By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Bulletin Correspondent

The look on the face of East Union head coach Rodney “Booie” Daniels after the game said it all Friday after the Lancers’ 42-24 Valley Oak League loss to visiting Oakdale.

He knew his team played well enough at times to finally get over the hump and beat the Mustangs, a feat no East Union team has been able to do in over three decades.

Things looked good early on for the Lancers, (0-2 VOL, 4-3 overall) who went into the break at halftime leading 18-14, holding the vaunted Mustangs rushing attack that came in averaging 358 yards per game to just 122 yards before the intermission.

Ultimately, two massive turnovers, and some key mistakes helped the Mustangs (2-0, 5-1) fight back in the second half and secure their 31st consecutive win over the Lancers.

“That’s a team that East Union hasn’t beat in a long time and we went into halftime riding good momentum, but we keep shooting ourselves in the foot with mistakes that we can control,” Daniels said.

The game turned on its head with the first of a string of second-half miscues from the Lancers early in the third quarter, as Oakdale cornerback Jacob Kindrick picked off a pass from quarterback Anthony Morales that bounced through receiver Blake Mount’s hands, taking it 55 yards for a touchdown to put the Mustangs up 28-18.

On the ensuing possession, Daniels’ defense was about to get off of the field, when Oakdale converted a fourth-and-7 with a 20-yard run on a fake punt from leading rusher Wes Burford. Burford would ultimately cap off the drive with another 20-yard run, this one of the conventional variety, putting the Mustangs up 35-24 late in the third quarter.

East Union, like they did for much of the night, seemed to have an answer, as they rode the arm of Morales down the field looking to cut the game to a one-score differential. On fourth-and-1, the senior connected with wide receiver Vinny Sanchez, who picked up the first down. In fighting for extra yards, Sanchez was stripped of the ball by the Mustangs with Burford recovering on their own 2-yard line. The turnover was one of four on the night for the Lancers.

The mistakes seem to hurt Daniels and the Lancers more than normal, due in large part to the fact that they seemed to execute their game plan and give their team a chance to win.

“We wanted to stop Burford, and force other guys to make plays. No. 4 (Gavin Wyatt) stepped up for them and hit us on a couple sweeps, but at the end of the day, we still have to help our our defense and not turn the ball over.”

Daniels’ defense did the job in the first half. Staunch defensive line play from Eduardo Ramirez, Davien Fagundes, and Isaac Alvarez freed up leading tackler Brayden Camara to help the Lancers largely held Burford in check early on.

“We had a good talk in the locker room and got dialed in. We didn’t feel like we showed up ready to go, and they (East Union) came out guns blazin’,” Burford said.

Burford led the Mustangs with 133 of the team total 352 yards on 24 carries, with much of it coming late in the second half, as Oakdale wore down the Lancers’ defense to put the game away.

Despite the loss, coach Daniels recognized reasons for optimism moving forward in the vaunted VOL.

“We’ve seen now a really good passing team in Patterson, and a really good running team in Oakdale,” he said. “Two teams that I feel have prepared us for the games moving forward vs. Central Catholic and Manteca.”

Daniels will look for his offense to bounce back from its mistakes next week, a unit that showed flashes all night long led by Morales, who went 28 for 41 accumulating 356 yards and three touchdowns to three different receivers. The leading receiver for the Lancers was Mount, who hauled in nine receptions for 118 yards after missing the last game-and-a-half with a calf injury.

Next up for the Lancers is a road trip to Modesto to take on Central Catholic (1-1, 3-3). Meanwhile, Oakdale travels back home to The Corral to take on VOL newcomer Patterson (2-1, 4-3).