Grit, depth and big performs lift Serra to heavyweight victory at Folsom

FOLSOM — They ended up dropping all in excess of the discipline Friday night time, enjoy after enjoy, a single following a different.

On a late-summer season night at the edge of the Sierra foothills, the Serra Padres couldn’t defeat cramps, but they managed to conquer Folsom.

As Serra punter Alexander Atkins ran out of the again of the end zone for a protection to erase the remaining two seconds from the clock, the Padres could lastly exhale.

The site visitors from San Mateo held on for an epic 17-12 victory in a matchup in between the two groups that finished atop the Northern California rankings final time.

Serra developed a 14-10 halftime guide, widened the margin to seven in the third quarter and held on down the extend.

The video game-preserving enjoy came with 3 minutes to go. As Donovan Maxey-Parler was about to score a landing that would have likely tied the score or presented Folsom the guide, Serra knocked the ball unfastened and Atkins recovered for the Padres in the end zone for a touchback.

Folsom by no means touched the ball yet again.

When it was above, mentor 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 truth since we do not know what is going to materialize,” Walsh instructed his players. “Tonight, collectively, we struggled by means of cramps and injuries on the street. 4-hour bus journey. So numerous guys jumped in and picked up the slack.

“We brought the double-wing back again. We brought it back from the useless. I am so proud of you guys and so very pleased of the depth of this staff. We normally communicate about that base of the hearth, preserving it lit, you never know when it’s likely to be your time to be on the industry in a championship recreation like this.”

The 1st 50 % lived up to the anticipation and buzz this matchup made.

Difficult-hitting. Great defense. Huge plays. Costly penalties. Turnovers.

And extra huge performs.

Folsom struck initially when Jake Tremaine sent a 37-lawn area goal check out floating by the uprights. The push protected 49 yards and included a 15-garden sideline infraction from Serra that moved the home staff nearer to subject-goal territory.

Serra answered when it went to its double-wing, bunch offense — the Padres simply call it “Raider” — that Walsh has employed by way of the many years and Bellarmine employed underneath its previous coach, Mike Janda, like when the Bells received an epic regional sport at Folsom in 2015.

Danny Niu’s 52-operate operate out of the double-limited formation, a play of beauty for everyone who covets really hard-nosed running, acquired the ball to the 3.

On the future perform, yet again out of the restricted formation, Jabari Mann plowed throughout the intention line for Serra’s 1st rating of the year and a 7-3 guide.

“They weren’t ready for it,” Mann explained of the bunch development. “We could inform. We viewed their movie. We knew what we could do towards them. The initial participate in they identified as it, I was prepared for each get hold of. We adore it over listed here.”

Folsom went again in front when Austin Mack identified Maxey-Parler open in the right flat. The managing back again caught the move and coasted into the conclude zone to make it 10-7 with a small a lot less than two minutes to go prior to intermission.

That was enough time for Serra to score an additional landing to take a 14-10 benefit into the locker home. Maealiuaki Smith’s 25-lawn move about the middle to a wide-open Jayden Weber accounted for the TD.