FOLSOM — They were dropping all over the field Friday night, play after play, one after another.
On a late-summer evening at the edge of the Sierra foothills, the Serra Padres couldn’t overcome cramps, but they managed to overcome Folsom.
As Serra punter Alexander Atkins ran out of the back of the end zone for a safety to erase the final two seconds from the clock, the Padres could finally exhale.
The visitors from San Mateo held on for an epic 17-12 victory in a matchup between the two teams that finished atop the Northern California rankings last season.
Serra built a 14-10 halftime lead, widened the margin to seven in the third quarter and held on down the stretch.
The game-saving play came with three minutes to go. As Donovan Maxey-Parler was about to score a touchdown that would have potentially tied the score or given Folsom the lead, Serra knocked the ball loose and Atkins recovered for the Padres in the end zone for a touchback.
Folsom never touched the ball again.
When it was over, coach Patrick Walsh huddled his players on the blue turf and recounted the grit and courage it took to prevail.
“This week, we talked about living in reality because we don’t know what’s going to happen,” Walsh told his players. “Tonight, collectively, we struggled through cramps and injuries on the road. Four-hour bus ride. So many guys jumped in and picked up the slack.
“We brought the double-wing back. We brought it back from the dead. I am so proud of you guys and so proud of the depth of this team. We always talk about that bottom of the fire, keeping it lit, you never know when it’s going to be your time to be on the field in a championship game like this.”
The first half lived up to the anticipation and buzz this matchup created.
Hard-hitting. Great defense. Big plays. Costly penalties. Turnovers.
And more big plays.
Folsom struck first when Jake Tremaine sent a 37-yard field goal try floating through the uprights. The drive covered 49 yards and included a 15-yard sideline infraction against Serra that moved the home team closer to field-goal territory.
Serra answered when it went to its double-wing, bunch offense — the Padres call it “Raider” — that Walsh has used through the years and Bellarmine employed under its former coach, Mike Janda, including when the Bells won an epic regional game at Folsom in 2015.
Danny Niu’s 52-yard run out of the double-tight formation, a play of beauty for anyone who covets hard-nosed running, got the ball to the 3.
On the next play, again out of the tight formation, Jabari Mann plowed across the goal line for Serra’s first score of the season and a 7-3 lead.
“They weren’t ready for it,” Mann said of the bunch formation. “We could tell. We watched their film. We knew what we could do against them. The first play they called it, I was ready for every contact. We love it over here.”
Folsom went back in front when Austin Mack found Maxey-Parler open in the right flat. The running back caught the pass and coasted into the end zone to make it 10-7 with a little less than two minutes to go before intermission.
That was enough time for Serra to score another touchdown to take a 14-10 advantage into the locker room. Maealiuaki Smith’s 25-yard pass over the middle to a wide-open Jayden Weber accounted for the TD.
Serra dominated the third quarter with its physical offense, going on a long march that ended with Dylan Joudieh’s 25-yard field goal that extended the Padres’ lead to 17-10.
“It took 100% effort from everybody,” Smith said. “It was a good first win and a good start to the season.”
The stage doesn’t get any smaller for Serra in Week 2.
Next Friday, the Padres travel to De La Salle.
“We’ll celebrate tonight,” Smith added. “Then we’ll focus on next week.”
Source: www.mercurynews.com