How to slow Folsom 5-star quarterback Ryder Lyons? Put your hands together says one California coach

Pittsburg is all ears on advice while hosting the Bulldogs and their seemingly unstoppable junior QB in a CIF Northern California D1-AA title game

Pittsburg got its arms around Ryder Lyons plenty in Folsom's 28-25 CIF Northern California Division 1-A championship last year, but ultimately the Josh Allen-type play maker did enough, scoring four touchdowns and accounting for more than 300 yards. The two teams battle in Pittsburg Friday for the CIF D1-AA NorCal title. / Photo: Dennis Lee

The only team to slow Folsom superhero quarterback Ryder Lyons each of the last two years is the Serra Padres, who beat the Bulldogs twice. Barely, 22-21 and 21-14.  

So, the one source Pittsburg coach Charlie Ramirez might consider taking advice heading into Friday’s CIF Northern California Division 1-AA championship against Folsom is Serra coach Patrick Walsh. 

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How were the Padres able to hold the Bulldogs to almost four touchdowns less per game than their average with Lyons navigating the offense? The 6-foot-3, 215-pound junior, afterall, has accounted for nearly 8,000 yards and 118 touchdowns in less than two seasons leading the Bulldogs to two league, two section, a regional and state championship.  

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“We prayed,” he said. “Really hard.” 

Ryder Lyons throws a pass during Friday's first quarter of an opening night win over Long Beach Poly. / Photo by Todd Shurtleff

Actually, the Padres did go well out of the box to focus on the Josh Allen-like play-maker, but Walsh isn’t convinced it did a ton of good. 

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“We practiced caging him and not jumping when he pump fakes,” Walsh said. “We put our fastest kid at quarterback and ran him around like a rabbit.” 

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Asked if the Pirates found a worthy scout team player to mimic Lyons all week and Ramirez said smiling “I called Steve Young but he wasn’t available.” 

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Ramirez and the Pirates are all too familiar with Lyons’ houdini acts which were on full display in last year’s Division 1-A title game played at Folsom, where he completed 11 of 14 for 191 yards and one touchdown and rushed 27 times for 122 yards and three scores in a 28-25 win. 

Few of his runs were by design. (See highlights of the game below).

He went on the next week to struggle, only to rally late and under heavy duress completed the game-winning touchdown pass in the final minute to Jameson Powell, who has 150 career catches for 2,118 yards and 30 touchdowns in two seasons. 

“Our guys have a lot of respect for him after facing him last year and seeing first hand what he’s capable of,” said Ramirez, the second-year head coach who 10 years previous was Pittsburg’s defensive coordinator. “He possesses such a unique ability to extend plays with his legs, not to mention the ability to make every throw on the field.”  

Pittsburg running back and strong safety Jamar Searcy, who signed to Washington State on Wednesday, has rushed for more than 1,400 yards in 2024. / Photo: Dennis Lee

Complicating things for the Pirates is that Lyons is no one man shaw, with a plethora of weapons, including Powell, USC-bound tight end Nela Tupou (32 catches, 566 yards, 12 TDs) and running backs Carter Jackson (100 carries, 910 yards, 10 TDs), a Nevada signee, and Daymion Rivera (1,032 total yards, eight TDs). 

“Our focus has been getting ourselves in the right position as opposed to focusing on one player,” Ramirez said. 

But this presents the problem. You can have everything covered and Lyons has the uncanny ability to make something special out of nothing. 

That said, if anyone has the athletes to deal with it, it’s the Pirates, says Folsom coach Paul Doherty. 

Indeed there are five Pittsburg defenders who signed letters of intent Wednesday to pretty strong Division I programs; Four-year starters, defensive end Juju Walls and safety Jadyn Hudson (both to UCLA), linebackers Etene Pritchard (San Diego State) and Dominik Calhoun (Boise State) and strong safety Jamar Searcy (Washington State), who is the team’s main offensive threat at running back (1,414 rushing yards, 18 touchdowns) along with quarterback Marley Alcantara (2,598 passing yards, 36 TDs).   

Nevada signee Carter Jackson rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns in his Folsom debut, a 63-20 winner over Long Beach Poly. Look for him to carry many more times in Friday's game at Pittsburg. / Photo: Ralph Thompson

Doherty broke it down like an array of numbers. 

“Pitt’s D is loaded,” he said. “We were focused on 28 (Searcy) at safety and then forgot 1 (Walls), 10 (Hudson) and 8 (Pritchard) are even better. Then there’s 15 (Calhoun) and 25 (LB Elijah Bow) who bring it, 90 (DE Trevon West) is a manchild, and 3 (CB Timothy Edwards), 7 (CB Truly Bell) and 29 (freshman CB Kenny Bell) can roll.

“We have no answers.” 

Doherty wasn’t snowballing or coach speaking, though of course with Lyons there is always an answer. 

“We’ve never played a team like this before,” he said. “Closest we’ve come is Pitt a year ago and they’re all back, better than ever.” 

Folsom of course has history on its side, with three straight wins over the Pirates the last three years: 38-17 at Folsom in 2021, 23-15 at Pittsburg in 2022 and last year’s humdinger.

Pittsburg QB Marley Alcantara threw for 381 yards and four TDs last week in a 35-28 win over San Ramon Valley for the Pirates' fourth straight NCS D1 title at Diablo Valley College. / Photo: Ernie Abrea