No. 18 Folsom gets defensive to win second straight CIF state title

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It was nothing like they planned, but you couldn't tell by the reaction.

When a DJ Ralph pass fell through the arms and legs of Zion Sorani, the 18th-ranked Folsom (Calif.) Bulldogs celebrated like they had won a national title or Super Bowl.

Instead, it was their second straight CIF Bowl championship and fourth overall with a 21-14 1-AA overtime win over Cathedral Catholic (San Diego, Calif.) Friday night at Cerritos College.

Boise State-bound quarterback Kaiden Bennett overcame a rough start to account for 430 yards and all three touchdowns as the Bulldogs, who averaged 58 points per game during a 13-game win streak coming in, overcame second-half deficits of 7-0 and 14-7 to pull out the gritty victory.

A pair of wide-receiver screen passes to the left, a 9-yarder to Clemson-bound Joe Ngata with 1 minute, 37 seconds remaining in regulation to tie the game, and a 17-yarder to CJ Hutton in the first possession of overtime gave Bennett 62 touchdown passes on the year and set up the final sequence.

Three straight short runs, made it 4th-and-4 from the 19. Ralph, who gave Cathedral Catholic a 14-7 lead with a 1-yard run and 11 minutes remaining, threw a dart to the streaking Sorani on a slant right at the goal line. A Folsom defensive back might have tipped the ball, Sorani hung tough and tried to craddle the ball behind his legs, but it fell incomplete.

Folsom, which last week scored 84 points in a Northern California regional final, finished 14-1. Cathedral Catholic, which won a 1-AA state title two years ago in overtime over St. Mary's (Stockton), finished 12-2. "It's not the way we planned it, but we finished it off," Folsom coach Kris Richardson said. "We're 30-1 the last two years and back-to-back state champions. That's pretty impressive. I couldn't be prouder of our guys."

Chandon Pierre had a monster defensive game for Folsom with five sacks.

After a shocking scoreless first half, Cathedral Catholic took a 7-0 lead with 10:03 left in the third quarter on a Shawn Poma 10-yard run. Bennett capped a long drive with a 1-yard run, tying the score at 7-7 with 1:00 left.

Back came Cathedral Catholic, when Ralph finished off another long drive with a 1-yard plunge, giving his team back a 14-7 lead. Bennett (25-of-32, 262 yards; 168 yards rushing) was intercepted on the following drive, but made the most of Folsom's next possession, finishing off a 12-play, 90-yard drive with a perfectly set up TD screen pass to Ngata, his 22nd TD reception of the season.