Serra drops season opener to powerhouse Folsom; Marks breaks program field-goal record

Coming off a 408-yard passing week in Folsom’s Aug. 23 season opener at Grant-Sacramento, Lyons accounted for seven touchdowns on the day at Serra, finishing 24-of-37 passing for 389 yards and four touchdowns while rushing 13 times for 64 yards and three more scores.

“I thought really the star of the game was their pass protection,” Serra head coach Patrick Walsh said. “They did a great job of protecting Ryder — and, of course, he’s a great athlete when he gets out of the pocket — but I thought really that was kind of the difference, and allowed him to sit back there.”

With three lead changes in the first half, Marks gave his Bulldogs a 21-18 lead three minutes into the second quarter on a 12-yard keeper around the right side. A Serra three-and-out and a net two-yard punt put Folsom back on the attack deep in Padres territory, and Marks ran it in again for a 1-yard score to make it 28-18.

Serra junior quarterback Caleb Bandel had an answer, using throws of 19 and 10 yards, and an 11-yard scramble to set up a 38-yard scoring pass on a catch and carry after a short screen to senior running back Iziah Singleton, cutting it to 28-25 with 1:28 to go in the half. But on the next play from scrimmage, Lyons found a wide open Powell up the left side and dialed up a 72-yard scoring strike to sent Folsom into the half leading 35-25.

In the second half, however — after Lyons threw for over 300 yards in the first — the Padres kept their defense off the field for a majority of the third quarter. In addition to the halftime break, Serra’s offense possessed the ball for 9 minutes, 3 seconds in the third quarter, giving the “D” a critical respite on a sweltering day.

“Just keeping them off the field was the plan,” Walsh said. “We didn’t do it enough clearly.”

But the Bulldogs (2-0) finished strong, as Powell finished with nine catches for 211 yards and three touchdowns, while junior Rob Larson added six catches for 106 yards and one TD.

Serra (0-1) bridged a 6-minute, 46-second possession into the fourth quarter with a 15-play, 64-yard scoring drive. The march included three third-down conversions and one on fourth down when the Padres went to the read-option jumbo package on fourth-and-2 to pick up 3 yards on a toss to Singleton. Then with 7:07 left to play, Henley scored on a 1-yard toss to swing the Padres ahead 38-35.

“These guys, their brand of football, it’s a tough one to match,” Folsom head coach Paul Doherty said. “They ground and pound, they run the ball, they play tough defense. We definitely got some points on the board this year, where we haven’t been able to in the past. But those were pretty incredible, exceptional plays made by a couple of pretty incredible kids.”

But Folsom closed strong to win the day. Lyons took the team on his shoulders with several quick passes to set the tone for a 11-play, 80-yard scoring march. The big play to sustain the drive, though, came from junior running back Joseph Eyerman VI, who took a draw up the gut on third-and-6 and ran it 18 yards into the red zone to the Padres’ 10.

Three plays later, coming out of a timeout, Folsom spread the offense and cleared a path through the middle for Lyons to dance his way to a 10-yard score to put the Bulldogs back on top 42-39.

“Credit to [assistant coach Zach Sclater],” Doherty said. “He called it. I had some dumb pass play called down here, and we called timeout because we felt like it wasn’t our best stuff, and he came up with a better call. Everybody loved it, and we ran it, and [Lyons] made a play.”

Marks makes history

Serra caught a break on the ensuing kickoff, when the Bulldogs kicked it out of bounds twice in a row. The Padres made them keep kicking, and on the third attempt, junior return man Malakai Taufoou blasted past midfield to advance it to the Folsom 38. Serra’s drive went nowhere, but the good field position set up Marks for his historic field goal from 53 yards away to break the previous record of 50 yards shared by Jon Waugh (1988) and Rich Heintz (1999).

Marks said there was no hesitation on the sideline when Walsh sent onto the field on fourth down.

“Not at all,” Marks said. “I’ve been feeling really confident in practice, and I think the coaches have trust in me. So, I just have to do my job. I’ve been going, doing really well, particularly in practice. So, it’s just executing.”

Folsom finishes strong

Marks’ game-tying boomer did not hold up, though. He did give the Serra fans another thrill on the ensuing kickoff when he drilled that one through the uprights as well for a touchback. However, Lyons completed a quick pass to Jayden Padgett for 8 yards and followed with a 5-yard keeper to move the chains. Then Powell broke down the cornerback and exploited the left flat for a wide-open 52-yard touchdown catch to give the Bulldogs the lead for good.

“We did not expect that,” Doherty said. “We were trying to win in the boundary, actually, with the other two guys. But we had a lot of success on the perimeter throwing screens the last couple weeks, and they jumped in and he ran free. And, thank God, Ryder saw him.”

With just over a minute to play, Folsom took a victory jaunt when Coleman intercepted a Bandel pass and returned it 38 yards to the end zone.

By the numbers

Folsom outgained Serra 501-387 in total offense, with Lyons alone accounting for 453 total yards.

Other than two broken pass plays leading to Folsom scores, Serra’s secondary played better than the score and numbers suggest, as Folsom’s spread offense necessitated consistent 1-on-1 matchups.

“I would say they did really good,” Serra linebacker Dylan Modena said. “They put their heart on the line. I feel like even though we did lose and we did let up a few touchdowns, I feel like that’s just a learning experience. I feel like there’s always room to improve. I feel like that we can always get better.”

The Serra offense featured 11 players each making their first varsity start. Offensive coordinator Darius Bell ran none of his signature trick plays, as the Padres maintained a straightforward smash-mouth approach. Singleton was the workhorse, totaling 25 carries for 110 yards.

Bandel was 14-of-26 for 216 yards passing with two touchdowns. Early in the second quarter, the Padres took their second lead of the game when Bandel hit Charlie Walsh on a quick slant route and the junior slot receiver sprinted 80 yards for the touchdown.

Winning streaks snapped

This marks the fourth straight year Serra has opened its season against Folsom. The Padres won the previous three meetings — 17-12 at Folsom in 2022, 21-14 at Serra in 2023, and 22-21 at Folsom last season.

The loss snaps a streak of six straight opening-day wins for the Padres dating back to 2019.

“I just saw the fight,” Walsh said. “I saw the Padre fight, the resiliency. A lot of newcomers wearing the same uniforms putting out their greatest effort against one of the top teams in the country. And I’m really proud of the guys, I’m proud of their effort. Nobody quit. ... We played together as a team. That’s a great football team and clearly they deserved to win and did a great job.”