High School

Serra-San Mateo stuns Folsom in instant classic: Northern California high school football roundup

Serra stayed atop the NorCal pecking order with a last-minute field goal

Lance Smith

San Mateo Serra football coach always instills passion into his team as shown here following the school's first win ever over De La Salle 24-21 in 2022.
San Mateo Serra football coach always instills passion into his team as shown here following the school's first win ever over De La Salle 24-21 in 2022. / Photo: Dennis Lee

As of Friday night, high school football is now in full swing throughout all of Northern California.

Week 1 had an exciting slate of games, including what was pegged to be – and lived up to the hype as – the potential NorCal game of the year.

Here's a look at some notable football results from Friday, Aug. 30:

Serra (San Mateo) 22, Folsom 21

To the surprise of no one, the pre-league battle between perennial Northern California juggernauts Serra and Folsom was a candidate for game of the year. Based on results from the previous two seasons, and the fact that it led 13-0 in the first quarter, Serra pulling out a close win wasn't much of a surprise either.

However, Folsom, which entered as a light favorite this time around, stormed back to take a 21-13 lead at halftime with a highlight touchdown involving at least three laterals. And it seemed to have the game locked up when it foiled the Padres' two-point conversion attempt while leading 21-19 with 2:35 left.

Instead, things went worse for Folsom than if Serra had tied the game up. The Padres recovered the onside kick and burned the rest of the clock while marching up the field, and Brody Smith sank the game-winning field goal with 10 seconds left.

It was another epic installment in what's turning into one of the top inter-section rivalries in California – and yet another dramatic victory for the three-time reigning NorCal champion Padres, who beat the Bulldogs, coming off a resounding 63-20 win over Long Beach Poly, for the third straight year. A late Hail Mary from Ryder Lyons just barely fell incomplete.

De La Salle 42, Grant Union 14

The Spartans started the season with a bang against one of the Sac-Joaquin Section's top squads in the programs' first ever meeting. De La Salle showed off its wealth of top-notch rushing threats, as dual-threat quarterback Toa Faavae and running backs Jaden Jefferson, Derrick Blanche Jr., and Duece Jones-Drew all ran for impressive scores.

READ: De La Salle beats Grant Union

However, the game's top play was actually a defensive touchdown from the Spartans, and a memorable one:

Pittsburg 42, Monterey Trail 13

After narrowly surviving Monterey Trail 10-7 a year ago, Pittsburg made a statement in its 2024 opener. Makari Kenion opened the game in perfect fashion for the Pirates, taking the kickoff to the house for a touchdown.

Riordan 35, McClymonds-Oakland 34

In a truly back-and-forth affair, featuring a number of top Division I college products, 6-foot-3 junior receiver Cynai Thomas stood tallest at the end, with six catches for 96 yards and two touchdowns leading the comeback victory, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

McClymonds, which suited up just 19 players, fought back from 14-0 deficit thanks in part to transfer QB Berell Staples, who threw for 230 yards and two touchdowns. The Warriors sped past the Crusaders to take a two-touchdown lead in the fourth quarter only to watch junior QB Mike Mitchell Jr. lead the comeback, throwing for 295 yards and three touchdowns.

Valley Christian 24, Wilcox 7

This one was close (10-7) heading into the fourth quarter, but Valley Christian owned the final frame. Tight end Jerod White took a screen pass nearly the entire field to put the Warriors up 17-7 before they tacked on another score.

Rocklin 48, Bishop Manogue (NV) 17

The CIF Sac-Joaquin Section maintains its edge over the Reno area in interstate high school football matchups. Rocklin led Bishop Manogue 48-17 after three quarters, and that went on to be the final score. Derek Keeley had two interceptions and three touchdowns for the Thunder, and Reeve Slone threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score.

Clovis North 35, Redwood (Visalia) 6

Lucas Smith, McKay Madsen, and Jackson Cinfel led a balanced effort as the Broncos methodically pulled away throughout the night.

St. Mary's (Stockton) 27, Central Catholic 14

St. Mary's rode a strong start to win the 34th version of the (Sacramento area) Holy Bowl. After the Rams led 13-0 at halftime, Central Catholic kept pace in the second half, but couldn't dig out of its hole in this defensive grinder.

Central (Fresno) 49, Bettye Davis East Anchorage (AK) 22

Many eyes were on the Grizzlies after last week's 40-0 blowout of Justin Garza was ended early due to a brawl that resulted in player suspensions. Their response? The Jelani Dippel show. He tossed six touchdowns, including three to Daylon Scott, in a game Central led 42-7 late in the third quarter.

El Cerrito 38, Amador Valley 16

After a slow start, El Cerrito turned it up in the second quarter to cruise to a season-opening win over Amador Valley led by quarterback Jonathan Craft.

San Ramon Valley 28, St. Ignatius 10

San Ramon Valley opened the win with a strong defensive statement, leading 21-3 at one point in the fourth quarter against the Wildcats. Henry Ellis had two interceptions for San Ramon Valley, Matthew Garibaldi ran for a pair of touchdowns, and Rhett Thompson threw a touchdown pass each to Marco Jones and Evan Economos.

Moreau Catholic 37, Saint Mary's (Albany) 0

Jayden Bryant led the way with three touchdowns and the Mariners' defense was impeccable in a season-opening shutout of Saint Mary's.

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Lance Smith
LANCE SMITH

Lance Smith is a veteran high school sports reporter who worked previously with SBLive Sports covering basketball, football, and softball in California's Southern Section and LA City Section and has returned as contributor to High School On SI in 2025. He also covers Nevada and National Girls Basketball. A graduate of The USC Marshall School of Business, Smith dabbles in linear algebra and football and basketball computer rankings.

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