FOLSOM — They had been dropping all around the area Friday evening, play after play, one after one other.
On a late-summer night on the fringe of the Sierra foothills, the Serra Padres couldn’t overcome cramps, however they managed to beat Folsom.
As Serra punter Alexander Atkins ran out of the again of the tip zone for a security to erase the ultimate two seconds from the clock, the Padres might lastly exhale.
The guests from San Mateo held on for an epic 17-12 victory in a matchup between the 2 groups that completed atop the Northern California rankings final season.
Serra constructed a 14-10 halftime lead, widened the margin to seven within the third quarter and held on down the stretch.
The sport-saving play got here with three minutes to go. As Donovan Maxey-Parler was about to attain a landing that might have doubtlessly tied the rating or given Folsom the lead, Serra knocked the ball unfastened and Atkins recovered for the Padres ultimately zone for a touchback.
Folsom by no means touched the ball once more.
When it was over, coach Patrick Walsh huddled his gamers on the blue turf and recounted the grit and braveness it took to prevail.
“This week, we talked about dwelling in actuality as a result of we don’t know what’s going to occur,” Walsh instructed his gamers. “Tonight, collectively, we struggled by means of cramps and accidents on the highway. 4-hour bus experience. So many guys jumped in and picked up the slack.
“We introduced the double-wing again. We introduced it again from the lifeless. I'm so pleased with you guys and so pleased with the depth of this crew. We all the time speak about that backside of the hearth, protecting it lit, you by no means know when it’s going to be your time to be on the sector in a championship sport like this.”
The primary half lived as much as the anticipation and buzz this matchup created.
Laborious-hitting. Nice protection. Large performs. Expensive penalties. Turnovers.
And extra huge performs.
Folsom struck first when Jake Tremaine despatched a 37-yard area aim strive floating by means of the uprights. The drive coated 49 yards and included a 15-yard sideline infraction towards Serra that moved the house crew nearer to field-goal territory.
Serra answered when it went to its double-wing, bunch offense — the Padres name it “Raider” — that Walsh has used by means of the years and Bellarmine employed underneath its former coach, Mike Janda, together with when the Bells gained an epic regional sport at Folsom in 2015.
Danny Niu’s 52-run run out of the double-tight formation, a play of magnificence for anybody who covets hard-nosed operating, acquired the ball to the three.
On the following play, once more out of the tight formation, Jabari Mann plowed throughout the aim line for Serra’s first rating of the season and a 7-3 lead.
“They weren’t prepared for it,” Mann mentioned of the bunch formation. “We might inform. We watched their movie. We knew what we might do towards them. The primary play they known as it, I used to be prepared for each contact. We adore it over right here.”
Folsom went again in entrance when Austin Mack discovered Maxey-Parler open in the best flat. The operating again caught the go and coasted into the tip zone to make it 10-7 with rather less than two minutes to go earlier than intermission.
That was sufficient time for Serra to attain one other landing to take a 14-10 benefit into the locker room. Maealiuaki Smith’s 25-yard go over the center to a wide-open Jayden Weber accounted for the TD.
Serra dominated the third quarter with its bodily offense, occurring a protracted march that ended with Dylan Joudieh’s 25-yard area aim that prolonged the Padres’ result in 17-10.
“It took 100% effort from everyone,” Smith mentioned. “It was a very good first win and a very good begin to the season.”
The stage doesn’t get any smaller for Serra in Week 2.
Subsequent Friday, the Padres journey to De La Salle.
“We’ll have fun tonight,” Smith added. “Then we’ll give attention to subsequent week.”
