MaxPreps is pleased to announce that the
Folsom (Calif.) Bulldogs have officially been named to the 13th Annual MaxPreps Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard, which is in its thirteenth year honoring football.
This is one of the most prestigious team awards in all of high school sports and it is an exclusive honor reserved for 100 of the top teams nationwide. In order to be eligible, a team must win a state championship and be highly ranked in the MaxPreps National Rankings. For football, only 50 of the country's best are invited and with nearly 17,000 competing varsity teams, this puts the Bulldogs ahead of 99.9 percent of their opponents!
In order to be eligible, the team not only had to be nationally ranked, but also had to win a state championship. Beating Helix 49-42 on Friday, Dec. 15 in the CIF Division I-AA state championship contest marked the completion of an incredible 16-0 season — and earned Folsom an invitation to the Tour of Champions.
Staring down at a 14-0 deficit in the opening quarter, Folsom hit high gear over the last half of the first quarter, and all of the second, to take a 28-14 advantage at halftime. Bulldog signal caller Kaiden Bennett connected with Elijhah Badger and Joe Ngata on scoring strikes of 70 and 49 yards respectively to knot the score 14-14 after a quarter of play. Then, in the second quarter, Bennett found CJ Hutton for a score from four yards out and added a 32-yard scoring run of his own to double up the score on Helix.
Helix sandwiched a pair of scores around Daniyel Ngata's two-yard run in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 35-28. But Folsom soon held a 49-35 advantage on Bennett's 54-yard strike to Hutton and a one-yard Bennett run. Helix scored with 1:06 left, but Parker Clayton recovered the onside kick to end the drama and allow the Bulldogs to claim their third state football title, and the second one since 2014.
Bennett completed 21 of 32 passes for 327 yards and four touchdowns, in the high-scoring affair, and ran the ball for 147 yards and two more scores on 14 carries. Daniyel Ngata added 39 yards rushing on 14 carries and a touchdown. Badger led the Bulldog aerial assault with four catches for 102 yards and a score, while Joe Ngata corralled five aerials for 98 yards and a score. Hutton reeled in five Bennett aerials for 90 yards and scoring strikes of four and 54 yards, while Elijah Swonger led the defense with nine tackles. Isaiah Barner, Tanner Ward and Tyler Hardeman had eight stops each.
Folsom opened playoff competition with a 76-9 win over River City. Then, following a 56-21 triumph over Tracy, the Bulldogs upended Jesuit 27-14. Kris Richardson's club then knocked off St. Mary's 50-21 to claim the
CIF Sac-Joaquin Division I championship and advance to the CIF State Football Championship Bowl Games. The Bulldogs then bumped Central from state championship contention with a 54-35 semifinal win to set up the
CIF Division I-AA championship bout with Helix.
The Bulldogs opened the season with a 56-33 triumph over Coeur d'Alene. Then, following a 55-9 win over Jesuit, Folsom upended Oakdale 45-29 to improve to 3-0 on the 2017 season. Richardson's club won 13 more games to claim the state title and finish the season unbeaten. Folsom outscored its competition 770-301 and posted a shutout. The Bulldogs held eight opponents to 14 points or less. Having won all 16 games in 2017, Folsom set itself up for some rather high rankings come season's end. Not only are the Bulldogs the top team in
MaxPreps' California Sac-Joaquin Section Division I-VII Rankings, and the best club in the
California Sac-Joaquin Section Rankings, Folsom is the No. 3 squad in all of
California. The Bulldogs are ranked No. 8 in
MaxPreps' National Rankings and played their way into the
MaxPreps Xcellent 25 Writers' Poll at No. 18!
These incredible season achievements have earned the Folsom Bulldogs an invitation to the 13th Annual Tour of Champions. Please join us in the gymnasium for a pep rally as we celebrate with the football team, coaching staff, students and fans on Thursday, Mar. 8 at 9:45 a.m.
For more information about the Tour of Champions, please visit the
MaxPreps Tour of Champions site.
