All that history. All that tradition. All that one-sided success.
Northern California juggernaut
Folsom continued it Friday night in the MaxPreps Game of the Week Presented By T-Mobile with a hard earned 28-21 victory at arch-rival
Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills).
University of California-bound quarterback
Brody Rudnicki rushed for his third one-yard touchdown, this one with 5:46 remaining giving the visiting Bulldogs (8-0) their 26th straight win over their Sac-Joaquin Section and Sierra Foothill League rival. It was also Folsom's 20th straight win overall.
California commit Brody Rudnicki scored on three touchdown runs to lift Folsom to its 26th consecutive win over Oak Ridge. (PHOTO: Steve Cason)
Ranked No. 7 in the state by MaxPreps, Folsom prevailed thanks to an opportunistic defense that held Oak Ridge scoreless the second half and forced four turnovers — the Bulldogs didn't commit any — including interceptions by
Travis Beatty,
Daniel Eagleton and
Juelle McDowel.
It offset an otherwise superb outing from Oak Ridge senior quarterback
Nick Johnson, who threw for 269 yards and three touchdowns. But a late fumble and three interceptions eventually did in California's No. 22 team, which still hasn't beaten Folsom since 2006. The two campuses are separated by less than eight miles.
The last interception came from Beatty early in the fourth quarter in the end zone with the score tied at 21-21.
That started an 80-yard drive that was set up with a 16-yard reception by Beatty. Two plays later, Rudnicki, who finished 20 of 37 for 232 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions, powered in from the one, sending Oak Ridge to its third loss of the season against four wins. All its losses have been by a touchdown or less against rugged competition.
On Friday, the Trojans seemed destined to finally get over the hump against the six-time state champions, who trailed 21-14 midway through the third quarter.
But an interception by McDowell and nifty 20-yard return set up a 5-yard touchdown run by
Osias Bolton (19 carries, 102 yards) to tie the game at 21-21. A 35-yard pass from Rudnicki to UCLA-bound receiver
Rob Larson (eight catches, 105 yards) two plays before set up Bolton's touchdown with 6:00 left in the third.
Oak Ridge, like it did all night, responded immediately with a 79-yard drive to the Folsom one yard-line on the last play of the third quarter. On first-and-goal to start the fourth, Johnson snuck and appeared to roll into the end zone but was ruled short. That turned out huge because it was followed with a motion penalty, a two-yard loss and then Johnson threw his third interception, this one by Beatty in the end zone with 10:12 remaining.
Johnson finished 12 of 21 for 269 yards and three touchdowns.
He had the Trojans, who opened the season with an impressive 27-26 win at Texas power Argyle, on the move for a potential tying touchdown in the final four minutes. But 6-6, 270-pound defensive tackle
Michael Bullock stripped Johnson of the ball on a scramble and another massive defensive linemen, 300-pound
Lua DeBerry fell on it at the Folsom 42.
The Bulldogs ran out the clock from there to improve to 8-0.
Folsom set the tone immediately with a surgical opening driving, going 76 yards in 15 plays, capped with Rudnick's 10th rushing touchdown of the year, a one-yard keeper making it 7-0 with 6:51 left in the first quarter. Rudnicki, who attended Oak Ridge as a freshman before transferring to Folsom, completed 7 of 8 on the drive including four to Larson for 37 yards.
Folsom chewed up six first downs and 5:09 off the clock.
Oak Ridge responded with a haymaker. Senior quarterback Johnson, son of former MLB first baseman Nick Johnson Sr., lofted a perfectly placed 72-yard touchdown pass to
Isasac Pierce, making it 7-7 with 3:55 left in the quarter.
After a four-and-out, Johnson and Pierce (three catches, 133 yards) connected again on a bomb, a 46-yarder starting a six-play, 68-yard scoring drive capped with a 9-yard scoring catch by
Nate Anzelc to give Oak Ridge a 14-7 lead late in the first quarter.
Folsom drove right back down the field for 85 yards, keyed by a third-down Oak Ridge penalty and a 25-yard completion from Rudnicki to
Jaden Angelto set up another one-yard touchdown keeper by the Folsom quarterback to tied it at 14-14 with 6:11 left in the second quarter.
Oak Ridge didn't blink thanks to a 65-yard kickoff return by
Braxton Martinez, setting up Johnson's third touchdown of the half, a second to Anzelc for 14 yards to give the Trojans a 21-14 halftime lead.
During the 25-game win streak over Oak Ridge, Folsom had more than doubled the margin of the Trojans, 942 points to 447, or an average score of 38-18. Only six of the margins had been inside double digits, with tight wins in 2016 (17-16), 36-33 (2019) and last season's 21-14 win in the section title game. It was the fourth straight season the teams had met for the section crown. Folsom has won five straight section titles and 12 since 2010. Before Friday, there had been just two shutouts in the streak, 41-0 (2024) and 35-0 (2013) and the highest scoring winning score and most lopsided was 62-6 in 2018.
Junior running back Osias Bolton takes the handoff from his quarterback Brody Rudnicki. (PHOTO: Steve Cason)
