Tyler Time: Folsom’s next star quarterback leads win over No. 1 Oak Ridge
If this is the next star quarterback at Folsom High School, Tyler Tremain is off to a rousing start.
He grew up playing football in town, and on Friday nights as a little guy would perch himself in the Prairie City Stadium stands and marvel at the wizardry of prolific passers, starting with Dano Graves in 2010, followed by Tyler Trosin, Jake Browning, Jake Jeffrey, Joe Curry and Kaiden Bennett.
Tremain showed he was up to the quarterback legacy as the next program leader on Saturday night in an intense showdown against top-ranked Oak Ridge. He calmly led a 90-yard drive, starting with 3:30 left to play, and capped his first varsity start with a 16-yard laser to national receiver recruit Rico Flores to lift the No. 2 Bulldogs to a 23-18 victory.
The score came with 1:04 left, and Folsom held the 2019 Sac-Joaquin Section Division I champions on downs to cap the week’s first week of spring football with the most intriguing and frantic finish. The crowd included family members for the players, and there were the 300 or so clever, if not chilly, souls who lined the berm above the visitor’s seats. That’s all legal gathering, since the berm is city property. The crowd, and the cheerleaders, were entertained.
Tremain passed for 237 yards and three touchdowns, but the only turnover in the game stung the 5-foot-10, 170-pound junior. How he responded is what defined this game. Ryan Enney intercepted Tremain at midfield with 4:20 left to play, but the Trojans could not finish off the one team they cannot seem to solve. Folsom has now beaten Oak Ridge 15 consecutive times, dating to 2006, with the recent showings the most thrilling.
This one fit right in.
“I was kicking myself with that interception, but then had to turn the page and get ready,” Tremain said. “”It’s incredible. Everyone played well. I remember watching up there in the stands, since I was 7. It’s great to be in games like this.”
What added to the fun is Tremain’s father, Bob, played center for Oak Ridge in the late 1980s. Tremain’s twin brother, Josh, made plays on defense, and their cousin, sophomore kicker Jake Tremain, made a 25-yard field goal.
Tyler Tremain praised his offensive line of guards Isaiah Rheaume and Christian Clingerman, tackles Braiden Freeland and Lucas Harderman and center Vinny Scalise, the lone senior of the lot. Hardeman is a freshman. His brother Tyler Hardeman was the 2018 Bee Defensive Player of the Year for Folsom, now playing on scholarship at Sacramento State. Line coach Jordan Banning raved about this group, stressing, “We can be pretty good.”.
Folsom coach Paul Doherty said before the season Tremain had leadership and stardom in him. He saw it play out on a cold night with the treat of the Sierra Foothill League rivals opening against each other, and they will finish the short season April 16 with a rematch in El Dorado Hills. There will be no playoffs for California teams.
“Tyler’s already good,” Doherty said. “He’s even-keeled. When he had that interception, he didn’t tank. When we evaluate our quarterbacks, we look for decision making, timing and accuracy, and he does that.”
Tremain is one of a host of young players on the roster. Folsom has just seven seniors and 32 players total, smaller numbers than normal but nothing has been quite normal since the pandemic hit a year ago. Tremain had touchdown strikes of 13 yards to junior Justin Arnaz for a 7-3 lead and of 53 yards to junior Austin McMillan with 32 seconds left in the half, and then the winner to Flores
Oak Ridge was led by its own promising quarterback making his first varsity start. Drew Cowart hit Hunter Nabors for a 14-yard score to push the Trojans ahead 18-17 with 5:13 left.
“That’s a darn good football team at Oak Ridge, and that quarterback is the real deal,” Doherty said.
Said Oak Ridge coach Eric Cavaliere, “Great game, two teams that really went at it. Much respect to Folsom. They made one more play than we did.”
Folsom’s league winning streak dating to its time in the Delta League is at 42 games.
This story was originally published March 14, 2021 at 6:11 AM.