It was late in the fifth game last fall, and Oakdale High’s Wes Burford had just scored a touchdown against Enochs. One problem: He thought his season was finished.
Someone fell onto his ankle, resulting in a “pop” Burford didn't want to hear or feel. There was no time, however, to react. Head coach Garrett Martin, who calls the plays for the Mustangs, wanted him to run the 2-point conversion. And do he did.
“My toes weren’t facing the other way. I guess I was OK,” Burford remembered.
The numbers say he was better than “OK.” The following week against Sierra with his gimpy ankle well-taped, Burford rushed a season-high 43 times for 287 yards and four touchdowns. Stopping Burford, one of the Sac-Joaquin Section’s most productive running backs, is one thing. Keeping him off the field, however, is something else.
“My teammates don’t get tired for me, so I don’t get tired for them,” Burford said.
Burford, a junior, is arguably the best all-around athlete to walk onto the Oakdale football field in many years — more on that later. But he caught the fans’ attention in 2023 with a bona fide breakout season: 1,819 rushing yards (seventh in the Sac-Joaquin Section) and 27 touchdowns (sixth). His 215 total points, supplemented by accurate placekicking, ranked him third in the section and a noteworthy 16th in California.
He’ll enter the 2024 season Aug. 23 at Sonora at 6-foot and 205 pounds, about 20 pounds heavier than last year. Oakdale’s punishing and deceptive Wing-T attack was made to order for Burford, who brings both power and speed to every snap.
“We knew how good an athlete he was,” said Martin, the Mustangs’ second-year leader. “It was surprising how durable he was and how he was able to carry us.”
Indeed, Burford dragged that sore ankle through the rest of a grueling 12-game campaign. He scored three touchdowns during a first-round victory over Merced before Oakdale was eliminated the following week against Grant.
Burford’s athleticism in football complements what he does in wrestling and track, and vice-versa. He is a walking advertisement for the joy and satisfaction that comes from nonstop activity autumn through spring.
One qualifier: He’s not just switching uniforms when the weather changes because it looks like fun. He puts a purposeful exclamation point on the term “all-around athlete.”
Burford has advanced to the CIF State Wrestling Championships twice, earning an eighth-place medal as a freshman. Last spring, he placed fourth in the 110-meter hurdles at the Section Masters and barely missed a trip to State.
What this means is that, in all likelihood, Burford will succeed Central Catholic grad Tyler Paul Wentworth as the best do-everything star of the Valley Oak League.
“The sports all help each other,” Burford said. “The body movement and weight control from wrestling really helps in football. From track, you get the speed and explosion.”
Another thing working in his favor is a river-deep gene pool.
Seth Burford, Wes’ father, quarterbacked Oakdale to its first section title in 1996 and went on to call signals at both Idaho State and Cal Poly. Jill Santucci Burford, Wes’ mother and another Oakdale grad, qualified for State in the 400.
“Wes got his speed from Jill, not from me,” Seth said.
One more ace in Wes’ hand: His father and former Oakdale line coach Zach Quaccia, who started on the offensive line for Stanford in the 2000 Rose Bowl, are cousins.
Seth thanks his father for wise counsel on all football matters. The dad’s best advice was not allowing his son to play football until he was a freshman.
“I don’t have anything against youth football,” Seth said. “Football is just a violent game. And in youth football, the most physically developed player usually wins. There is a great chance for injury. I grew up playing soccer and didn’t switch to football until I was a freshman.”
So did Wes. He wrestled since second grade and was a talented soccer goalie until he borrowed from his father’s playbook.
Burford’s revelatory 2023 season stems from this decision. The year before, he played on the freshman team and was promoted to varsity for the playoffs, starting as a linebacker during the Mustangs’ loss to Roseville.
“In football, it’s not a one-man show. You need your teammates,” Burford said in reference to the game’s contrast with wrestling and track. “Last year was great in that our team (8-4) always had my back and I had their back. We were very close and we got way further than anyone expected.”
Burford is expected to add defense to his ball-carrying arsenal this season. He’ll probably be seen everywhere — primarily at linebacker and safety — and judging from his resume, he’ll also excel there.
“Wes is a great teammate. He never misses anything,” Martin said. “He just wants to win every race. And he does it without an ego.”
Burford at 100 percent will present problems for all opponents.
