The Cavaliers were like British King Charlie's cowboys in the sixteen hundreds. The Oakdale Mustangs are cowboys from the Cowboy Capital of the World. The Cavaliers rode heavy, down lineman horses and fought it out toe to toe, hoof to hoof. The Cowboys were fast moving, agile and innovative. Not Friday night at Home Depot Center.
The game was over, really, 3½ minutes into the first quarter. But who knew? The Cavaliers took Oakdale's opening kick off and moved down the field in 11 plays, Marquise Rodgers finishing the drive with a brilliant run after being stopped dead at the line of scrimmage. The key the drive was Jalen Greene's escapability when back to pass. Twice his scrambles produced first downs after the Cavs had hobbled themselves with penalties (two) or incomplete passes (two). Serra 7 - Oakdale 0 with 8:31 remaining.
The Cavs restarted the ball with the short high kick they've been using all season. The Mustangs showed the Cavs a patient three yards and black eye offense as expected, but stifled themselves with a bad snap then two successive penalties. Punt to Serra with 4:57 remaining in the first.
Serra started on its own 43. Rodgers took the ball around the left end, and sailed through the herd of startled mustangs for his second touchdown. Point after was clean and high. 14-0. Time of possession. 62 seconds.
The Mustangs helped the Cavs on the kickoff, stretching to catch the ball before it went out of bounds, then immediately stepping out. Ball at the 21 instead of the 35. Taking a play that has been at the back of the Cavalier playbook, the Mustangs stopped themselves with penalties in five downs. They punted the ball back to Serra with 2:45 left in the opening quarter.
The third Serra possession, like the first, moved down the field thanks most of all to Jalen Greene's ability to turn a frustrated pass attempt into a highlight film run. On the fifth play of the possession, Greene pulled the ball down at his own 48, and juked and stuttered down to the Oakdale eight. It took another four plays, extended by a penalty, before Rodgers managed to move the scrum about four inches past the goal line before falling under a stampede of mustangs.
Oakdale's third possession lasted eleven plays: two in the first quarter and nine in the second. The magnificent 2012 Cavalier defense now had its chance to shine. And shine it did. All night. Bending a little to the unfamiliar wing-T running attack, but never breaking. Helped along by three penalties, Oakdale got to the Serra 30: fourth and nine to go. After running about thirty yards behind the line of scrimmage, the Mustangs could only gain three. Serra took over on downs with seven plus minutes to add to its lead.
It took seventeen seconds: a twenty yard advance by Greene on a quarterback draw, and then a perfect strike to Adoreé Jackson slanting to the post. Point after good, Serra 28, Mustangs 0.
The Mustangs' next possession was their best against the Serra first string. In twelve plays, the 'stangs got as close as the Serra ten, but at 2:20, they found themselves at the Serra 14, fourth and 14. They elected to kick for three, but the kick went wide. Serra 28, Mustangs (still) zero, and 2:16 left in the half. The time had come to pass.
A short completion, then a nice pass to Akili Tate for thirty. Serra at its own 45, Greene again scrambled for big yards, but the run was called back. A couple of busted plays, then another completion to Tate, now at the Oakdale 27. A rushed pass to a wide open receiver went to high, then Adoreé took a quick out pass and ROC'd and rolled to the goal line finishing with a "Hell-Oh" flip into the endzone. Point after perfect. Serra 35- Oakdale zero to show for the trip.
The Mustangs were late coming out after the halftime break. And who can blame them. But to their credit, the Oakdale faithful sent up a roar when the white-clad Mustangs ventured to their bench. There was no way they could avoid that last twenty four minutes, although to his credit Coach Altenberg took his foot off the gas.
Oakdale took the second half kick off from the twenty five and moved to the Serra 43 in seven tough running plays. On play #8, quarterback Spencer Thomas rolled to his left, and threw almost directly to freshman linebacker Blake Walls, he intercepted and ran the ball back to the original line of scrimmage. Walls' masterpiece was almost turned into oblivion. Three straight penalties left Serra with a first and thirty at the fifteen. Three unsuccessful passes put the Cavs in punt formation for the first time of the night.
Adoreé Jackson took the snap, looked at the Mustangs retreating to support a return, and took off. Cutting to his left and just blitzing by the scattered Mustangs, Jackson turned fourth and thirty into a touchdown. Serra 42. Oakdale nothing but a loyal grandstand. 7:19 remaining in the third quarter.
Always a class act, Altenberg had enough. He began to give his bench players a chance to say they played in the state championship. The Mustangs used up the rest of the quarter. Eighteen plays to a score. The drive had stopped at the Serra 45, but Serra was called for pass interference on an unsuccessful fourth and ten pass to the sideline. Oakdale went for two out of principle, and made it. Serra 42 Oakdale 8. And the fourth quarter left to play.
The fourth quarter resulted in another Oakdale touchdown, and another Blake Walls interception. But they shoot dying horses, and there's no reason to stretch out the last minutes of the 2012 Mustangs.
For the Cavs, it was an amazingly easy night. Nothing to compare with the Notre Dame cliffhanger that the Cavs won in August. Nothing to compare with the really heroic fight put up by the Mustangs of Mira Costa in September, or the bitter loss to Chaminade in October. Nothing to compare with the close call in the Chaminade rematch in the Western Division final three weeks ago. It's really in light of the heart and tenacity of those earlier games that the 2012 Cavaliers deserve to be remembered. Always great athletes, they were a tough and resilient team from August to the happy ending.
