” Merzon said. “That was fun.”

In back-to-back weeks against Central Catholic and Pacheco, Oakdale’s vaunted running attack churned out more than 1,000 yards.

“That’s what we live for — the big moments, the big games, the big plays,” Nelson said. “Week 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16 … that’s the time of the year right there. That Central game in Week 10 was one of the most intense games of the year. We remember those games in the gym over the summer.

“We hope to be that explosive, but that only comes around Week 9 or Week 10. We have to build up that chemistry. We have to come together as a family.”

This story was originally published August 27, 2015 at 4:13 PM with the headline "VOL Preview: Section champ Oakdale will rely on potent offense."