SAN MATEO-The Bulldogs carried the pride of their city into San Mateo Saturday afternoon and delivered a performance worthy of their reputation, outlasting perennial Bay Area powerhouse Junipero Serra 56-42 in a nonleague showdown filled with big plays, momentum swings, and late-game heroics. The victory, watched by more than 1,000 fans on a dry field under fair skies, lifted Folsom to 2-0 and reinforced its standing as one of California’s elite football programs.
Serra set the tone early by driving deep into Bulldog territory and muscling in a 1-yard touchdown for a 7-0 lead. Folsom answered immediately, as quarterback Ryder Lyons connected on a long pass to Rob Larson before hitting him again on a 19-yard touchdown to tie it. The Padres reclaimed the lead with a 42-yard field goal to make it 10-7 at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter erupted with offensive fireworks. Serra quarterback Caleb Bandel stunned the crowd with an 80-yard touchdown strike to Charles Walsh, and a brief score correction had the Padres ahead 18-14. Lyons responded with authority, guiding the Bulldogs into the red zone and keeping it himself for a 12-yard rushing score. On Folsom’s next possession, he snuck across from the 1 to stretch the lead to 27-18. Serra clawed back on a 38-yard scoring pass from Bandel to Iziah Singleton, but Lyons counterpunched again, this time with a 75-yard strike to Jameson Powell down the sideline. Powell’s touchdown capped an electrifying quarter that sent Folsom into halftime leading 35-25.
The Bulldogs’ defense made its presence felt in that stretch, with linemen Dontay Kendrick and Gavin Murphy recording key sacks that stalled Serra drives. Still, the Padres showed resilience, setting the stage for the tense second half.
The third quarter was a defensive grind. Serra drove to the Folsom 15 but missed a field goal, and moments later the Padres’ defense swung momentum by returning an interception 38 yards for a touchdown, closing the gap to 35-32. What followed was a field-position chess match, with three consecutive punts leaving Folsom clinging to its three-point lead entering the fourth quarter.
The final frame became an instant classic. Serra pieced together a bruising drive, moving step by step from the Folsom 22 to the 2 before running back Jeovanni Henley powered into the end zone to give the Padres a 39-35 lead after the extra point. Lyons, unfazed, answered with a methodical march capped by a 10-yard rushing touchdown to swing the lead back to Folsom, 42-39. Serra, determined to respond, did so with special teams, as kicker Saul Marks drilled a booming 54-yard field goal to tie the game at 42 with just over four minutes left.
Then the Bulldogs slammed the door. On the very next possession, Lyons lofted a perfect 50-yard touchdown strike to Powell, their third scoring connection of the day, and Folsom regained control at 49-42. Moments later, linebacker EJ Coleman delivered the knockout punch, stepping in front of a Serra pass and returning it 43 yards for a pick-six that pushed the margin to 56-42 with a little more than a minute to play. The Bulldogs weren’t done—Isaiah Williams recovered a fumble at the Padres’ 30-yard line moments later, allowing Folsom to kneel out the victory.
Lyons was unstoppable, finishing with seven touchdowns—four passing and three rushing—while Powell lit up the secondary with three scoring catches of 29, 75, and 50 yards. Larson provided the early spark with the Bulldogs’ first touchdown, and Coleman’s interception return proved the dagger. Kendrick and Murphy’s sacks in the second quarter, combined with Williams’ fumble recovery in the closing minutes, highlighted a defensive effort that delivered when the game was on the line.
For Serra, Bandel flashed his arm strength with long touchdowns to Walsh and Singleton, Henley provided red-zone muscle, and Marks’ 54-yard field goal briefly tied the game late. Despite the loss, the Padres proved they remain one of Northern California’s elite programs, pushing Folsom harder than most opponents ever do.
For the Bulldogs, this was more than a nonleague win. It was a showcase of resilience, explosiveness, and clutch execution in the defining moments. From the early response to Serra’s first punch, to Lyons’ mastery in the air and on the ground, to a defense that delivered takeaways when it mattered most, the Bulldogs carried the strength of their home city into one of the state’s toughest environments and returned with a victory that will echo far beyond Week 2.
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File Photo by Matthew Gorajewski
