6 TIMES 6: In the fog, Folsom backup Brody Rudnicki accounts for six TDs to carry Bulldogs to sixth state title

In place of injured Ryder Lyons again, junior quarterback clearly makes case for nation's top backup quarterback with six touchdowns convincing CIF Division 1-AA championship

Folsom junior quarterback Brody Rudnicki (10) came off the bench late in the third quarter to replace an injured Ryder Lyons, the Gatorade California Player of the Year and BYU commit. Rudnicki's two touchdown passes and a 50-yard scamper helped the Folsom pull off a wild 42-38 comeback win in the CIF Northern California Division 1-AA championship game at Folsom High School. / Photo by Dennis Lee

MISSION VIEJO, Calif. — The fog was so thick at Saddleback College Friday night, those in press box and many of the fans in the stands could not make out the action.

But it was clear as the sun and moon who the star of Folsom's 42-28 California Division I-AA victory over Cathedral Catholic.

It's also perspicuous who the best backup in the state, if not the nation, is.

In all cases that would be Brody Rudnicki, who in place of injured Ryder Lyons, accounted for all six touchdowns, four via the run as the Bulldogs (14-1) won their sixth state title in seven outings and their 12th straight game of the season.

It was the second state title win over Cathedral Cathlic in three tries.

Rudnicki, a junior with nine Division I offers, scored on runs of 2, 29, 12 and 1 yards and passed to Robert Larson for 32 yards and 1 yards to Elijah Tuua. Even with the conditions barely visible, cold and soupy, Rudnicki rushed 24 times for 186 yards as the Bulldogs piled up 441 yards.

Cathedral Catholic, the San Diego Section champions. fell behind 21-0 in the first quarter and never really challenged. The Dons never quit either, including 5-star athlete Honor Faalave, who rushed 22 times for 267 yards and touchdowns of 74 and 15 yards.

Rudnicki, who last week replaced Lyons in the third quarter after the BYU quarterback injured his left (non-throwing) shoulder, and rescued the team with two touchdowns to beat Riordan 42-28, was in complete command throughout.

With the team up 42-14, Lyons, who led his team to a state title in 2023, came in for a series and handed the ball off. seven consecutive plays before being tackled on a sweep to the left away from his injured shoulder.

Lyons last week was named the California Gatorade Player of the Year for the second straight season.

Minnesota-bound Cathedral Catholic quarterback Brady Palmer completed just 4 of 13 for 64 yards and two interceptions, but he led the Dons on two fourth-quarter touchdowns. He ran for a 3-yard TD and completed a 10-yard touchdown to Gianluca Busalacchi.

Folsom now trails only De La Salle-Concord (seven) for most state titles since the games were ressurected in 2006.

(See all the live game updates at bottom)

PREGAME

Folsom and Cathedral Catholic meet Friday night in the CIF Division 1-AA state championship, with kickoff slated for 8 p.m. PT at Saddleback College. The Bulldogs enter at 13-1, while the San Diego-based Dons arrive 11-2 after rolling through the Southern California bracket.

Folsom’s path to the final turned on a moment of uncertainty last week. Star quarterback Ryder Lyons is questionable after suffering a left shoulder injury on the Bulldogs’ final drive of the third quarter against unbeaten Archbishop Riordan. Folsom trailed by 10 when Lyons exited, but junior backup Brody Rudnicki sparked an immediate turnaround, ripping off a 50-yard run and throwing two fourth-quarter touchdown passes to fuel a 42-38 comeback victory in the NorCal Division 1-AA championship. The Bulldogs’ defense sealed the rally with a second-half shutout.

Rudnicki’s poise complemented a breakout night from wide receiver Jameson Powell, who finished with 171 receiving yards and three touchdowns, while Isaiah Williams added a momentum-shifting kickoff return for a score. Folsom has now won 11 straight games and will look to improve its CIF State record to 6-1 since 2010.

Cathedral Catholic advanced by overpowering Los Alamitos 42-21 behind a physical, balanced attack. Honor Faalave led the Dons with 139 total yards as Cathedral Catholic continued a season-long trend of decisive victories, winning six games by more than 20 points. The Dons also hold a recent edge in the series, having defeated Folsom 33-21 in the 2021 state final, setting the stage for a championship rematch on a familiar stage.

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Players to Know

For Folsom Bulldogs

Ryder Lyons, QB, sr. — BYU commit; California’s 2026 No. 1 recruit; 10,074 career passing yards, 120 passing TDs, 1,948 career rushing yards, 53 career rushing TDs; 2025 season: 265 of 345, 3,485 yards, 36 TDs, 9 INT, 121 carries, 410 rushing yards, 15 TDs
Brody Rudnicki, QB, jr. — 52 of 67 for 855 passing yards and 11 TDs; 23 carries, 116 yards, 2 TDs
Bronson Bambino, RB, soph. — 73 carries, 454 yards, 4 TDs
Jameson Powell, WR, sr. — (Oregon State signee, 86 catches, 1,374 yards, 16 TDs),
Rob Larson, WR, jr. — 79 receptions, 1,095 yards, 17 TDs
Vlad Dyakonov, OT,  — USC signee
Jason Hill Jr., DB, — Stanford signee; 52 tackles, 6 TFL, 2 sacks, 6 INT, 15 PBUs, 1 forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries
Isaiah Williams, WR, sr. — Nevada signee; 52 receptions, 647 yards, 6 TDs

For Cathedral Catholic Dons

Honor Faalave, RB-S, jr. — California’s No. 1 2027 recruit; 128 carries, 1,265 yards, 21 TDs; 38 tackles, 2 INT, 4 PBUs, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recoveryBrady Palmer, QB, sr. — 10 games: 119 of 166, 2,323 passing yards, 22 TDs; 62 carries, 341 yards, 2 TDsChase Deniz, OT, sr. — USC signee; 6-foot-7, 295 poundsIsaac Cook, WR, jr. — 49 receptions, 1,242 yards, 12 TDs

Live Scoring

	1Q	2Q	3Q	4Q	Final
Folsom	21	7	7	7	42
Cathedral Catholic	0	7	7	14	28

1st Quarter

FOG OUT/TOUCHDOWN FOLSOM!: Absolutely insane scenario here as no one can see. The fog has rolled into Mission Viejo with what we're told the worst fog they've seen in many years. We're nine miles east of the ocean. Folsom won the toss and is driving we think. For sure no Ryder Lyons but Brody Rudnicki leads Folsom to a touchdown drive. 9 plays, 64 yards, takes 3:18. Rudnicki carred five times on the drive, including the 2-yard touchdown to cap the drive, and somehow was 4-for-4 passing. FOLSOM 7, CATHEDRAL CATHOLIC 0. 8:35 1Q.

CATHEDRAL CATHOLIC 3-AND-OUT: We think. :) Seriously it is so hard to follow and we're folks. Folsom takes over at the CC 46.

TOUCHDOWN FOLSOM! This Rudnicki has converted four of his last five drives he's played over two games, finishing this one off with a 32-yard touchdown pass — how his receiver Rob Larson can see is a minor miracle. Folsom takes 14-0 lead with 5:30 left in first quarter. The drive just took 4 plays to go 46 yards. Folsom 14, Cathedral Catholic 0.

CATHEDRAL CATHOLIC PUNT: The Dons get one first down, but ball back to Folsom at its own 27.

RUDNICKI AGAIN! TOUCHDOWN! This backup QB is unstoppable. Rudnicki finishes off another long drive with 30-yard touchdown run into the night/fog. Folsom 21, Cathedral Catholic 0. 0:40 1Q.

END OF 1: Total yards to this point is Folsom 159, Cathedral Catholic 7. Folsom 21, Cathedral Catholic 0. Previous stats were off. They were worse, in favor of Folsom, which had 173 yards on 21 plays compared to minus-one yard on 10 plays for Cathedral Catholic.

2nd Quarter

CC TURNOVER ON DOWNS! The Dons get into the red zone, but a Palmer fourth-down pass for the end zone sails out the back of the end zone. Folsom takes over.

CATHEDRAL CATHOLIC STRIKES! Who else but California's No. 1 junior recruit Honor Faa'alave with 15-yard touchdown run. After he rattled off a 15-yard fourth-down run the play before. Folsom 21, Cathedral Catholic 7. 5:14 2Q.

Honor Fa’alave with 15-yard TD run puts Cathedral Catholic on the board, trails 21-7 against Folsom with 5:15 left in the half. pic.twitter.com/30achrWh1k

— Mitch Stephens (@MitchBookLive) December 13, 2025

FOLSOM 3-AND-OUT: Cathedral Catholic is gaining some momentum and could close to within a touchdown with a score at the end of a surreal first half.

FOLSOM DRIVING BEFORE HALF: Lot of confusion, but Rudnicki completes pass to Powell to the 1, he fumbles into the end zone and recovers. But refs rule ball dead at 1.

TOUCHDOWN FOLSOM: Rudnicki accounts for his fourth touchdown of the half, a 1-yard Tebo flick to Elijah Tuua with 19.1 seconds left. Caps 10-play, 42 yards. Folsom 28, Cathedral Catholic 7.

HALFTIME: Folsom 28, Cathedral Catholic 7

HALFTIME STATS: Total yards, 235, Cathedral Catholic 93. F — Brody Rudnicki 13 carries, 97 yards, two touchdowns, 10 of 16, 95 yards, two TDs. Not a bad performance from a backup QB. CC - Honor Faalave 15 carries, 107 yards, 1 TD. Brady Palmer 1-5 (-5).

3rd Quarter

FOLSOM INTERCEPTION! Any hopes of Cathedral Catholic gaining momentum out of the break was intercepted — literally — by Daniel Eagleton. Folsom going in for the kill it appears.

RUDNICKI ONCE MORE! This junior backup is remarkable. Brody Rudnicki accounts for his fifth touchdown, an 11-yard touchdown run up the middle. Completes five-play, 30-yard drive. FOLSOM 35, CATHEDRAL CATHOLIC 7. 9:50 3Q.

FA'ALAVE AGAIN! The state's top junior recruit is definitely doing his part. He's almost up to 200 yards rushing after 74-yard touhdown run cuts Folsom's lead to 35-14. Early 3Q.

Honor Fa’alave doing his part. Sprints 74-yards for TD. Now almost at 200 yards and early in 3Q. Csthedral Catholic closes to 35-14 versus Folsom. Division 1-AA. Under crazy foggy conditions. pic.twitter.com/EwI9BnuPwF

— Mitch Stephens (@MitchBookLive) December 13, 2025

INTERCEPTION FOLSOM: Travis Beatty intercepts a long pass from Brady Palmer. Don't know how he even saw it. Still 35-14. 2:57 3Q.

END OF 3: Folsom 35, Cathedral Catholic 14

4th Quarter

GUESS WHO? Yes, Rudnicki with his fourth TD run of the game to go along with two passing touchdowns. His 2-yard run with 9:05 left, gives Folsom a 42-14 lead. He's closing in on 200 yards rushing.

BRADY PALMER TOUCHDOWN! No quit in Dons. Minnesota bound QB Palmer trucks a reserve defensive back and goes 3-yards into the end zone. 7:29 4Q. Folsom 42, Cathedral Catholic 21.

RYDER LYONS SIGHTING: Very cool, the BYU-bound QB and Gatorade two-time California player of the year comes in to hand the ball off and he's done so on four straight runs, The Dons hold on downs and curiously, Lyons sweeps around left end he might have got tackled or went out of bounds. On fourth down. Ball goes back to Cathedral Catholic. About 5 minutes left.

STILL NO QUIT: Brady Palmer 10-yard TD pass to Gianluca Busalacchi. 2:35. Dons are within two touchdowns. There's still time. But they kick deep. Odd. Folsom 42, Cathedral Catholic 28.

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