The Oakdale Bears 2022-2023 football season has just begun. They started off the season with a 4-0 record; the Bears seem to be off to a great start! The team is planning on having a knockout season.

Junior Matthew Raumann states, “We have a very good team going forwards. We have the potential to go undefeated. We are easily the most talented team in Frederick County, but we have to work together to win it all.”

In previous years, Oakdale athletes have always shown promise but have not always been able to put it together correctly, causing rough seasons. However, this year the team plans to turn it around with the new junior and senior classes.

Raumann claims, “Frederick’s going to be a big challenge, but they haven’t played real competition yet so we’re going to have to see.”

Frederick is currently the first ranked team in the county, leaving Oakdale in third. Sophomore, Jason Roberts adds to that, saying their defense needs to stay strong, and not fall apart, as seen in the first two games.

In past year’s, Oakdale’s strongest competitor has been Linganore. Both players shared their worries about the game. The team stepped up after a 14-0 deficit in the first half, ending Linganore’s winning streak since 2018, with a score of 28-14 “I knew we could beat them. We just had to lock in, and keep up the energy,” Raumann explained.

The student section was a huge hit. Everyone has come out to support the Bears. Even for away games, the students came out cheering to show their spirit. The team enjoys and thrives off of the support from the crowd. With the game against Fort Hill, both players, Raumann and Roberts, think they have a 50/50 chance of winning. It’s said that it will be a close game because Fort Hill is always a state contender, but that they have a chance at winning.

Roberts explains, “Given the fact that we have our hardest game coming up against Fort Hill, it is hard to judge where predictions will go. However, it is highly likely that we will do very well with the rest of the schedule.”

Hopefully, after this week the bears will be able to keep a winning record and continue their winning streak. Everyone come out to support the bears in your USA gear at home on Friday against Fort Hill!

Edit: Oakdale Bears lost their first game last Friday, the 30th, ending their undefeated record. The Bears are now 4-1.