Rudnicki leads Bulldogs to big win over Fighting Irish

Brody Rudnicki has been waiting more than a year to start a game for Folsom High's varsity football team. The junior quarterback finally got that opportunity Friday night against Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep with Ryder Lyons sitting out with a sore ankle and he made the most of it, leading the Bulldogs to a dominating victory, 49-7. In his first varsity start, Rudnicki completed 18-of-23 passes for 316 yards and five touchdowns. "It was awesome," Rudnicki said of his first varsity start. "It was my first full experience to play a varsity game and it exceeded my expectations. I had a lot of fun with my teammates "I wasn't nervous before the game. I was excited for the opportunity to play. The coaches had me well prepared. The defense gave me great looks at practice all week. I was confident going into the game." In the first quarter, Rudnicki threw touchdown passes to Jameson Powell (nine yards) and to Isaiah Williams (12 yards), the latter coming after an interception and big return from Jason Hill. In the second quarter after Sacred Heart Cathedral missed a 36-yard field goal, the Bulldogs capitalized with Rudnick's third touchdown pass and the second one going to Williams from 19 yards out. Matsen Wurm ended Sacred Heart Cathedral's next drive with an interception and returned it 40 yards. Bronson Bambino then ended the first-half scoring with a one-yard touchdown run, as Folsom led 28-0. Rudnicki opened the second half with a 75-yard touchdown pass on a screen play to Powell. A 40-yard pick-six by Dylan Wolfe accounted for Folsom's next score, as they led 42-0. Rudnicki's last touchdown pass, his fifth, went to Jayden Padgett early in the fourth quarter from 65 yards out. "I felt I played well," Rudnicki said. "I took care of the ball and didn't turn it over. The coaches called a good game and that was a major part of my success. The offensive line and my receivers also played well." Folsom High coach Paul Doherty was impressed. "A lot of people wanted to know how good Brody is," Doherty said. "Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep was incredibly tough and Brody competed, made plays and executed about as well as he could. "A lot of people thought that Sacred Heart (Cathedral Prep) wasn't good, but they were a quality opponent. They play good defense and they've got good athletes. I was proud of how we rebounded after the tough loss to Mission Viejo." Despite it being his first varsity start, Rudnicki already has nine scholarship offers from Sac State, UNLV, Cal, Arizona State, Colorado State, Nevada Reno, Minnesota, BYU and Oklahoma State. There's a decent chance Rudnicki gets to start this week against Rocklin. "We'll watch film and it's never as bad as you think and it's never as good," Rudnicki said. "We'll see what I can do better and what things I did well and can improve on. I'm looking forward to the rest of this season and trying to take it one week at a time. I want to get better every day and focus on my practice reps to help me prepare and also support Ryder anyway that I can." The next game for the Bulldogs is a big one, as they open up Sierra Foothill League play at Rocklin on Friday. "Rocklin … that's where it's at," Doherty said. "We open up league play on the road at Rocklin. "They and Oak Ridge have been the second-best teams in the league. They play championship-level football and this game decides a lot. We're going on the road banged up. I don't think Ryder will play. He might play if he's 90 percent, but going into a bye week next week, it might be smarter to sit him and let him completely heal up."