Oakdale and Central Catholic, Part II: This one is for a section football title

It was the game everybody wanted to see.

And right after they saw it, they wanted to see it again.

You can’t say Central Catholic and Oakdale high schools don’t give football fans what they want.

After a highly entertaining matchup on Nov. 6 at David Patton Field, in which the Raiders held on for a 42-37 victory, Central Catholic and Oakdale will tee it up again four weeks later for the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III title.

“Yeah, I had a feeling,” Raiders coach Roger Canepa said about a potential rematch. “But we had first- and second- and third-round playoff games, so we had to focus on the task at hand and not get too far ahead.”

No need to worry about than any longer. No. 2 Oakdale takes on top-seeded Central Catholic at 7 p.m. Friday at Stockton’s Lincoln High. The Mustangs (12-1) are the defending D-III champ. The Raiders (13-0) have won three consecutive Division IV section and state crowns (winning three titles in a row results in a promotion).

Though the rematch won’t feature two undefeated teams – both were 9-0 when they met with the Valley Oak League title up for grabs – even more is at stake this time. Friday’s winner repeats as a section champion and gains a berth in a CIF Northern California Regional bowl game.

The loser packs up and puts the equipment in mothballs.

“Roger and I both said same thing the first time we played: It’s just a game,” said Trent Merzon, who is 162-40-1 in 16 seasons as Oakdale’s coach. “At the end of the day, it’s one football game. And after Friday night, people are going to be talking about next year.

“We’re not going anywhere, and they’re not going anywhere. It’s going to be fun playing these guys in the years to come.”

Last year, in their first matchup since Central Catholic was realigned into the VOL, Oakdale posted a convincing 48-28 victory that clinched its 10th league title in 13 years. The Raiders tied for third but went on to win the D-IV state title.

Finishing first in D-IV while being the third-best team in the VOL was a source of great ridicule on social media. That needling fueled Central Catholic’s desire to prove itself in the VOL and the Division III playoffs.

“Everyone complains that we don’t play anyone in the preseason and we barely pulled off a win vs. Oakdale,” said Central Catholic tailback Justin Rice, who rushed for 288 yards against the Mustangs on Nov. 6. “It’s like, ‘No, we can play with big schools ...’ ”

The Raiders essentially have done what they set out to do but must now defeat the reigning champs once more to make it official.

According to Cal-Hi Sports founder Mark Tennis, Central Catholic likely would be pitted against Marin Catholic (11-1) in a NorCal bowl game, while Oakdale might face the Del Oro-Rocklin winner.

From there, the Raiders would seek a berth in their fourth consecutive state title game, while the Mustangs would play for a state crown for the first time since 2012.

But that’s weeks down the line. Right now, there’s a rematch where Central Catholic will be the favorite.

“I definitely think there’s a heck of a lot less pressure on us,” Merzon said. “I don’t know how many people in that stadium will truly expect us to win.”

This story was originally published November 28, 2015 at 4:32 PM with the headline "Oakdale and Central Catholic, Part II: This one is for a section football title."