FOLSOM — Fans packed Prairie City Stadium Friday night bracing for a heavyweight playoff clash, and what they witnessed was possibly one of the most dramatic, emotional, gut-check comebacks in recent Folsom Bulldogs postseason history. Trailing by 18 points late in the first half, missing their star quarterback after an early departure following an apparent shoulder injury, and staring down a Riordan offense that seemed unstoppable, the Bulldogs rose from the brink to defeat Archbishop Riordan 42–38 and keep their state championship title hopes very much alive.
Folsom looked sharp early behind senior quarterback Ryder Lyons, who orchestrated a fast, confident opening march from his own 20-yard line. Quick first downs moved the ball across midfield, and with the crowd already building into a roar, Lyons found receiver Jameson Powell on a perfectly timed 32-yard strike to give the Bulldogs a 7–0 lead. Riordan responded just as quickly, with quarterback Michael Mitchell Jr. hitting Cynai Thomas for a 12-yard touchdown to even the game at 7–7. Folsom went right back to work, pushing the ball to the Crusaders’ 31 before Lyons again connected with Powell on a 32-yard touchdown to reclaim the lead at 13–7.
But moments after that scoring drive, Prairie City Stadium fell quiet. Lyons exited the game with a shoulder injury, leaving Folsom not only without its offensive leader but suddenly forced to reorganize its entire identity in the middle of a playoff war. Though he briefly returned to score on a determined 10-yard rushing touchdown later in the half, Lyons was ultimately sidelined for good — leaving sophomore quarterback Brody Rudnicki to carry a postseason game of enormous weight.
Riordan quickly seized the moment. Running back Adonyae Brown gashed the Bulldogs with a 25-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 13, then opened the second quarter by bursting 70 yards up the sideline to give Riordan its first lead, 20–13. A few minutes later, Mitchell delivered another blow, threading an 18-yard touchdown to Israel Vaenuku that pushed the gap to 26–13. Lyons’ final contribution, a gritty 10-yard scoring run, pulled Folsom back within 26–20, but the surge barely slowed the Crusaders. Mitchell hit Judge Nash for a 38-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 32–20, and with just under two minutes left in the half, Brown capped a punishing march with a 3-yard run — his third touchdown of the night — to make it 38–20.
Folsom’s season appeared to be slipping away. Then everything changed with one flash of speed.
On the ensuing kickoff, junior Isaiah Williams fielded the ball, found a crease, and exploded through Riordan’s coverage for an electrifying 80-yard return touchdown. The stadium erupted. Lyons punched in the two-point conversion, cutting the deficit to 38–28 at halftime and giving the Bulldogs enough fuel to believe the comeback was still possible.
As the Bulldogs returned from the locker room, the tone of the game shifted. With Lyons sidelined, Rudnicki stepped in with a steady poise rarely seen in a sophomore thrust into a playoff spotlight. Folsom’s defense delivered its first of many second-half stops, forcing a Riordan punt deep in Crusader territory. Though a promising Folsom drive ended in a fumble recovered by Riordan at the 20, the Bulldogs defense tightened again, holding Riordan without a single yard of momentum as the third quarter unfolded.
Late in the period, Rudnicki sparked what became the defining sequence of the comeback. After moving the offense to its own 31, the young quarterback broke free on a long, weaving run that carried him all the way to the Riordan 25. On the next snap, he hit Rob Larson over the middle for a 25-yard touchdown, pulling Folsom within 38–35 and sending the stadium into a frenzy as the third quarter expired.
The momentum belonged to the Bulldogs, and they weren’t done.
The fourth quarter began with another defensive stand, as Riordan punted once more and ceded field position to a Folsom offense now humming with confidence. Rudnicki opened the drive at his own 29 and skillfully guided the Bulldogs through a series of steady gains — first to the 43, then to the Riordan 45, then the 34, and finally the 17, where Folsom sensed history turning. With just over five minutes to play, Rudnicki lofted a perfectly placed 20-yard touchdown to Powell, who hauled in his third score of the night and delivered Folsom its first lead since early in the first quarter. The PAT made it 42–38, and Prairie City Stadium shook beneath the roar.
Riordan, desperate to keep its season alive, pushed to midfield and into Folsom territory. But with the clock draining and the noise at its peak, the Bulldogs defense held firm. After forcing third and fourth downs at the 46-yard line, the defense stuffed the Crusaders’ final attempt, turning the ball over on downs with three minutes remaining. Folsom secured another first down to the Riordan 31 and ran out the clock, sealing a comeback that will be replayed for years.
Lyons finished with two touchdown passes and a rushing score before his injury. Rudnicki delivered two second-half touchdown passes and ignited the rally with his long third-quarter run. Powell turned in a career night with three touchdowns, including the game-winner, while Williams’ kickoff return shifted the game’s entire trajectory. And the Bulldogs defense — shredded for 38 first-half points — slammed the door completely over the final two quarters.
Folsom Times file photos by PJ Petersen
Now 13–1, the Bulldogs will travel to Saddleback College in Southern California next Friday to face the Cathedral Catholic Dons (11–2) for the state championship, with kickoff scheduled for 8 p.m. It marks a marquee neutral-site showdown between two of California’s premier programs, with the Bulldogs seeking to add another chapter to their storied postseason legacy.
This preliminary Folsom Times game story will be updated with additional information, reaction from Friday’s game.
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