Stakes even greater in Central Catholic-Oakdale Part II

Can Central Catholic, with an enrollment of 369, conquer the Division III gantlet and continue its quest for a fourth consecutive state title?

Or will Oakdale rise up and protect its D-III crown, despite its aches and pains?

Can Central Catholic running back Justin Rice find his way into the Stanislaus District record book?

How much of an impact will the return of Oakdale two-way lineman Louis Marsella have?

Finally, who throws the better parking-lot party – the Blue Crew or Mustang Nation?

The more you peel back the layers of Friday’s Sac-Joaquin Section Division III final between Valley Oak League rivals Central Catholic (13-0) and Oakdale (12-1), the juicier the matchup gets.

And so it should.

The Raiders and Mustangs have made section officials look like savants this postseason. By virtue of its VOL championship, Central Catholic was a lock to get the No. 1 seed in the D-III bracket. However, the seeding committee took a risk by making Oakdale the No. 2 seed over three undefeated league champions: No. 3 Inderkum of the Tri-County Conference, No. 4 Patterson of the Western Athletic Conference and No. 5 Placer of the Sierra Foothill League.

The prevailing thought was that the Mustangs, by the slimmest of margins, were the second-best team in the field. They proved as much in their only loss: a thrilling 42-37 decision at Central Catholic on Nov. 6.

The Week 10 game between 9-0 teams was decided in the final moments.

Adam Olsen’s last-gasp pass on fourth-and-14 from the Raiders’ 23-yard line was batted down by Rice, preserving the five-point victory.

From Marsella’s early injury to a holding penalty that negated a pivotal two-point conversion late in the contest, some believe the Mustangs were snakebitten – not outfoxed.

“We didn’t have one thing go our way that night,” said Oakdale coach Trent Merzon, who lost Marsella to a shoulder injury on the first play from scrimmage. “There were a lot of positives. Our kids were amazing with their effort – how hard they played and how hard we coached.

“But we have to look at that game. We can’t act like bad things didn’t happen that night.”

Marsella is Oakdale’s only two-way player and, at 230 pounds, its biggest offensive lineman. When he went out, the Raiders attacked, building a 21-0 lead.

Merzon said his team “blinked,” allowing Central Catholic to seize momentum.

“It was huge, but that’s football,” Merzon said. “You lose guys all the time. We’ve won a lot of games in my 16 years here where others teams have had guys out. It’s part of life.

“But did it impact the game? Oh boy. Personally, he’s the best lineman in the area. That’s my opinion.”

Marsella will play Friday, aches and all. He isn’t the only one feeling the rigors of a season now 14 weeks old. Merzon said his roster is being held together by “bailing wire and tape.”

“That’s who we are,” he said.

Central Catholic’s impact player needs no introduction.

Barring injury, Rice is set to become the first Stanislaus District player to rush for 2,000 yards in consecutive seasons.

He has 1,989 yards after a 304-yard, five-touchdown performance in a 48-14 win over Placer last week.

“He’s probably one of the better competitors I’ve been around,” Central Catholic coach Roger Canepa said. “On game night, he makes some huge plays. Some of the runs, some of the plays on defense, you’re like, ‘Wow.’ ”

The Fresno State-bound senior has saved his best for the Mustangs. He had 288 yards, including 152 and two touchdowns on his first five carries, as Central Catholic got off to a rocket start.

Last year, the reigning Bee Player of the Year had 167 rushing yards, 116 receiving yards and three touchdowns in a 48-28 loss at Oakdale.

“He’s a Division I football player,” Merzon said. “If people are curious what a Division I football player looks like, if some people think their kid is a Division I player, take a look at Justin Rice. Division I players are supposed to dominate on the high school field, and that’s what Justin does on both sides of the ball.

“It’s not like it’s just Central Catholic’s Justin Rice. He’s got some help, but he’s amazing. I think he’s the most dominant football player I’ve coached against the last 16 years – and I’ve seen some great football players.”

So who’s favored in this meeting of evenly matched teams?

Depends on who you talk to – or tweet with.

Local coaches and media members favored Central Catholic by a vote of 12-7, whereas 54 percent of the voters in a Bee Twitter poll sided with Oakdale.

Either way, Canepa believes it will be another classic.

“I think it will be a close game. Shoot, what is it – 12-1 and 13-0? It should be a good game,” he said. “They got tough kids, and they’ll play hard. We got tough kids, and we’ll play hard.”

This story was originally published December 3, 2015 at 5:35 PM with the headline "Stakes even greater in Central Catholic-Oakdale Part II."