Fri-enemies: Central Catholic, Oakdale players come together for all-star game

Here’s an odd sight reserved only for an all-star game: Central Catholic and Oakdale football players posing for photos … as teammates.

Fierce rivals in the fall, the Raiders and Mustangs have come together to form the backbone for the South, which began preparation for the 43rd annual Lions All-Star Football Classic this week at Stanislaus State.

Four-time defending state champion Central Catholic will be represented by middle linebacker Kekupa’a Freehauf, defensive back Jacob Days and offensive lineman Javier Canela.

Oakdale will cheer on quarterback Adam Olsen. Linemen Louis Marsella and Alex Pena were selected but dropped out.

The four buried the hatchet during a Lions photo shoot May 22.

“There are certain guys that you absolutely hate when you play against them, but when you have them on your team, you love them to death. It’s a little bit of that,” Olsen said. “I don’t know a whole lot of them on a personal level, but there’s no bad blood.”

The game will be played Saturday evening at Wayne Schneider Stadium on the Tracy High School campus. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

The South is coached by Rob Cozart and his Patterson High staff, and their roster is comprised of the best senior talent from Modesto to Merced. The South has invaded the Stanislaus State campus this week, where the coaching staff hopes the camp-like atmosphere fosters chemistry and continuity.

“The first thing we talked about was now we get to join forces and beat up other people,” said Freehauf, a 6-foot-2, 250-pound Hawaiian hammer. “When you have players like that, you have to respect their play. They’re all great players, and I’m excited to be playing with them instead of against them.”

Central Catholic and Oakdale delivered two of the most memorable games last fall.

Their first meeting decided the Valley Oak League championship and the top seed in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III playoffs. Both teams arrived for their Week 10 showdown 9-0, and a capacity crowd circled the Raiders’ David Patton Field in Modesto in anticipation of a show. The Raiders rode a virtuoso performance from Fresno State-bound running back Justin Rice to an early 21-point lead and then held on late 42-37.

The two met again in the D-III final, a game that would set Central Catholic’s course for a fourth consecutive CIF state championship. Freehauf and the Raiders tightened their defense around Olsen in the second half, shutting out the Mustangs over the final 24 minutes en route to a 21-7 victory.

Olsen, who was just 2 for 9 for 29 yards and an interception in the section final loss, looks forward to playing with the Raiders.

During a decorated four-year career at the varsity level, Olsen won two section titles (2012, 2014) and played in a Division II state bowl (2012). Nevertheless, he admits he was never more nervous for a game than he was in Week 10 and the night of the section final.

“It’s a relief,” said Olsen, one of two quarterbacks on the South roster. The other is Los Banos’ Adam Herrera.

“They’re talented dudes, and you don’t have to worry about them now. We can focus more on playing with them and beating the other team, which won’t be easy. I have the utmost respect for those guys, but I’m not going to lie, it will be weird.”

Though they’re painful memories, Olsen feels blessed to have played in those rivalry games last fall. Olsen was 1-2 against Central Catholic in his career.

“It’s something special, something I’ll never forget,” he said. “I feel blessed to have played with guys like Justin Rice and Hunter Petlansky and all of my teammates, guys I grew up playing Pop Warner football with. Those were the most intense games I’ve played in. That was probably the most nervous I’ve been in my whole life. It was an honor and a great opportunity to have.”

Now the focus is the North, a team with a few familiar faces. The North will call upon talent from four of the Manteca Unified School District’s VOL campuses – Manteca, Sierra, East Union and Weston Ranch – among other schools.

A year ago, the South scored 30 unanswered points to post a come-from-behind 51-38 victory. The South’s point total was the most in game history.

Cozart believes Central Catholic and Oakdale’s big-game experience will be an asset to the South.

“Those guys have been involved in much bigger games than 90 percent of the roster,” Cozart said. “We’ve got guys who have been involved in rivalry games and league championship games, but these guys have been involved in state championships and section championships on a regular basis.

“They’re built for the big stage, and that’s what we want this game to be.”

This story was originally published June 13, 2016 at 2:11 PM with the headline "Fri-enemies: Central Catholic, Oakdale players come together for all-star game."