CARSON, Calif. — The
Folsom (Calif.) football team took a legitimate shot in the face, then delivered a tornado.
The nation's fifth-ranked team completed a record-smashing season with a simply smashing — sorry Austin Powers — performance in a 68-7 victory over
Oceanside (Calif.) in the Division I California State Championship Bowl game at StubHub Center on Friday night.
Senior Bailey Laolagi, Folsom
Photo by Louis Lopez
The Bulldogs (16-0) piled up 567 yards, scored on nine consecutive possessions after trailing 7-0 and set a state bowl game record for points in a game, breaking the mark of 66. Their 915 points for the season is No. 3 all-time nationally and first in California, and for a 16th consecutive game they forced a running clock (35 points or greater margin).
This against an Oceanside team that was 14-0 coming in, a Southern California champion and a program with a rich and deep tradition.
"We just let it fly and played our butts off," Folsom co-head coach Kris Richardson said.
Their headliner,
Jake Browning, finished off his prep legend with another sterling performance, completing 27 of 35 for 445 yards and six touchdowns, giving him 91 for the season and 229 for his career. He also rushed for a touchdown. His career mark is an ongoing national record and his season total tied the national mark.
What was a such a perfect swan song for the Washington-bound quarterback is he completed touchdown passes to six different receivers, sort of repaying his teammates for a brilliant career that featured a 44-2 record and undefeated mark against everyone not named De La Salle.
The finals numbers for his senior year were 360 of 524 for 5,796 yards, 91 touchdowns and seven interceptions. His career numbers are 1,191 for 1,708 with 16,781 yards, 229 TDs and 40 interceptions.
One of his TD passes went to
Cole Thompson, who broke the state mark with his 34th TD catch of the season.
Jake Browning, Folsom.
Photo by Louis Lopez
"It was cool, every starting skill player got a touchdown," Browning said. "It's just how it happened. I wasn't trying to force any matchup. Whoever was getting the ball was because they got open.
"This was just a perfect ending. ... The only word I can think of is indescribable."
Said Richardson: "Jake is pretty incredible, but our offensive and defensive line really set the tone. If you give Jake that much time, he's going to have success. He's the greatest high school quarterback I've seen."
Folsom broke the 900-point mark on the season with just more than 3:40 remaining on a 62-yard catch and run by
Bryan Weldy. To top off the nearly perfect win,
Bailey Laolagi picked up a fumble and returned it 62 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the game to punctuate a remarkable game and season.
The last two scores didn't sit really well with Oceanside. There was some barking by players and coaches after the game, but legendary coach John Carroll took the high road to the press.
"Yes, they were very good," he said. "We were a beat-up team and played a superior opponent. I liked the way we started, but clearly they were better than us."
On the last play, Laolagi, who earlier scored on a 1-yard run and is the team's starting middle linebacker, snuck into the game just to be on the field for the last play, he said.
When the ball sprung loose, he said he instinctively picked it up and ran toward the goal.
"I wasn't trying to run it up, I just ran toward our end zone," he said. "It's probably a moment I'll never forget. My last time on the field together with my brothers running down the sideline for a touchdown. We just all played our hearts out tonight."
Jake Browning runs in for a score Friday in the Division I Bowl Game.
Photo by Louis Lopez
The only number Browning or his teammates really cared about was one – their first CIF state title (second in school history, the other was 2010) after losing two straight lopsided games in the regional final to De La Salle.
Jake Jeffrey caught a game-high eight passes
for 99 yards and next year he is expected
to be the team's upstart quarterback.
Photo by Louis Lopez
"Those losses made us 10 times better. .... 100 times better," Browning said. "The first year we realized we had to get stronger and we lifted and conditioned so much harder. After the second loss we continued to work in the weight room and added more things on offense. It all paid off."
Indeed it did, with one of the most dominant years in California history. Not only did Folsom score all those points, but an overpowering defense allowed just 166.
In this group's first showing on the state's biggest stage, the Bulldogs flexed all their muscle and showed all their skills in a fabulous display of power and precision football. And they did it all against an undefeated Oceanside team that took its opening drive, marched 68 yards and scored on a weaving 8-yard TD run by quarterback
Matthew Romero.
See a gallery of pro photos from the game Friday The proud Pirates, winners of two previous state championships, looked like they were prepared to go toe to toe with a team that came in with 15 straight running clock victories.
Instead, they became victim No. 16 as Folsom displayed all of its weapons and featured a hard-hitting defense after trailing 7-0 because of Oceanside's opening drive.
The onslaught began with a Browning 4-yard touchdown run to tie the game at seven, which the score remained at the end of one quarter.
Folsom then rattled off 34 straight points in the second quarter, starting with touchdown passes of 22 yards to
Jake Morgado and 23 to
Josiah Deguara. After Laolagi scored on a 1-yard run,
Tre Green rushed for a score and then hauled in a 6-yard TD pass from Browning after he caught a 48-yard halfback pass from Weldy.
Co-coaches Troy Taylor (pointing) and Kris Richardson
accept title trophy.
Photo by Louis Lopez
Just like that, this game was torn to shreds and Folsom led 41-7 at halftime.
The victory left many wondering if this was the top team ever out of the Sac-Joaquin Section. Richardson took it a step farther, and most tended to agree.
"It's been an incredible ride," Richardson said. "It's pretty awesome. I think the records will show that this team wasn't just one of the best teams in the section history, but perhaps California state history."
Taylor said the Bulldogs were special for multiple reasons.
"It's pretty much been the perfect storm," he said. "You have a deep-rooted group of guys that were humble, worked hard, and completely unselfish. No one complained about game time or who got the ball."
Said senior 6-3, 285-pound two-way lineman Cody Creason: "We were so motivated coming into this game. Many of us have played together since we were young. We told each other how great it would be to end on a great note. And we did."
Folsom 68, Oceanside 7Folsom 7 34 14 13 — 68
Oceanside 7 0 0 0 — 7
First quarterO — Matthew Romero 8 run (Caleb Ramirez kick), 8:01
F — Jake Browning 4 run (Calderara kicks), 4:39
Second quarterF — Jake Morgado 22 pass from Browning (Calderara kick), 8:31
F — Josiah Deguara 23 pass from Browning (Calderara kick), 8:11
F — Bailey Laolagi 1 run (Calderar kick), 5:13
F — Tre Green 9 run (kick failed), 2:18
F — Green 6 pass from Browning (Calderar kick), 0:12
Third quarterF — Jake Jeffrey 35 pass from Browning (Calderara kick), 10:49
F — Cole Thompson 1 pass from Browning (Calderara kick), 1:35
Fourth quarterF — Bryan Weldy 62 pass from Browning (Calderara kick), 3:46
F — Laolagi 62 fumble recovery (no PAT attempted), 0:00
Individual StatisticsRushing F — Wedy 5-44, Laolagi 3-23, Green 4-22, Browning 5-(-15). O — Josh Bernard 15-47, Davione Taylor 2-1, Johnny Arzola 1-(-1), Grumbling 1-(-13), Romero 14-(-20).
PassingF — Browning 27-34-0-445, Deguara 1-1-0-48. O — Romero 15-26-1-166
ReceivingF — Jeffry 8-99, Deguara 6-82, Thompson 4-66, Green 4-62, Laolagi 2-80, Weldy 2-73, Morgado 2-31. O — Grumbling 4-22, Bernard 4-18, Malavi Taylor 2-54, D. Taylor 2-15, Arzola 1-39, Martinez 1-11, Paopao 1-7.
TacklesF — Tyler Crandall 11, Jerod Nooner 9, S. Whittingham 9. O — Isia Paopao 7, Nikko Mageo 6, Roman Roberson 6.
Team statisticsFirst downs: Folsom 25, Oceanside 16
Rushing attempts/yards: Folsom 17-74, Oceanside 33-14
Passing: Folsom 28-35-0, Oceanside 15-26-1
Passing yards: Folsom 493, Oceanside 166
Total yards: Folsom 567, Oceanside 180
Fumbles/lost: Folsom 0/0, Oceanside 3/3
Penalties-yards lost: Folsom 6-68, Oceanside 4-55
Third-down conversions: Folsom 8-8, Oceanside 4-12
Sacks by-yards loss: Folsom 7-41, Oceanside 2-22
