Friday can’t come soon enough for the
Folsom (Calif.) football team or its surrounding community.
This day has been percolating for more than a decade.
The Bulldogs (2-0), ranked fifth in the state and 22nd nationally by MaxPreps, host
De La Salle (Concord), the pre-eminent program in Northern California, if not the state, and perhaps the country.
Video: Top 10 California Games of the Week De La Salle at Folsom highlights a big week of high school action in the Golden State.
After all, they made a 2014 Hollywood movie about the Spartans, “When the Game Stands Tall."
But
the host Bulldogs have been standing, jumping and waving their arms,
collectively building a powerhouse of their own since 2008.
Since
that time, in fact, they’ve won more games than De La Salle, 148 (14
defeats) to 144 (13 losses), and have claimed three state titles.
This
is the fourth time Folsom has a shot at knocking off the team that once
won a national record 151 straight games. De La Salle has won the
previous three by a combined score of 108-32, but last year’s 14-0
victory in Concord could have gone either way.
The first two games were played at neutral sites and last season, the Spartans were host.
What
makes this game different is that it’s on Folsom’s home field, where
the more than 5,000 fans should be almost all cheering for the Bulldogs.
That's why it's the all-California Game of the Week. Down south at the Trinity League vs. USA Showcase in Bellflower, the nation's top two teams collide, Mater Dei (Santa Ana) and St. Frances Academy (Baltimore). It's one of three big clashes involving California vs. out-of-state teams at St. John Bosco.
De La Salle has gone an astonishing 301 straight games — since
1992 — without losing to a team north of Clovis, and the Folsom faithful
would love nothing more than to end the streak.
Sacramento
Bee writer Joe Davidson, who has covered preps for more than 30 years,
said a Folsom victory would be the greatest achievement in Sac-Joaquin
Section history. Bigger even than Grant’s win over Long Beach Poly for
the 2007 state Open Division football title.
First-year
Folsom head coach Paul Doherty is a Bay Area native and is all too
familiar with De La Salle's accomplishments. He knows the challenges and
embraces the opportunity.
"We have a
chance to get to the upper crust of high school football," he said. "We
know the De La Salle players don't take any of this for granted. They're
the blue print of success for high school football. It's a great
program. They tackle, they execute, they're well-coached and they're
intense."
All of that buildup delights De La Salle coach Justin Alumbaugh to no
end. His team (2-1) is ranked third in the state and 19th nationally.
“Playing at Folsom, for me personally, is amazing,” Alumbaugh said.
“We’ve played in hostile places before, but our kids haven’t. They need
to be challenged. What a great opportunity.” 85b993d5-a300-43f9-b026-5b2451a06bfc
SEE FULL PREVIEW
Games denoted by California rankings.
MaxPreps California Top 10 high school football Games of the Week
Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Top Players
Could
this finally be the year the Bulldogs solve the De La Salle magic? The
Spartans are 3-0 against them and have won every game by
double-digits, though last year's game was closer than the score
indicated.
This is a huge game for Northern California because the winner will most
likely get to play in the CIF Open Division state championship.
Watch on College Sports Live
Saturday, 7:30 p.m. (All times local) at St. John Bosco High School (Bellflower, Calif.)
Top Players
This was our
No. 1 game to watch heading into the season
for a reason. Both teams have rolled to 3-0 starts and been the top
two ranked teams since our Top 25 came out in July. There will be more than 40 players with FBS offers on the field Saturday. One
can't miss matchup is St. Frances Academy's defensive line against Mater
Dei's offensive line. Whoever wins in the trenches will
have a great chance to improve to 4-0 and claim the No. 1 spot in high
school football.
Friday, 7 p.m.
Top Players
Good Counsel started the year 2-0 and has only
allowed seven points but faces arguably the best offense in the
country on Friday night. 2020 Clemson commit DJ Uiagalelei completed
6-of-9 passes for 290 yards and five touchdowns last week and added another on the
ground. Collins hauled in four receptions for 178 yards and had four
scores. The Braves are averaging 46.6 points per game in 2019.
Saturday, 4 p.m. at St. John Bosco High School (Bellflower, Calif.)
Top Players
Anytime
Georgia and California face off it is a big deal. JSerra Catholic is
one of the top teams in Southern California and Milton won the state
title in Georgia's largest classification last season. JSerra bounced
back after a 24-13 loss to No. 15 St. Joseph Regional (Montvale, N.J.)
and beat Bishop Amat (La Puente, Calif.) 38-14. The defending 7A state
champs had its 11 game winning streak snapped against Buford (Ga.) last
week and look to bounce back in Southern California in the second of
three games featured in the Trinity League vs. USA showcase event at St.
John Bosco high school.
Friday, 7 p.m.
Top Players
Following humbling loss to Utah power Lone Peak, Narbonne (2-1) rebounded with a resounding 56-19 win over St. Paul behind 221 yards rushing by Jack Brown and a 19-of-22 performance for 268 yards and three scores from Garcia, one of the nation's top-rated juniors. Orange Lutheran (2-1) also responded to defeat with a 17-14 win over Edison (Huntington Beach). The last time the team's met, Narbonne won 37-31 in 2009.
Friday, 7 p.m.
Top Players
Calabasas won last year's game at La Habra, 43-27. Both teams coming off disappointing losses to ranked teams, La Habra 23-7 to Mission Viejo and Calabasas 26-20 in double overtime to Serra (Gardena). Both teams are 2-1.
Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Top Players
Oaks Christian (2-1), coming off a disappointing
loss to Grace Brethren, scored two touchdowns in the final nine minutes
including the game-winner by
Derek Boyd to
defeat Sierra Canyon 21-14 last week. Alemany (3-0) is averaging just over 50 points a game while giving up 20.
Friday, 7 p.m.
Top Players
Serra: WR
LV Bunkley-Shelton (6-0, 180), LB
Justin Houston (6-4, 200), WR
Ronald Gilliam (6-0, 192), CB
Devyn King (5-11, 175), QB
Doug Brumfield (6-5, 213), QB
Maalik Murphy (6-4, 205)
Friday, 7 p.m. at Heritage (Brentwood)
Top Players
Liberty (3-0), the defending state 1-A bowl champion, has won two close games down the stretch the last two weeks. Monte Vista (3-0) can entered the state's elite with a victory. Oliphant is a major game-breaker as he showed last week with a long touchdown catch and 99-yard interception return for score.
Jay Butterfield, Liberty-Brentwood
File photo by Louis Lopez
Thursday, 7 p.m.
Top Players
Like Monte Vista, Liberty (3-0) can enjoy the Top 25 with a decisive win over Buchanan. The Patriots have allowed just 20 points and Boone has rushed for nearly 300 yards.
