Bulldogs earn second-straight section title and ninth since 2010

In a low-scoring game, every play is magnified, as was the case at Hughes Stadium Friday night in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championship game between Folsom and Oak Ridge. The Bulldogs won a 10-play stretch at the start of the fourth quarter that allowed them to win their second straight Sac-Joaquin Section Division I title and ninth section championship since 2010 with a 23-13 victory over arch-rival Oak Ridge. Oak Ridge had just scored its first points of the game, a four-yard touchdown pass from Maddox Varella to Jake Hall to tie the game at six just 1:23 into the fourth quarter, a play that clearly gave Oak Ridge some momentum that lasted all of a minute. After Carson Nichols missed extra point, Slade Wilson took the ensuing kickoff and returned it around 55 yards to the Oak Ridge 41-yard line. In that single special teams play, Folsom became the more fired up team even though Oak Ridge had just scored its first points of the game to tie the score. On the very next play, Donovan Maxey-Parler scored on a 41-yard touchdown run to put the Bulldogs in front to stay, 13-6. Two plays later, Trojans ball on their own 14-yard line on second down, Wilson intercepted pass intended for Kaleb Edwards, seemingly getting in a better position to catch the ball and then wrestling it away from the 6-7 tight end for arguably the biggest play of the game, returning it some 15 yards to the Oak Ridge seven-yard line. Five plays later, Jake Tremain booted his third field goal of the game, this one from 21 yards out, to put Folsom in front 16-6 with 4:34 to play. In a span of 10 plays, Folsom went from being tied at six to being up by two scores and that pretty much earned them the win. Oak Ridge later fumbled on its next possession and the ball was recovered by Folsom's DJ Brown. On the next play, Maxey-Parler ran right and was untouched into the end zone on a 45-yard run which locked up the Folsom win, as the Bulldogs now led 23-6 with 2:31 to play. After three quarters with the Trojans trailing only 6-0, it was almost exactly where Oak Ridge wanted to be; within striking distance of the lead. "We told them before the game, let's try to get to the last six minutes and see what happens," Oak Ridge coach Casey Taylor said. "At halftime, we were 24 minutes away and basically where we wanted to be. First off, let me say our defense played an outstanding game. You've got to give them credit. They made play after play to make things tough for them. Our offense just couldn't get it going tonight; we were backed up all night. Credit to their defense; they are so fast. We made a couple mistakes, lined up wrong, did some things that didn't help us, got stuffed on a fourth down. "I felt we got some momentum in the third quarter; got a score and missed the extra point, couldn't take the lead there for 30 seconds. Then we just saw it slide away; that's what good teams do. They're very good." Wilson's kick-return sparked the Bulldogs and the positive vibes from there just continued to roll. "There were a lot of good blocks on the left-hand side," Wilson said. "Greco, Norberg, it seemed like everyone got a good block and I just took it as far as I could." Folsom defensive coordinator Sam Cole said, "We had fun tonight. Slade Wilson made plays tonight and I wasn't surprised by them and neither were his other coaches and teammates. I love this team, and am proud of all the guys." It was all Maxey-Parler and the offensive line after that. "This might be the biggest moment of my high school career," Maxey-Parler said after the game. "It feels great to have my number called on and then to produce. My offensive line, it might be the best until on the team. I owe all my success to them." Folsom's offensive line included center Mason Starkey, guards Luke Sorensen and Isaac Ross and tackles Remington Masterson and Kenny Redhead. The only points of the first half came from a 29-yard field goal from Jake Tremain, which came with 4:55 to play in the second quarter. The biggest play of the half came on Folsom's next possession. Trying to capitalize on a fumble recovery from Greco Carrillo, the Folsom offense had moved the ball to the Oak Ridge five-yard line, but quarterback Austin Mack threw a ball that was intercepted by Sebastian Sutton and looked like at the moment he caught it that Sutton would take it all the way back 98 yards for a touchdown. Mack, however, had the angle and ran Sutton down and tackled him Folsom 45-yard line. It was a big play and prevented an Oak Ridge score, and three plays later the Trojans actually punted the ball back to the Bulldogs. "I pride myself on keeping the ball safe," Mack said. "I was upset that I threw the pass and I was determined not to let them score on my mistake." In the second half, a second Tremain field goal, this one from 21 yards out, put the Bulldogs in front 6-0 before the Trojans tied things up and set the stage for Folsom's big rally. Oak Ridge closed out the scoring with a touchdown pass from Varella to Sutton with two seconds remaining to make the final scored 26-13. Folsom coach Paul Doherty was relieved to win his second straight section title. "This isn't easy to do," Doherty said. "Everyone says we have all the players and we should do this and that, but it's not easy to do. It's very hard to win a section championship and I'm just proud of these kids." Playing without his two leading receivers, Rico Flores Jr. and Onterrio Smith, Mack had a strong game completing 25-31 passes for 256 yards. Brian Ray played well, leading the team with 12 catches for 130 yards. No one else caught more than four. Maxey-Parler rushed for 93 yards on six carries and scored twice. For Oak Ridge, it was a difficult night offensively and a tough game to loss, but from three wins last year to playing in a section championship this year, it was a great season. "We're getting closer," Oak Ridge coach Casey Taylor said. "We relished the opportunity tonight. I'm proud of my kids. The senior leadership was outstanding from day one, which helped me put my stamp on the program and set the tone and culture of the program. We want to be here every year and win section championships and until we beat Folsom we've got a lot of work to do."