Central Catholic, Oakdale tangle for the title

For nearly the length of his coaching career, Trent Merzon has reached the finish line in the Valley Oak League first.

His Oakdale Mustangs have won 10 of the last 13 league championships, a streak immortalized on the wall in the south end zone of The Corral.

“Our guys – the juniors and seniors, even the sophomores – know the finish line is so close that they want to embrace it every single day,” Merzon said. “We spend energy appreciating the opportunity we have.”

The Mustangs (9-0, 6-0) find themselves in a dead heat with Central Catholic (9-0, 6-0) for the league title. The two will meet Friday at David Patton Field in one of the most anticipated regular-season finales in the last 25 years.

There are several layers to this matchup of The Bee’s top large-school teams, aside from the obvious:

▪  The winner likely will be the No. 1 seed in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III playoffs, a tournament teeming with contenders. The brackets will be announced Saturday.

▪  The winner also should solidify the No. 2 spot in Cal-Hi Sports’ Division III state rankings. Central Catholic is currently ranked No. 2, while Oakdale vaulted into the third position after last week’s 45-14 win over Manteca.

▪  The final layer establishes the battle line: In a game with similar stakes last season, Oakdale pummeled Central Catholic to earn a share of the VOL title.

Both Merzon and Roger Canepa have gone to great lengths to peel back those layers and tamp down distraction.

“The only thing that hangs in the balance is the VOL championship. Not their futures. Not their college educations. Not their successes down the road,” Merzon said. “The winner of that game Friday isn’t guaranteed a happy life, just like the loser isn’t doomed for failure for the next 50 years. Our kids embrace that philosophy. That’s what enabled us to play loose last Friday (in a 45-14 victory over Manteca).”

Canepa has become a master of managing emotion. He’s led Central Catholic to three straight CIF state championships by shrinking the magnitude of every big game.

“It’s just a game. Somebody will be 10-0 and somebody will be 9-1. Someone will be the No. 1 seed and someone will be the No. 4 seed. Realistically, you keep going; your season isn’t over,” Canepa said. “You’re going to get a good seed.

“It’s a big game, but you can’t make it such a big game that if you win or lose, you can’t recover the next week. There’s a fine line there. We’re playing for a league championship, but I won’t say it’s the end of the world.”

The real battle may take place in the parking spaces around David Patton Field.

Fans better get there early. Central Catholic athletic director Billy Hylla expects a capacity crowd. Hylla said the school thought about bringing in extra seating, but decided it was too costly. Instead, the end zone opposite Carpenter Road will accommodate a standing-room-only crowd.

“We’re going to have as many fans as Central Catholic,” Merzon promised.

Oakdale’s tempo is Canepa’s chief concern. The Mustangs like to run a play every 4 to 5 seconds, leaving teams little time to adjust at the line of scrimmage. They’ve won seven consecutive games by 24 or more points, leaning on a revolving cast of new names: Brad Aquino, Austin Burke, Lane Trapp and Bobby DePuy.

“They do a good job of getting off the ball,” Canepa said. “You don’t win that many games if you’re not disciplined and tough. We have to play a little faster. At least we’ve seen it now. Last year, we didn’t see a team that ran the wing-T.”

Oakdale must contend with Justin Rice, a 2,000-yard running back a year ago. Rice has been slowed this season by an ankle injury, but he’s found his stride in this stretch run.

The Fresno State-bound senior has three straight 100-yard games, including a season-high 285 yards and three touchdowns in a 28-6 win at Manteca on Oct. 16.

“Can we slow down one of the best running backs in the state?” Merzon said. “We want to make them drive the ball. We want to make them earn everything they get. Last year, they had a bunch of one-play drives and we want to avoid that world.

“But saying you’ll slow him down and actually slowing him down are two different things. They’ll make plays because they’re too good. But we want to make them work. If they have to drive the ball to score a touchdown, I think we’ll be OK with that.”

Other games of note include:

Downey at Gregori: Both teams have wrapped up Sac-Joaquin Section berths, but there’s plenty at stake in this Modesto Metro Conference finale. The Knights (7-2, 4-1) can clinch a share of their fourth straight conference championship with a win over the coaches’ preseason favorite, while Gregori (6-3, 3-2) is looking for a marquee win. The Jaguars are 0-2 against Beyer (5-4, 4-1) and Modesto (7-2, 4-1), the teams tied with Downey atop the MMC standings. Senior running back Demetrius Vinson had been the catalyst in Gregori’s two-game win streak. Vinson had 140 rushing yards and two touchdowns in a 47-6 win over Johansen on Oct. 23, and then offset a rough night on the ground last week with 130 receiving yards in a 36-28 win over Enochs. Downey has won three straight and climbed to No. 6 in The Bee’s large-school poll thanks to the all-around effort of senior Tyran Daniels, who has 1,564 all-purpose yards, 79 tackles, 14 touchdowns and four interceptions.

Modesto Christian at Escalon: Modesto Christian (3-6 overall) is three games below .500, but can wrap up the Trans-Valley League’s third playoff berth with a win. The Crusaders are tied with Hughson (7-2) at 2-2 and own the tiebreaker by virtue of their 48-47 overtime victory on Oct. 16. Escalon (4-5, 1-3), on the other hand, needs a fifth victory and some sympathy from the selection committee. The tough-luck Cougars have been beaten twice in the final moments in TVL play, and boast a nonleague schedule with four playoff teams: Western Athletic Conference champion Patterson (9-0); reigning Division V champion Bear River (7-2); Mother Lode League No. 2 Calaveras (6-3); and Liberty Ranch (5-4), closing in on a Sierra Valley Conference crown. At 5-5, Escalon would need the selection committee to look favorably on its strength of schedule to continue a 17-year-old playoff streak.

This story was originally published November 5, 2015 at 10:36 AM with the headline "Central Catholic, Oakdale tangle for the title."