2012 California Division II Bowl Preview: Oakdale vs. Serra

California Division II Bowl Game:
Oakdale (14-1) vs. Serra (Gardena) (13-2)

FACTS AND STATS
Rankings - Oakdale: Nationally No. 431 by MaxPreps, State No. 50; Serra: Nationally No. 31 by MaxPreps, State No. 8.

Notable alums – Oakdale: Eddie LeBaron (NFL quarterback). Serra: Marqise Lee (USC), Robert Woods (USC), Kerry Boagni (NBA), Deon Figures (NFL), Dave Nelson (MLB), Eugene Profit (NFL), Kris Richard (NFL).

Leading rushers –
Oakdale: Marcus Northcutt (186 carries-1,275 yards-15 touchdowns); Nikk Ryan (165-1,082-19); Spencer Thomas (92-458-3).
Serra: Malik Roberson (148-1,454-13); Jalen Greene (142-1,025-9).

Leading passers –
Oakdale: Thomas (88 completions-134 attempts-1,671 yards-25 touchdowns-3 interceptions).
Serra: Greene (160-253-2,302-23-13).

Leading receivers –
Oakdale: Austin Jones (48 receptions-1,037 yards-13 touchdowns).
Serra: Anterio Bateman (33-319-2); Darrell Fuery (33-615-11); Adoree' Jackson (30-464-3).

Points per game (allowed): Oakdale - 40.1 (12.1); Serra - 34.4 (13.8).

By KEVIN ASKELAND
MaxPreps.com

It will be City vs. Country when the Serra (Gardena) Cavaliers and Oakdale Mustangs take to the field in the CIF Division II Bowl Game Saturday at 4 p.m. at the Home Depot Center in Carson.

Located near the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains east of Modesto, Oakdale's slogan is "The Cowboy Capital of the World." The town of about 20,000 people is known for its agriculture and the Hunt's tomato plant located there is one of the largest in the world.

Gardena, home of Serra High School, is a town of about 60,000 nestled right in the heart of Los Angeles County and only a few miles down the road from the Home Depot Center.

Oakdale coach Trent Merzon has been hugely successful since returning to his alma mater over 20 years ago, winning 80 percent of his games as head coach since 2000. So he's fully aware of the task at hand when his team faces Serra.

"Serra is amazing. Huge, fast, well-coached," said Merzon. "They beat the Division I rep (Long Beach Poly), what else needs to be said about them."

While Merzon certainly understands the odds facing his Mustang team, he's also fully prepared for the contest. "When a defining moment comes along, you can do one of two things: define the moment or let the moment define you," is the quote next to Merzon's photo on the Oakdale football website.

The Division II bowl game against Serra will be Oakdale's defining moment.

For Serra, the bowl game marks the third trip to the state finals in the past four years. Serra competed at the Division III level in 2009 and defeated Marin Catholic 24-20. The next season Serra fell to Folsom 48-20 at the Division II level.

Since posting a 9-3 mark in 2006, Serra coach Scott Altenberg has led the Cavaliers to an 82-12 record.

"We have a lot of kids fired up about football," Altenberg told the Orange County Register. "And because of that, our program has been building."

Serra has been home to some incredible athletes, including Robert Woods, George Farmer and Marqise Lee, all of whom play for the USC Trojans, with Lee earning All-America honors.

This year's Serra squad is much younger than the bowl teams from the past, although still experienced. Quarterback Jalen Greene is a junior, but he's in his second year as a starter. Meanwhile sophomore running back Malik Roberson is just a sophomore, but he saw action last year as a freshman

Oakdale, meanwhile, brings to Carson a sense of community that often makes the Mustang football games the only event in town on a Friday night.

"This community loves our kids," said Merzon. "And our kids love our community."

OAKDALE OFFENSE VS. SERRA DEFENSE
While many teams in California have switched to running the Spread Option offense, the Oakdale Mustangs have stuck with the Wing T for one reason — it works.

In posting a 130-31 record since 2000 season, Merzon has led the Mustangs to nine Valley Oak League championships, including six in a row, and two section titles. The Mustangs have sustained that type of success by running the ball out of the Wing T, overpowering teams at the point of attack. In doing so, Oakdale has scored at least 524 points in a season for four straight years, including 601 points this season.
The Mustangs boast a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in Nikk Ryan and Marcus Northcutt. Ryan is the big fullback. At 6-0, 210 pounds, he also doubles on the defensive line. His two-way play this year earned him MVP honors in the Valley Oak League. Besides opening holes for Northcutt, he's also run for 1,082 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Northcutt, meanwhile, is the smaller of the two backs at 5-9, 170 pounds. A First Team All-League pick, Northcutt leads the team in rushing with 1,275 yards and 15 touchdowns. In all, four different Mustang rushers have gained over 100 yards in a game this season with Northcutt's 229-yard effort against rival Sonora topping the list.

However the Mustangs can also throw the ball. Spencer Thomas has thrown for 1,671 yards and 25 touchdowns this year, including 216 yards and four touchdowns in the 27-24 North Division II Regional against Clayton Valley. His top receiver, Austin Jones, has caught 48 passes for 1,087 yards and 13 touchdowns.

When the running game and the passing game are both clicking for the Mustangs, they can put up some incredible numbers. Twice this season Oakdale amassed over 600 yards of total offense and eight times it scored at least 42 points.

All-league center Ty Malone (5-10, 175) anchors a small, but mobile offensive line, however, none of the other starting offensive linemen for the Mustangs earned first or second team all-league honors. Brynden McAndrews (6-0, 185, Jr), Jaidyn Sheetz (6-4, 235, Sr), Thomas Angarole (6-1, 165, Sr) and Jeremy Brandau (6-3, 205, Sr) were all honorable mention.

The Mustangs face a Serra defense that is traditionally defined by speed and tacklers that swarm to the ball. This year is no different. All-league linebackers Dwight Williams (6-2, 205, Jr.) and Ardis Perez (5-10, 209, Sr) have 151 and 109 tackles respectively while second-team all-league linebackers John Houston (6-3, 211, So) and Malachi Mageo (6-2, 203, Sr) have 112 and 62.

But the tremendous linebacking quartet might not even be the best part of the defense. Senior lineman Inoke Raikadroka (6-0, 255) was named the league's most valuable lineman after racking up 84 tackles and 8.5 sacks. Meanwhile Adoree' Jackson (5-10, 175, Jr.), the defending state long jump champion, earned Mission League defensive player of the year honors after intercepting five passes on the season.

"Our offense has been inconsistent, but our D has been stout all year," said Altenberg. "We also rotate a lot of guys on both sides of the ball. We have better depth this year than I have ever had."

Serra allowed 207 points on the season with one shutout and six other games under 10 points. However the Cavaliers will be facing an unfamiliar offensive style.

"Ball control, controlling the clock and error-free football is what we expect to see from Oakdale," Altenberg said. "We have to play against a wing T offense, which is something we don't really see down here."

SERRA OFFENSE VS. OAKDALE DEFENSE
The Cavaliers are a young team on offense with many of the major contributors being underclassmen.

All-league quarterback Jalen Greene, a junior, cuts an imposing figure at 6-3, 204 pounds. He's been Serra's most effective weapon, throwing for 2,302 yards and 23 touchdowns while also rushing for 1,025 yards and nine touchdowns. He's been more of a runner of late, rushing for over 100 yards in each of Serra's three playoff wins. However he can also air it out, as his 302 yards in a loss to Narbonne early in the season would attest.

Sophomore running back Malik Roberson leads the team in rushing with 1,454 yards and 13 touchdowns. He's also come up big in the playoffs, rushing for 237 yards in a 58-6 win over Santa Monica and 197 yards in a 34-21 victory over previously undefeated Lompoc.

The receiving corps is an evenly balanced group with Anterio Bateman (5-9, 175, Sr) and Darrell Fuery (6-2, 171, Sr) each catching 33 passes and Adoree' Jackson adding 30. Fuery leads the team in yardage and touchdowns with 615 and 11. Bateman, however, missed eight games due to a broken ankle and only recently returned to action.

The offense averages 34.4 points per game and puts up 419 yards of offense, including 262 yards on the ground.

The defensive unit is very experienced with seniors manning nearly every position on that side of the ball. The Mustangs have been solid on defense all season and were rewarded heavily on the All-League team. Miko Arpoika (5-11, 195, Sr) was named the league defensive player of the year at defensive end while the league MVP, Ryan, is at the other defensive end spot.

Seven others Mustangs earned first team All-League defensive honors, including Bastian Jimenez (5-10, 175, Sr, ILB), C.J. Picinich (6-0, 215, Sr, ILB), Nik Garza (5-8, 170, Sr, OLB), Hondo Arpoika (5-10, 210, Sr, DL), Eric Barragan (5-11, 260, Sr, DL), Dewayne Finney (6-2, 175, Sr, DB), Eddie Machado (5-8, 160, Sr, DB).

EXTRA POINTS
Serra linebacker Ardis Perez is lucky to be playing football at all. As a sophomore, Perez suffered a broken neck during a football game. After having the vertebra in his neck fused, according to the L.A. times, Perez returned to action and earned All-League honors this season…Marqise Lee, who played on both bowl teams for Serra, was named the Offensive Player of the Year in the Pac-12 … The most heralded football player between the two teams comes from Oakdale. Eddie LeBaron. Known as the "Littlest General", the 5-7 LeBaron was an All-American quarterback at University of Pacific before starring for the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys from 1950-1962.