Top-seeded Folsom revels in the rain, rolls prolific Inderkum in CIF section semifinals
It was ideal weather for ducks and the hearty human sorts who shrug off inclement weather, even if it’s sideways wind and rain.
It also proved to be perfect conditions for the top-seeded Folsom Bulldogs, a program that has proven that it can excel in all seasons for a variety of reasons.
Relying on the run game and its stout defense, Folsom rolled No. 4-seeded Inderkum 45-0 in a CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I semifinal on Friday night at Prairie City Stadium, and suddenly, no one in Bulldogs blue seemed to mind the wettest day of the year, including fans and the water-proof cheerleaders decked in rain gear.
Folsom now gets a shot at a familiar foe in rival Oak Ridge of El Dorado Hills, the No. 2 seed that beat Turlock 23-0 in the other semifinal. The powerhouse programs meet next Saturday night at 7 p.m. at Hughes Stadium on the Sacramento City College campus. Oak Ridge seeks its second D-I title since 2019 and Folsom its 11th blue banner since 2010.
“Rain doesn’t impact us too much,” Folsom coach Paul Doherty said well before the game, backing it up afterward. “It’s rained in Folsom before.”
The coach was talking about a 2010 section playoff game when Folsom waxed visiting Vacaville in the driving rain 75-0, on its way to its first CIF state championship. This was well before Doherty took over as coach before the 2019 season, but he knew all about the Bulldogs’ prowess on the blue turf and would attend games to appreciate the show.
Folsom can light it up through the air with its 5-star quarterback star Ryder Lyons, but the Bulldogs can also run it, and Friday dictated such a ploy. Lyons rushed for 123 yards on 15 carries, Carter Jackson scooted for 103 yards on 12 carries and Daymion Rivera bolted for 104 on 12 carries. This may be the best 1-2-3 rushing attack in the section.
Lyons scored on runs of 27, 1 and 37 yards and then ran in the 2-point conversion on those drives to make it 24-0 at the half, one in which the Bulldogs rushed for 251 yards while holding the prolific Tigers to 55 yards of offense.
Lyons in the third quarter hit Rivera for a screen pass that he turned into a 47-yard touchdown sprint to make it 32-0, and Jackson pushed it to 38-0 with a 33-yard TD run moments later. Lyons capped the scoring with a 10-yard touchdown to Isaiah Williams midway through the fourth quarter.
By this time, reserves had taken the field. Afterward, the Folsom kudos went to the defense in holding an Inderkum team that came in averaging 40 points.
A year ago in a semifinal round, Folsom defeated Inderkum, 36-29, and this one figured to be just as intense. It wasn’t, and it wasn’t due to the rain. One team was simply better than the other.
Folsom’s defense was led by linemen August Dupree, Josiah Sharma, Lua DeBerry and team defensive stalwart and leader in fourth-year varsity starter Theo Greule.
The linebackers are Logan Hutton, Jasiah Banks and and Dylan Wolfe, and the secondary consists of Brooks DuPree, Joaquin Rodriguez, Kam Totten and Jaron Hodson.
“For anyone who has paid close attention to us or knows anything about high school football, it’s clear that our defense has carried us here in my tenure here,” Doherty said. “Our offensive has had great moments but our defense has made the stops and allowed us to win a lot of games. Our defense has been great this year.”
Folsom’s offensive line of Vlad Dyakonov, Luke Sorensen, Zach Ramirez, Isaac Ross and Malachi Coleman had some fits with some of Inderkum’s tough and fast linemen, but the Bulldogs overall won that battle, too. The game has evolved over the decades, but it still comes down to running the ball and stopping teams, and Folsom has that formula dialed in.
Folsom’s winning streak is now 10, and its record is 11-1. The loss was 22-21 to Bay Area powerhouse Serra of San Mateo, on Aug. 30. Seniors and coaches questioned the maturity of players after that game.
The Bulldogs have not been challenged since. They have grown as a group.
“We’re cautiously optimistic,” Doherty said. “At this point, we’re a better team than we were a year ago, which is encouraging. We’ve turned it over less this season, we’re less penalized and more efficient. We’re encouraged that we’re making progress.”
This story was originally published November 22, 2024 at 10:05 PM.