They’re back: No. 3 Folsom Bulldogs bounce back from losses to advance in Division I
The Folsom Bulldogs didn’t arrive to the playoffs with much confidence.
“They were down on themselves,” head coach Paul Doherty said Friday night. “They’ve been doubting themselves a little bit.”
For good reason.
The regional power came into the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs having lost three of four while missing their starting quarterback Tyler Tremain to an injury to his non-throwing shoulder. The rough patch included defeats to Rocklin, 40-7, and Concord’s De La Salle, 31-10. The Bulldogs’ final regular season game was a loss on their home blue turf to Granite Bay, 31-21.
But the mood changed with Tremain’s return Friday night.
Folsom regained its footing and looked more like the program that won seven section championships since 2010. They beat visiting Lincoln of Stockton 38-14 at Prairie City Stadium to advance to the semifinals of the Division I playoffs.
“It was ugly, it was sloppy, it was foggy,” Doherty said. “Our defense played lights-out. It just feels really good. Feels like it’s been forever since we’ve won a football game, certainly forever since we’ve won a playoff game.”
Indeed, the fog was one of the big stories of the night.
The visiting sideline and grandstand couldn’t be seen through the mist that got worse as the game wore on. Doherty often had to ask officials for the down and distance before plays because the chains were on the other side of the field and out of sight. Crowds on both sides were slow to react to plays because they struggled to make out what was happening.
Folsom officials said it was the worst fog they had ever seen for a game. But it was something Doherty was used to as a native of San Francisco.
“Every Friday night at Kezar Stadium was just like this,” he said.
Easy for him to say. He didn’t have to throw passes downfield and avoid defenders, as his signal-caller did.
“The fog was really difficult to see people everywhere,” Tremain said. “But it’s something you gotta deal with and we played great with it.”
Lincoln’s defense adjusted well to the conditions, Doherty said, by going into attack mode. They blitzed early and often, forcing the banged-up Tremain to make plays with his arm. It led to Doherty dialing up some well-timed screens, which loosened things up for his running game to control the pace.
“These guys (Lincoln’s defense) made all the right adjustments,” Doherty said. “They brought a lot of pressure. They played cover zero. They forced us to try and throw the ball. We got lucky on a couple good run looks, popped a couple through and we got a couple points on the board.”
Receiver Austin McMillan scored a pair of touchdowns, one coming on a 45-yard tunnel screen and another on a 20-yard jump ball over a defender and a well-placed throw from Tremain. Running back Toure Hendrick added a pair of a touchdowns and a number of tough runs.
The biggest star of the night might have been junior safety Slade Wilson, who had three interceptions, including a game-sealing pick-six at the end of the third quarter as Folsom pulled away.
“We just had a game plan,” Wilson said, “keep it super basic, and I just happened to be in the right spots at the right time. You got to make big plays in a big game.”
The Bulldogs built a 10-0 lead in the first half, only to see Lincoln come back with two touchdowns in the third quarter, including a pick-six from defensive lineman Tyher Howard-Thompson.
Trojans quarterback Kenyon Nelson was tough on Folsom’s defense with his legs. Running back Jonah Coleman, who committed to the University of Arizona, had a big night that included a 60-yard touchdown run to break the shut out. The pick-six from Howard-Thompson, the nose tackle, gave the road team life as they cut the deficit to 17-14.
But the Bulldogs started to impose their will with their physical running game and strong pass defense in the fog. They also got a turnover on a fumble and scored a touchdown two plays later. They finished the night with three unanswered touchdowns.
“The emotion, it’s something our team needs,” Tremain said. “We’re a team, we’re a family, we’re all together and it’s great to see us up on top.”
Folsom awaits the winner of Saturday’s playoff matchup between No. 2-seeded Jesuit and No. 7 Del Oro. Which is good news for Folsom, because they took care of both teams earlier in the season. The Bulldogs beat Jesuit 56-7 back in August. Last month they took care of Del Oro, 58-6.
“We just get to play another week of football with all the seniors, they’re loving it, we’re loving it,” Wilson said. “And hopefully we can beat the next team we play. Jesuit, Del Oro, it doesn’t matter. We’re going to go out and play our game, and try to get into a section championship.”
Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs
Division I
No. 1 Rocklin 42, No. 8 Sheldon 0
No. 5 St. Mary’s 29, No. 4 Edison 23
No. 3 Folsom 38, No. 6 Lincoln 14
Del Oro at Jesuit, today, 1 p.m.
Semifinals:
No. 5 St. Mary’s at No. 1 Rocklin
No. 3 Folsom vs. Jesuit/Del Oro
Division II
No. 1 Central Catholic 38, No. 9 Lodi 34
No. 4 Antelope 20, No. 5 Whitney 14
No. 6 Elk Grove 52, No. 3 Vacaville 48
No. 7 Monterey Trail 35, No. 2 Granite Bay 24
Friday semifinals:
No. 4 Antelope at No. 1 Central Catholic
No. 7 Monterey Trail at No. 6 Elk Grove
Division III
No. 1 Oakdale 40, No. 9 Roseville
No. 5 Patterson 52 No. 4 Yuba City 48
No. 3 Manteca 54, No. 6 Sacramento 14
Friday semifinals:
No. 5 Patterson at No. 1 Oakdale
No. 3 Manteca at No. 2 Lincoln
Division IV
No. 1 Kimball 44, No. 8 Wood
No. 4 Merced 56, East Union 15
No. 3 Vista del Lago 36, No. 6 Placer 21
No. 2 Vanden 61, No. 7 Dixon 0
Friday semifinals:
No. 4 Merced at No. 1 Kimball
No. 2 Vista del Lago at No. 2 Vanden
Division V
No. 1 Escalon 39, No. 8 Woodland 12
No. 5 Ripon 39, No. 4 Pioneer 20
No. 6 Hilmar 35, No. 3 Sonora 25
No. 7 Casa Roble 35, No. 2 Union Mine 33
Friday semifinals:
No. 5 Ripon at No. 1 Escalon
No. 7 Casa Roble at No. 6 Hilmar
Division VI
No. 1 Bradshaw Christian 36, No. 8 Linden 33
No. 5 Rosemont 37, No. 4 Hughson 28
No. 3 Livingston 56, No. 6 Waterford 20
No. 2 Argonaut 34, No. 7 Liberty Ranch 10
Friday semifinals:
No. 5 Rosemont at No. 1 Bradshaw Christian
No. 3 Livingston at No. 2 Argonaut
Division VII
No. 1 Woodland Christian 29, No. 8 Rio Vista 14
No. 4 Esparto, 50, No. 5 Delta 30
No. 3 Le Grand 27, No. 6 Big Valley Christian 6
No. 7 Mariposa County 7, No. 2 Vacaville Christian 6
Friday semifinals:
No. 4 Esparto at No. 1 Woodland Christian
No. 7 Mariposa County at No. 3 Le Grand
This story was originally published November 13, 2021 at 6:49 AM.
