Oakdale-Sonora football rivalry turns 99 Friday night

The sign hanging near the gymnasium said it all. It depicted two football players, one in Oakdale red and the other in Sonora green, tilted at full speed and destined to collide.

The graphic was framed by a gold trophy, signaling the game’s importance, and this battle cry: “It’s not just a game, it is a tradition.”

“You like that?” asked a campus monitor. “It’s really nice.”

Nice?

Oakdale and Sonora, since when?

It seems one of the fiercest and oldest rivalries in the Stanislaus District continues to evolve.

Last year, the game was moved from Week 10 to Week 0 after the Sac-Joaquin Section bumped Sonora from the Valley Oak League to the small-school Mother Lode League. So instead of deciding championships and playoff berths, as it has so often through the years, the game served as an appetizer for the season ahead.

The rivalry turns 99 years old on Friday evening at The Corral, and it appears the feuding neighbors have softened over time.

“This is the 99th game between Oakdale and Sonora, and I still think there’s very few communities that resemble ours and it’s a big deal,” Oakdale coach Trent Merzon said. “We have tremendous respect for them. We really get along with their coaches. It’s not a hated rivalry anymore. Our kids like their kids. I’d like to think their kids have a lot of respect for our kids and our coaching staff, as well. ... But it’s Oakdale-Sonora. The intensity is still unparalleled.”

Oakdale is in the midst of the greatest decade in the school’s gold-plated history. In the last five years, the Mustangs have amassed a record of 57-14 with four Valley Oak League titles and two section banners.

They’ve been especially cruel to the Wildcats, who were displaced in the VOL because of dwindling enrollment and a desire to create competitive equity.

The Mustangs have won nine consecutive games in the rivalry, including last year’s 28-14 decision, and own a 62-31-5 advantage in the series.

No. 99 has the makings of a slugfest, though. Offensively, both teams expect to hit with clinched fists.

Sonora returns three of its top-six rushers from a year ago, including Wyatt Faughnan, Jayden Estrada and Bradley Canepa. Quarterback Sammy Page is also back under center after throwing for 1,058 yards and rushing for 524 more.

Oakdale returns four pieces on an offensive line that paved the way for three 1,000-yard running backs last fall. Quarterback Adam Olsen begins his fourth season at the varsity level, while senior Darus Nelson has retained all of his burst and wiggle following offseason knee surgery.

“Their kids are unbelievably tough, fearless and play with a vigor very few teams play with,” Merzon said. “We know each other well. I haven’t been around for 99 years, but they’ve been running the same offense as long as we’ve been running our offense. They know us and we know them. There really are no secrets.”

Here’s a look at a few of The Bee’s other marquee games:

Escalon at Patterson: Rob Cozart has returned to the sideline at Patterson, citing a desire to be closer to his family. He has the same circle-the-wagons ambition for the football program. Cozart will mark the school’s centennial anniversary by celebrating its very best teams and eras at each home game. The party starts Friday night with a throwback to Patterson’s time in the Trans-Valley League. The Tigers will honor their 1995 TVL championship team on a night it hosts a perennial TVL contender.

Escalon arrives on the West Side looking to snap a two-game losing streak to Patterson, which will unveil a hybrid triple-option spread offense dubbed “Spread ’em and shred ’em.” The Cougars boast one of the best offensive lines in school history and will try to negate Patterson’s speed by playing 3-4 yards at a time.

Pitman at Downey: Downey coach Jeremy Plaa hands the keys to his prolific offense to junior Brett Neves, who has the dubious task of replacing Modesto Metro Conference co-MVP P.J. Wilson. Neves beat out senior Tyler Lehikainen with a productive summer season, but he and the rest of the junior class were “baptized,” as Plaa put it, by Monterey Trail of Elk Grove in a scrimmage last Saturday. Wide receiver Andrew Raspo should ease the burden on Neves. The 5-foot-9 senior operates out of the slot and finished the 2014 season with a torrid stretch. Raspo had four touchdown grabs over the final four weeks, including 114 yards and two scores against Grant.

Pitman defensive lineman Cristian Cooley could be a disruptive force. Cooley showed an ability to hunt the football during a scrimmage with Gregori, a direct threat to Downey’s throne.

Ceres at Modesto: The Panthers and Bulldogs have taken drastically different paths to Friday’s starting line. Modesto lost its coach (Richie Alkire), do-it-all quarterback (Nate Phillips) and, well, everyone else on a squad that pushed Downey in the MMC and won nine of its 11 games last season. Athletic Director Donnie Wallace replaces Alkire, who moved to Michigan to be closer to his ailing mother. Though Wallace has enjoyed a long coaching career, this will be his first stint as a head football coach. He’s comforted by just three returning starters.

Ceres, meanwhile, saw its stock climb steadily throughout the summer. Running back Johnni Smith-Willis rushed for 825 yards and nine touchdowns last fall. He’s got his sights set on a 1,000-yard season, and a fast start against the Panthers could put him on that track.

Enochs at Turlock: The Bulldogs are big, fast and physical, and they take their cues from a Bear … as in all-Central California Conference selection Bear Padilla. Turlock has the makings of a lockdown defense led by their linebacking group. Along with Padilla, Turlock will unleash all-CCC selections Jereicho Taamu and edge rusher Mustafa Noel-Johnson.

The Eagles won’t cower or hide. Instead, head coach James Stacy will counter with impressive size of his own. Stacy said this class of linemen is the biggest he’s had in six seasons. The biggest of them all: offensive tackle and nose guard Jacob Supremo, a 6-foot-4, 348-pound senior; two-way tackle Giovanni Perrone, a 6-2, 230-pound senior; and offensive tackle and defensive end Joseph Fagundes, another 6-4 senior.

This story was originally published August 27, 2015 at 9:04 PM with the headline "Oakdale-Sonora football rivalry turns 99 Friday night."