Bulldogs humbled by loss to Mission Viejo

Paul Doherty said if his Folsom Bulldog varsity football team makes it out of the game against Mission Viejo healthy, the game, no matter the result, would be a good thing for the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs, however, didn't make it out of the game healthy. Senior running back Joseph Eyerman VI could miss the rest of the season with an injury. Senior linebacker EJ Coleman is out with a concussion. Doherty also mentioned the team wasn't healthy before the game, as Ryder Lyons injured his ankle against Serra and probably will not play in Friday's game against Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep. August Dupree didn't even suit up to play Mission Viejo. "We've got a lot of guys beat up," Doherty said. "Ryder was very limited coming into the game. It was a tough game. They were a good football team; as good as we thought they were. We didn't play well; not our best, certainly. If we played our best, maybe we don't beat them but the game is closer. It's humbling and I think it's always a good thing for anyone when they get humbled." As for the game, the Bulldogs fell behind quickly and went on to get crushed by the Diablos, 53-14. Despite the big loss, Doherty said he plans on looking for and scheduling games against strong southern California teams. "I think teams in the Southern Section share our character," Doherty said. "We will continue to look for opponents like Mission Viejo to schedule. We've always scheduled that way and we will continue to do so. It's just something we want to do. "We're aware that there are levels in high school football. We're good in our area and have had a lot of success and have earned it. We're always looking to take the next step, though, and we will take what games are available. We'd like to schedule De La Salle, a game that's closer to home and a game that would have more ramifications for the Nor-Cal football playoffs but a game wasn't available so we looked for another one. Mission Viejo is a public school and similar to us. Who knows, we could see them again. They will probably go open division and lose to Mater Dei or Bosco, but a couple of years ago they were Division I-AA when we won the Division I-A state championship." The Bulldogs fell behind the Diablos 14-0 before scoring on a Ryder Lyons to Rob Larson touchdown at the end of the first quarter and trailed, 14-6. In the second quarter, however, the Diablos broke the game wide open by outscoring the Bulldogs 23-0 to open up a 37-6 lead by halftime. Late in the third quarter Folsom scored again with some trickery, as Larson threw a touchdown to Jameson Powell to make the score 37-12, but that was the last highlight for the Bulldogs, as Mission Viejo outscored the Bulldogs 16-2 in the fourth quarter. "We got down early; didn't have much success running the ball and then became one-dimensional," Doherty said. "That left Ryder vulnerable and they just pinned their ears back and brought pressure. "We had the ball three times inside of their five-yard line and didn't convert. We had opportunities to make it a two-score game, but couldn't finish. We couldn't run the ball inside the five-yard line, just like we couldn't against Grant." Now, the Bulldogs must find a way to turn the table and get ready for Friday's opponent, Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep. "I wish the game would have gone better; it's humbling," Doherty said. "It's encouraging, though, being humbled should be a good thing. "After the game my message to the team was pretty consistent. I told them it's about us. We have to play better. We've been a victim before of losing to teams not as good as us because we didn't play well. I thought we were better than both teams that beat us last year, but they played better than us. In high school football, you've got to play well. No one is going to celebrate effort. I ask the guys, what can you do to play well, to play better? It's all in your mindset and attitude."