MISSION VIEJO — By the opening kickoff Friday night, Saddleback College Stadium looked more like the Battle of Agincourt than the Division 1-AA state championship game.
A dense wall of fog engulfed the field, reducing visibility to the point where one sideline could not see the other, leaving the public address announcer guessing at down and distance.
“The field was very foggy, but there’s no excuses because Folsom played in it as well,” Cathedral Catholic junior defensive back Jordyn Fitzpatrick told The Coast News.
Backup quarterback, junior, Brody Rudnicki, starting for the injured, two-time Gatorade California Player of the Year Ryder Lyons, emerged from the mist with four rushing and two passing touchdowns, leading Northern California’s Folsom (ranked 7th in the state) to a 42-28 win over Cathedral Catholic (ranked 10th in the state).
“The fog took a toll on us a bit with our pass game and being able to make correct reads,” Dons senior offensive lineman Anthony Bibaeff said. “The O-line did great manning up and handling when the defensive line stunted.”
Folsom captured its sixth state championship, finishing the season 14-1 and extending a 12-game winning streak.
Cathedral Catholic (11-3) was pursuing its fourth title in program history. Dons head coach Sean Doyle has two previous state championship wins, tying him with longtime Oceanside coach John Carroll.
The schools had met twice before in state finals: Folsom won in 2018, and the Dons captured the title in 2021.
“It wasn’t so much a sad feeling after the game; it was more surreal knowing I won’t ever put on a Dons uniform or suit up with the same group of brothers again,” Bibaeff said.
“It was a physical game, and even through adversity and fog the team gave everything until the end,” Fitzpatrick added. “It was emotional because that was the last time I’ll ever play with the Class of ’26.”
Folsom scored on its first three possessions, closing the first quarter with a 21-0 lead, outgaining Cathedral Catholic 159 yards to 17.
A brief flicker of hope came with 5:14 remaining in the second quarter, as the Dons trimmed the deficit to 21-7 on a 15-yard scoring run by Honor Fa’alave-Johnson, who entered the game with 1,229 yards and 25 touchdowns.
“Honor has been a huge impact on our team,” Bibaeff said. “Blocking for him has been great, and watching him explode through the holes I form is just amazing. I love that dude with all my heart.”
Folsom slammed the door on any chance of a comeback, with 19 seconds left in the half on a 1-yard touchdown pass from Rudnicki to Elijah Tuua, extending the lead 28-7.
Fa’alave-Johnson added his second score in the third quarter on a 74-yard run. He finished with 267 yards on 22 carries.
Down 42-14 in the fourth, senior quarterback and Minnesota commit Brady Palmer came alive, scoring on a 4-yard run and throwing a 10-yard touchdown pass to Gianluca Busalacchi for the Dons’ final score of the season.
“After the game, coach [Doyle] talked about all the adversity we’ve been through and how we fought until the very end, and how proud he was of all us,” Cathedral Catholic senior center Xavier Faavi said. “That’s something I’ll always remember.”
“Seeing my family after the game and hearing them still cheering and shouting as I walked up to them will always be something I cherish deep inside,” Dons senior linebacker Samuel Samuela said. “They held signs of ‘We love you Sam,’ I’m just so thankful to have them. I wanted the win for them but came up short.”
“It’s been my best season yet with the Dons, and it all happened because of the amazing coaching staff,” added Bibaeff. “I just want to thank them and the program. Roll Dons. Number 72 out.”
