Folsom Bulldogs smash Long Beach Poly in clash of California high school football powers
Ryder Lyons went down in pain and knew immediately he had to head to the sideline.
Folsom’s star quarterback, who is making a case to be one of the best high school signal callers in the region’s history, had just finished a long scramble down the left sideline, fighting to put his team in position for another touchdown against Southern California powerhouse Long Beach Poly on Friday night. It was the Bulldogs’ first game since last season’s state championship.
Lyons lost a fingernail on his left, non-throwing hand. Blood was streaming on to Folsom’s blue turf and his middle and index fingers were mangled and needing to be taped together. But Lyons knew he would reenter the game as soon as Folsom’s training staff could get his fingers bandaged and taped.
“I’m very competitive,” Lyons, a junior, said after the Bulldogs’ 63-20 victory that required a running clock for the bulk of the fourth quarter. “I’ve always been the most competitive person in the room.”
Lyons returned on Folsom’s next possession, which included a 40-yard pass down the left sideline that set up a 25-yard touchdown pass, on the move to his right, after extending the play and making Jackrabbit defenders miss. It had been a theme of the night.
The touchdown to wideout Jameson Powell made it 41-14 and opened the flood gates in the third quarter. The 43-point victory over one of California’s most historic programs did nothing to quell the expectations surrounding Folsom.
Lyons’ statistics weren’t as eye popping as his play. He finished with 10 carries for 82 yards while completing 11 of 18 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns. His other touchdown pass went to star tight end Taniela Tupou, a two-way player getting attention from Utah.
But Lyons’ best play of the night came in the second quarter, when he broke a slew of tackles after a passing play broke down and he ended up bulldozing his way into the end zone for a 16-yard score.
“He’s a pretty popular kid in the locker room,” Folsom coach Paul Doherty said of his quarterback. “And he’s popular because he celebrates the success of everyone around him. And it’s genuine, and it’s real, and he’s probably the most grounded kid. He’s right where his feet are at.”
Lyons’ father, Tim, who played safety at BYU in the mid-90s, said there was no doubt in his mind his son would reenter the game after injuring his finger. And he’s never surprised when he makes defenders miss with his lateral agility.
“Every game in every sport, he does something like, ‘Where did that come from?’ Tim Lyons said.
The Bulldogs, of course, entered the season as the top team in Northern California coming off their 2023 state championship. And Ryder Lyons’ play did nothing to quiet the hype around him as a Division I prospect garnering attention from blue blood programs throughout college football. He recently visited with Oregon, has been tied to USC and had a visit at Ole Miss.
Lyons is among the many reasons Doherty had high expectations for his team before Friday. He has said this year’s team is one of the most talented groups he’s had since coming to Folsom, which is no small statement given the program’s recent history.
On the other side, the Bulldogs’ defense was challenged with defending one of the fastest groups of skill players in the state. Many of Long Beach Poly’s receivers are garnering Division I attention and are core members of the school’s elite track team.
But aside from two long touchdowns from junior receiver Kamarie Smith, including one near the end of the fourth quarter well after the game had been decided, the Folsom defense held Long Beach Poly in check. The defense scored a pair of defensive touchdowns in the second half.
“They played sound, and we thought they would,” Doherty said. “We’d thought we’d have the advantage defensively to just contain it, keep it under control, turn it into a one-dimensional deal. If we got ahead, if we got a two-score lead early, then we felt we had a chance to rush the quarterback.”
Folsom goes into Week 2 with another big showdown against fellow Northern California powerhouse Serra of San Mateo. It will be Serra’s first game of its season after losing to Mater Dei in last year’s CIF Open Division state championship game.
This story was originally published August 23, 2024 at 11:54 PM.
