2022 XC Season in Review / Honors for Oakdale

For me the season always starts with a sense of mystery and expectation. I use results from the previous XC and track seasons to name a preseason All StanCo team. It is certainly a guessing game. However we all know that XC is about actual results and not predictions. 

As with every year INJURIES would play a huge factor. Turlock boys and girls would suffer at the end of the season due to illness and injuries. Hughson boys had their own bout of injuries and illness but were able to regroup at the end of the season. Pitman's girls would hold off MoHi for the CCAL title but could not overcome injuries and illness at Subs. The Oakdale boys had a date with destiny and were able to avoid most of the drama that affected other teams (they just couldn't avoid buses). I could continue...most teams had issues with either injuries or illness on some level.

Rookies, Frosh, Newbies always play a big role. Jacab Cavanaugh emerged as a solid #5 for Oakdale in his inaugural season. Hughson had several solid young ladies, but frosh Sophie Benham qualified for State and may be their next star. Riverbank's frosh Giselle Fernandez raced F/S all season but I believe she was running better than Benham and would have also qualified for State (had she been allowed to compete at that level). Pitman's Avery Carlson had a great season going that was cut short by injury. Central Catholic's Avery Jones  helped them qualify for State. In the CCC, Patterson's Natalie Arriaza also ran F/S at sections was likely one of the top ten girls in the County. Over in the WAC Grace Davis has a fine group of youngsters in Jacob Nguyen, Diego Cibrian, and Abraham Sarmiento (don't sleep on these guys). Additionally Beyer's Hayes Terry is still learning how the sport works but could be a stud next season.

The League Recaps: Oakdale boys and girls coasted through the VOL season--the boys filling the top 8 spots at VOL 2 and placing 7 in the top 8 at the VOL Champs. The Mustang ladies would sweep too. Tiny Central Catholic would place second to Oakdale in both divisions. Hughson boys would race through the TVL. Over in the WAC defending champ Beyer boys would lose the first cluster but claw their way back to win the overall WAC title. In the CCAL the Pitman Girls and the MoHi Boys would grab the closely contested crowns. In the SAL the Orestimba boys swept through the season.

At SJS  the StanCo teams would win the VBs D3, D4, and D5 titles. Oakdale and Hughson were favorites in their divisions, but it was Central Catholic with the 2 point victory that was the big surprise. The CC ladies placed 2nd and the Beyer boys third to also qualify for State. The 5 StanCo teams along with 3 individuals comprised 37 StanCo runners who qualified and competed at State.

HONORS: The rest of this article is going to focus on the Oakdale boys and what they were able to achieve this season. This was a once in a lifetime team---maybe once in a century, only time will tell.

Firstly this team started 4 years ago in 2019 when both Dax Daley and Caleb Cavanaugh were allowed to run varsity as skinny, hungry freshmen.  They were already good. Caleb made the All StanCo team that season. The next season 2020(21) was the COVID delayed partial XC season. Sophs Caleb and Dax joined Junior Simon Appel and Senior Dominic Robles. Dominic would set a blistering pace in every race. By having to hang onto him, they learned what it felt like to run fast. All four of them would go sub 10 in the 3200 that track season. Last season (2021) twin sophs Jackson and Mason Oliveira joined the party and go sub 10 in track too. The coaches began to understand just how special this group could be. They would place 4th in State that season. Amazing for any StanCo team, but this group would only lose Appel and certainly wasn't satisfied. For 2022 the three big events were 1.  Omar Alsaidi would transfer over from Ripon HS. 2. Mason Oliveira would be run over by a bus while on summer vacation. (the addition of Omar was huge, but the loss of Mason was equally big) 3. Caleb recruited his younger brother, Jacob to run XC. He would be their #5 in the absence of Mason. 

The rest was collective belief, great coaching, hard work and sheer will and determination. Here is what they did :

They swept through the VOL.

They won back to back SJS D3 titles (21 and 22)

They won the D3 State title with the best overall StanCo, SJS, and NorCal time on the day. Actually it was the 4th best on the day for the State.

They would go on to the Garmin national meet in Alabama and place 2nd

They would finish ranked 29th in the nation, likely could have been closer to 20th

Their top five runners would make the All StanCo team

For SJS Honors: Omar and Dax would be 1st team SJS and Oakdale would be named the team of the Year

For NorCal Honors: Dax would be 1st team, Omar 2nd team, and Caleb 3rd team.

Their performance at State would be named NorCal "Most Impressive Performance--Boys Team" ;

 Dax, Caleb, and Omar would be named NorCal "Best 3 Amigos"; 

Guy Fowler would be named NorCal CoCoach of the Year

For State Honors: Omar was named 2nd team All State Jr Boys;  Dax was named 2nd team All State Sr boys and Caleb was named honorable mention Sr Boys.

 

Dax was named Runner of the Year by the Modesto Bee.

Cracking the All-Time Lists: 

At Willow Hills Omar has the 2nd best time, Dax is #3, Jackson is #5 and Caleb is #11..that is their top 4 in the top 11 on that course from the past 20 years.

At Woodward (State) Dax is #3, Omar #4, Caleb #6, and Jackson #12. Again 4 of the top 12 times on this course for the County which has been used since 1983.

 

So when I say they are a once in a life-time team that is not hyperbole. The times they ran and the the honors they garnered are simple extraordinary.