Bulldogs freshman football team finishes 10-0

Folsom High's varsity football team has been good for the last 15 years or so and based on the 10-0 freshman football team's record this season, the varsity team will be good for at least a few more seasons. The freshman Bulldogs averaged 39 points per game and allowed 13 per game, which made for a dominating season. The team of 53 players was led offensively by starting quarterback Carson Murphy and backup Austin Pierce. Murphy completed 68 percent of his passes (131-of-192) for 2,329 yards and 23 touchdowns against four interceptions. Pierce completed 63 percent of his passes (34-of-54) for 576 yards and nine touchdowns and two interceptions. "We knew we had a strong group that went 10-0 and won the midget championship the year before, but half of them never played football before," said second-year head coach Matt Eleopolus. "Being a quarterback-driven program, we knew we had two good ones in Carson and Austin, but we didn't know what we had with the rest of the team. We ended up with three starting offensive linemen who had never played before. We also had a lot of injuries throughout the season, as we had four season-ending injuries on the offensive line. "We were confident that we'd be good, but we knew we'd have some tough games, especially with Serra and Oak Ridge. For freshman, as long as we're improving every week it's a win and it's good for the program." Oak Ridge truly gave the Bulldogs a run for their money. "We were behind the whole game," Eleopolus said. "I remember telling my offensive coordinator, Jalen Angel, 'get your best two-point conversion play ready because we're going for two and we're going to win.' Sure enough, we scored with about 20 seconds left and then went with a rollout pass and Carson threw it to Bronson Bambino to win it, 22-21. "It was a great game and a fun game to coach in. It was obviously a close game and good competition. The kids fought hard to pull it out." While Murphy and Pierce were the quarterbacks, Bambino was the team's top running back, while Braxton Martinez was the team's top receiver. Bambino carried the ball 58 times all season for 327 yards and 11 touchdowns. Out of the backfield, Bambino also caught 35 balls for 461 yards and two scores. Martinez led the Bulldogs with catches with 36 for 802 yards and nine touchdowns for an average of 22 yards per catch. Also catching more than four touchdown passes were Arhian Acuna and Rome Robinson (5) and Justice Nonoguchi and Elijah Tuua (4). The offensive line was banged up and injured all season and Eleopolus gave the entire line credit for getting the job done. He did select Gio Strivers, the team's boundary tackle, as the standout linemen. On the defensive side of the ball, linebacker Alijah Wilson led the team. "Alijah was like having another coach on the field," Eleopolus said. "He's going to be a good one." Another impressive defender was tackle Chid Mmagu. "Chid had never played football before, he has a wrestling background," Eleopolus said. "He didn't play until our fourth game and by our eighth game he was in the top-five on the team in tackles." When asked about the strength of the team, Eleopolus said the depth of the team is the strength. "Our strength is that we don't have one standout player," Eleopolus said. "The unity and bond that they have is the strength. They played as a team. When they were losing at halftime to Serra, there was no infighting; they stuck together and came back to win it. "This team, along with the group in front of them, they're going to be a strong team going forward. There is no real standout like there is in Ryder's class. They've got Rob Larsen, Joseph Eyerman VI, EJ Coleman and Malachi Coleman; they're all just good players. Going forward, if they all continue to improve, they're going to find ways to win. They've got a bright future."