Field goal in final seconds lifts Serra over Folsom in clash of Northern California powers
The Folsom Bulldogs bounded into this season with high hopes, a talent-laded roster and all manner of great expectations.
Top ranked in Northern California for the first time since the end of the 1962 season, a generation and a half ago, the Bulldogs impressed in steaming past storied Long Beach Poly in an opener with a 43-point effort.
On Friday night in Folsom, they ran into a team they cannot seem to solve. Trailing by two touchdowns early and needing to recover an onside kick late, Folsom came up empty in its third showdown with the Serra of San Mateo in as many seasons.
Brody Smith’s booming 38-yard field goal with 10.2 seconds left lifted the Padres to a 22-21 victory in the premiere game on the NorCal menu. Smith made up for a missed point-after touchdown and field goal to calmly make the biggest kick of his life.
Folsom’s final effort to snatch this one in a game full of wild twists and turns was a 50-yard Ryder Lyons strike into the end zone as time ran out. The pass was knocked down, leading to a celebration for Padres players and coaches and fans who filled the visitor’s side of Prairie City Stadium. Players tossed helmets and squirted water on each other.
Yes, Folsom’s reputation as a monstrous program was enough to celebrate. While the Padres danced, the Bulldogs frowned and fumed. It’s a credit to Serra coach Patrick Walsh, his program having graduated most every starter from Northern California’s top-ranked team the previous three seasons only to reload and unleash again.
The Padres were typically physical, hard hitting and opportunistic. Serra defeated Folsom in tight, low-scoring games in 2022 and 2023, and here we go again.
“He drilled it,” Folsom coach Paul Doherty said of Smith’s winning kick.
Doherty schedules bruiser games like this to test his team physically and mentally. The Bulldogs were sky high coming in, and they were brought to earth with a resounding thud.
“Games like this also test our maturity, our focus,” Doherty said. “Serra showed up and punched us in the mouth. They outplayed us and outcoached us. I bet all of our kids think we’re a better team than Serra, but that doesn’t matter if you don’t win the game. It’s a tough lesson to learn, and we learned it the hard way. Serra earned it. We have to get better. We have to play better.”
Serra led 13-0 after Andrew Heneghan’s 1-yard run and Nano Latu’s 2-yard effort. Lyons, the five-star quarterback star, pushed Folsom ahead 14-13 with a 24-yard touchdown run and a 16-yard strike to Jameson Powell.
Lyons hit Daymion Rivera with a 40-yard pass to the 15 late in the half. On the final play of the half, Rivera ran it in after a remarkable, improbable and desperate four-lateral play, including linemen pitching the ball backward to keep the play alive. That gave Folsom a 21-13 lead.
No one scored in the third quarter. With 2:37 left to play, Chris Yoon scored on an 18-yard run, but the two-point conversion attempt to tie was stopped by Folsom defensive line star Theo Greule.
Serra recovered the onside kick after the ball hit a Folsom player, setting up Smith’s field goal. Serra pitched a second-half shutout and scored the only nine points in the fourth quarter.
Lyons passed for 133 yards while rushing for 97 on 13 carries. Rivera, Folsom’s quick senior running back, said his team has no choice but to bounce back.
Folsom lost 21-14 at Serra early last season and, weeks later, fell to the other NorCal heavyweight De La Salle of Concord 14-7. Then the Bulldogs rolled, going 13-2 to cap their season with a last-minute drive to beat St. Bonaventure of Ventura 20-14 in the CIF state Division 1A championship game.
“I definitely agree with coach Doherty that we can grow from this,” Rivera said. “We’re a really immature team right now. It was hard not being able to come back and win. We lost to Serra last year, and De La Salle was another wake-up call. We can win out. It’s doable.”
This story was originally published August 30, 2024 at 11:38 PM.