Oakdale football runs wild in quarterfinal to set up rematch with Inderkum

Brad Aquino put the Oakdale High football team on his back on Friday evening, carrying the defending Division III champions into the semifinal round.

Aquino scored four touchdowns during a first-half assault by the second-seeded Mustangs, who dispatched No. 10 Benicia (8-4) 42-14 at The Corral.

Oakdale (11-1) scored all of its points in the first half, plying an old trade: the ground game. The up-tempo Wing-T produced six touchdowns, two 100-yard rushers and more importantly, another home game.

Aquino, the Mustangs’ forward-leaning fullback, did most of the heavy lifting. He had 150 yards on 20 carries with touchdowns runs of 24, 2, 2 and 4 yards.

Quarterback Adam Olsen also had two touchdowns as Oakdale built a 42-0 lead at the halftime break.

The victory sets up a rematch of the Division III final last fall. Oakdale will host No. 3 Inderkum (12-0), which dusted Manteca 43-18 on Friday.

In the D-III final, Inderkum built a 20-0 lead only to watch Oakdale, behind the spirit and speed of then junior Darus Nelson, rally for a 27-23 victory.

Oakdale no longer has the on-field services of Nelson, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee earlier in the season, but the Mustangs aren’t lacking for speed or shiftiness.

Austin Burke, a former soccer player, rushed for 135 yards on 13 carries. Olsen finished with 32 yards on just two carries, both of which went for touchdowns.

Logan Hall had the Mustangs’ lone reception, an 8-yard grab.

Alex Osterholt (six carries, 72 yards) and Jason Shelley (six catches, 92 yards) accounted for Benicia’s touchdowns.

This story was originally published November 21, 2015 at 5:41 AM with the headline "Oakdale football runs wild in quarterfinal to set up rematch with Inderkum."