Oakdale running back Burke makes transition from futbol to football

Austin Burke has made a fan out of Oakdale High School football coach Trent Merzon for reasons that aren’t entirely tied to his running ability.

Burke was raised a soccer player but made the transition to football for his senior year, filling out a backfield decimated by graduation and injury. His impact has been immediate.

The wingback has blossomed into a home-run threat for the Mustangs, blending breakaway speed with tenacity.

His development as a football player has helped shape Oakdale’s season. The second-seeded Mustangs (12-1) have earned another shot at Valley Oak League rival Central Catholic (13-0), the top seed in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III playoffs.

The two will lock horns for the second time in five weeks Friday night at Lincoln High in Stockton. The terms for this rematch are clear: The winner moves on to the state bowl series, while the loser fades into the offseason.

The Raiders won the first meeting on Nov. 6, 42-37, stripping Oakdale of its VOL crown in a battle of 9-0 teams. Now they’ll look to unify the belts in a rematch with the Mustangs, the defending Division III champions.

“People who have been in coaching will tell you that it’s tougher playing a team twice, no matter if you won or lost,” Central Catholic coach Roger Canepa said. “There’s also the revenge factor. It’s not ideal, let’s be honest.”

Merzon loves the spirit and fight his team has shown since that Week 10 loss to the Raiders. He said his team was faced with two options in the wake of that defeat: 1. Let it derail all postseason aspirations; or 2. Use it as a source of motivation.

Since that loss, Oakdale has reeled off three playoff victories, dismantling No. 15 El Dorado, No. 10 Benicia and No. 3 Inderkum, a team that arrived at The Corral undefeated.

The Mustangs may have lost the game with Central Catholic, but they didn’t lose their swagger.

“You don’t win as many games as this group has won without being confident,” Merzon said. “That loss in Week 10 hurt, but we get another shot. Are they unbelievable? Yeah, and they’re probably a lot healthier and have had more breaks fall into their lap. But we get another crack at them.

“You get judged not by your wins or losses but how you respond. I think our kids have answered the bell, and showed our character and who we are. We lost a heartbreaker in Week 10. I’m not sure how many teams could have gotten up off the mat like we did.”

Their response has been typical of many Oakdale teams this time of the year. The Mustangs have won four section championships and lost to Serra-Gardena in the 2012 CIF State Division II Bowl.

Last season, Oakdale rode the heroics of then-junior Darus Nelson, who provided the “dash” to fullback Frankie Trent’s “crash.” Nelson ran wild in the postseason and sparked the Mustangs’ rally in the D-III final against Inderkum. Oakdale trailed 20-0 but outscored Inderkum 27-3 over the final two quarters to earn a fourth blue banner.

This season, with Nelson lost to an ACL tear, Burke has stepped to the forefront, complementing fullback Brad Aquino. Burke rushed for 140 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries in a 51-38 victory over Inderkum last week.

Merzon said Burke has overcome challenges beyond the athletic arena to assume a starring role in the Mustangs’ vaunted, up-tempo wing-T offense.

The kid who once chased soccer balls now hunts first downs and touchdowns, but that’s secondary to his football coach. Now in his 16th season at the helm, Merzon understands this about his football program: These Mustangs are bred to be determined and tough on the field and off.

Burke is just the latest example.

“He’s a great human being. He’s overcome some adversity in his life,” said Merzon, who didn’t elaborate on the off-the-field obstacles Burke has faced. “He’s the kind of kid everybody would root for. He’s so incredibly tough.”

The transition to football, it seems, has been the easy part.

Burke has rushed for more than 1,000 yards. He’s also a weapon on special teams and in the passing game, as witnessed by his touchdown reception last week.

“That’s part of our system. We need to have tough kids to flourish,” Merzon said. “You can’t be successful in what we want to do without having kids that are unbelievably tough.”

This story was originally published December 1, 2015 at 7:14 PM with the headline "Oakdale running back Burke makes transition from futbol to football."