High profile game before national audience just part of Bulldogs tough 2025 schedule
The eyes of the high school football world will be on Northern California later this month as the powerhouse Folsom Bulldogs travel to Del Paso Heights to face the Grant Pacers in a nationally televised season opener under the ESPN spotlight.
The Saturday night showdown on August 23 is part of ESPN’s “High School Football Kickoff” schedule, a national showcase that opens the high school football season with top-tier matchups across the country. The Bulldogs–Pacers clash caps a triple-header of games airing nationwide, including a marquee opener between national No. 1 Mater Dei of Orange County and No. 6 St. Thomas Aquinas of Florida.
This high-profile matchup marks the fourth time Folsom and Grant have met in a major contest—either in a season opener or a playoff battle—and this year’s stakes are elevated by the national broadcast audience.
Folsom enters the season as one of the most decorated football programs in the state, having captured four straight CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I titles. Since 2010, the Bulldogs have claimed 11 section championships and five CIF State crowns, solidifying their legacy as a dominant force in California prep football.
Across the field, Grant High School brings its own legacy of excellence and resurgence. The Pacers, based in Sacramento’s Del Paso Heights, have earned three consecutive CIF Sac-Joaquin Section championships in Divisions II and III under co-head coaches Carl Reed and Syd Thompson—both Grant alumni. The school boasts 10 section titles and three CIF State championships, including the rare distinction of being the only school in the Sac-Joaquin Section to have won a CIF State Open Division title, the highest classification in California.
With two of the region’s most storied programs set to collide, and a national audience watching, the August 23 matchup promises to be a thrilling kickoff to the 2025 high school football season.
The exact broadcast time of the game has yet to be announced.
Folsom’s full schedule ahead
Before the spotlight hits on August 23, fans will get a chance to see the Bulldogs in action at two early events. The annual Blue and White Scrimmage will take place Friday, August 8 at 8:00 p.m. at Prairie City Stadium. A week later, on Friday, August 15, Folsom will host St. Mary’s of Stockton in a preseason scrimmage at 6:00 p.m.
The regular season begins Saturday, August 23 with a nationally televised game on ESPN as the Bulldogs travel to Sacramento to take on Grant Union in a 7:30 p.m. kickoff. One week later, Folsom will face another road challenge on Saturday, August 30, when they travel to San Mateo to battle Junipero Serra in a 2:00 p.m. afternoon game. The road stretch continues on Friday, September 5, with a highly anticipated Southern California matchup against Mission Viejo under the lights at 7:00 p.m.
Folsom returns home on Friday, September 12, to host Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep of San Francisco at 7:30 p.m. in the team’s first regular season home game of the year. The following week, league play begins as the Bulldogs open their Sierra Foothill League schedule with a road game against Rocklin on Friday, September 19, at 7:30 p.m.
After a bye week, Folsom will host rival Oak Ridge on Friday, October 3 at 7:00 p.m., a matchup that regularly draws one of the biggest crowds of the season. On Friday, October 10, the Bulldogs head to Loomis to take on Del Oro at 7:00 p.m., before returning home for a stretch of three straight home games to close out the regular season.
Folsom Times photo by PJ Petersen.
On Friday, October 17, Folsom will host Whitney at 7:00 p.m., followed by a matchup with Jesuit on Friday, October 24, also at 7:00 p.m. The regular season concludes Friday, October 31, with a home game against Granite Bay, scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
With a balanced schedule of elite non-league competition and a rigorous league slate, the Bulldogs will be tested at every turn. But if history is any indicator, Folsom’s football tradition is ready to rise to the challenge once again in pursuit of another section title and state championship berth.
Complete 2025 Folsom Bulldogs varsity football schedule
Friday, August 8 – Blue and White Scrimmage, 8:00 p.m., at Prairie City Stadium
Friday, August 15 – Scrimmage vs. St. Mary’s (Stockton), 6:00 p.m., at Prairie City Stadium
Saturday, August 23 – at Grant Union (Sacramento), 7:30 p.m., ESPN national showcase
Saturday, August 30 – at Junipero Serra (San Mateo), 2:00 p.m.
Friday, September 5 – at Mission Viejo, 7:00 p.m.
Friday, September 12 – vs. Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep (San Francisco), 7:30 p.m.
Friday, September 19 – at Rocklin*, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, October 3 – vs. Oak Ridge*, 7:00 p.m.
Friday, October 10 – at Del Oro*, 7:00 p.m.
Friday, October 17 – vs. Whitney*, 7:00 p.m.
Friday, October 24 – vs. Jesuit*, 7:00 p.m.
Friday, October 31 – vs. Granite Bay*, 7:00 p.m.
*Indicates Sierra Foothill League games. Dates and times subject to change.
