No Lyons, no problem: Folsom rebounds in a big way in home opener
The Folsom Bulldogs had no problem rebounding from their humbling loss last week in Southern California against Mission Viejo — even without their star quarterback.
Senior signal caller Ryder Lyons watched from the sidelines Friday night as his teammates regained their footing with a 49-7 victory over Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep of San Francisco behind second-stringer Brody Rudnicki.
The Bulldogs opened their home slate at Prairie City Stadium by scoring touchdowns on all six offensive possessions and adding a defensive score in the third quarter. Rudnicki tossed five touchdown passes, including two each to Division I-bound playmakers Isaiah Williams (Nevada) and Jameson Powell (Ole Miss).
Rudnicki spun passes all over the field in the Bulldogs’ wide open, up-tempo offense which could be a preview for what’s to come in 2026 when Rudnicki is a senior and Lyons is playing at BYU.
“There’s no backup quarterback in our room, but (there is) certainly to the public,” Folsom coach Paul Doherty said. “He’s as good as the other kid is. He’s been playing lights out since January. We knew he was going to play well.”
Sophomore running back Bronson Brambino added a 1-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Senior receiver Jayden Padgett scored a 65 yard touchdown early in the fourth. Powell’s second touchdown came on a bubble screen which he took 79 yards and showed off his speed as he ran away from Fighting Irish defenders.
On the defensive side, Jason Hill, Matsen Wurm and Dylan Wolfe had interceptions. Wolfe returned his 42 yards for a touchdown.
The defending D-I Sac-Joaquin Section champions took it on the chin a week prior against Mission Viejo in a 53-14 loss. Lyons continued to be hobbled by an ankle injury that’s bothered him for multiple weeks, and Doherty said he hopes he’ll have his top-recruit quarterback available for next week’s Sierra Foothill League opener against Rocklin, who will be coming off a bye week.
In the meantime, Doherty is preparing for league play after a typically daunting slate of nonleague games that included a 51-13 win over Grant and 56-42 victory over Bay Area powerhouse Serra.
“We’re trying to get better every week, and this group’s doing a good job of it,” Doherty said. “It’s hard to get better every week when you’re on the top of the totem pole. That’s why we schedule games like we did last week. ... There’s levels to this thing. There are other teams out there that are better than you, and you got to match it.”
As coach of one of the top programs in California, Doherty has seen his share of pageantry and fluff for a number of his players. But the halftime ceremony honoring Lyons and USC-bound left tackle Vlad Dyakonov for being named to the Navy All-American Bowl stood out.
“I feel like I do a really good job of minimizing a lot of the garbage, a lot of the attention and the famous stuff,” Doherty said. “But this (the Navy All-American Bowl), that’s a real thing. That’s a real thing. That accomplishment is substance. ... And we work a lot, and we kind of brush that stuff to the side always. But to take a moment, that’s a really big deal.”
Folsom will play at Rocklin next Friday at 7:30 p.m. in what figures to be one of the biggest games in the capital region next weekend. Rocklin is undefeated with nonleague wins against Turlock (35-7), Bishop Manogue (28-23) and Lincoln of Stockton (41-22).
