Tanner Trosin - Cal Poly
Carson McMurtrey - Cal Poly
Jordan Alleva - University of San Diego
Mark Meyer - Sac State
Yuvraaj Madra - Weber State
Doug Vernon - Cornell University
By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com
By Bill Paterson The Sacramento Bee
In the past two years, no area program has sent more scholarship players to four-year football programs than Folsom.
Last year, the Bulldogs, coming off their historic 14-1 CIF State Bowl championship season, saw six players sign on national letter-of-intent day.
Wednesday, five more members of Bulldog Nation made their college commitments official during a signing ceremony in the school's library.
They are quarterback Tanner Trosin, The Bee's Offensive Player of the Year, and wide receiver Carson McMurtrey (both Cal Poly); wide receiver Doug Vernon (Cornell); and linemen Jordan Alleva (San Diego) and YuvRaaj Madra (Weber State).
It's another big haul for Folsom.
"That's awesome," Folsom coach Kris Richardson said of the two-year span. "To have players going to places like Cornell, Stanford and Air Force shows we have a pretty good student-athlete culture."
Last year, MaxPreps.com National Player of the Year (and Bee Player of the Year) Dano Graves, the Bulldogs' star quarterback, and tight end Marcus Hendricks, both signed with the Air Force Academy.
Also signing were Tanner's older brother, wide receiver Tyler Trosin (Oregon State), and all-purpose star Jordan Richards (Stanford); linebacker Burton DeKoning (Nevada) and offensive lineman Stephen Sippel (Cal Poly).
Richardson was particularly fond of the 2011 team (11-3) that returned to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II title game when many expected a bigger drop-off.
That overachiever aspect is reflected in the lighter college recruitment of this year's Folsom senior stars.
Still, there was a unifying theme: All are grateful for the opportunity to play at the next level and to pursue their football and educational goals with scholarship and grant money.
"We've come a long way," Madra said. "Everyone who has gotten a scholarship deserves it. It's hard work paying off."
Tanner Trosin shattered state passing and total offense records, yet Cal Poly, a run-oriented triple-option school, was his only scholarship offer.
The knock: Trosin's 6-foot-1, 175-pound stature and being what some recruiters consider a "system" quarterback. Trosin is looking forward to proving the skeptics wrong.
"I think we're going to have a lot of skill-position players to spread it around a bit and change things up a bit," Trosin said of Cal Poly's offense. "I'm fired up to show what I can do."
Vernon (6-4, 195) turned down two scholarship offers to attend Cornell, an Ivy League school in Ithaca, N.Y.
"This granted me the best opportunity," said Vernon, who plans to major in applied economics and minor in mathematics. "I love the coaches. I felt they would look out for me and guide me through college. Some of the other recruiters wanted me just for football."
The muscular 6-5, 273-pound Madra is looking forward to playing for new Weber State coach John L. Smith, who has won 132 games during stints at Idaho, Utah State, Louisville and Michigan State.
Madra's biggest goal is to become an attorney and make his mother, Shalini Madra, proud.
"Props to my mom," Madra said. "She raised me all by herself as a single mom. She's been a huge influence as far as never giving up."
By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com
By Joe Davidson The Sacramento Bee
By the time the most prolific quarterback in area history was done spinning the Elk Grove High School defenders in 360s with his legs and in fits with his passing skills Friday night, there was nothing anyone associated with the Thundering Herd could do but exhale and concede.
They got Tanner'd, and good.
With Tanner Trosin completing 24 of 34 passes for 377 yards and three touchdowns, and running for 125 more and a salt-it-away late score, the Folsom Bulldogs floored the previously unbeaten Thundering Herd 42-28 and stormed back into the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II title game.
Folsom harbors the same goal since last season's championship romp: repeat.
To put this effort in better perspective, consider Elk Grove's starters yielded six touchdowns in 12 weeks of unbeaten good living.
Trosin engineered five scoring drives himself, as he helped his team overcome an early 14-0 deficit and penalties and willed his Bulldogs back against a fast, hard-hitting defense that never got any clear shots at him.
The other Folsom score that didn't have Trosin's fingerprints was a dazzling 73-yard punt return by J'Juan Muldrow.
That Trosin largely remained upright - one sack - was testament to the 6-foot-1, 175-pound senior's tenacity and a superb offensive line anchored by Jordan Alleva.
"He's amazing," Elk Grove coach Chris Nixon said of Trosin. "He's like trying to chase a chicken. … Really, really talented and tough, and they played well. Great team, well-coached."
Trosin has flourished as a first-year starting quarterback - last season he backed up Dano Graves, the National Player of the Year - and continues to put up stunning numbers.
Trosin has 4,778 passing yards, a Northern California single-season record and third most in state history (and 45 touchdown passes).
He has rushed for 1,066 yards this fall with 19 scores. No area athlete has amassed 5,844 yards in a single season. The total is more than many teams have for a season.
Trosin hit Carson McMurtrey for a five-yard touchdown and Muldrow for strikes of 12 and 15 yards. Muldrow also had a five-yard touchdown run. Folsom (11-2) has lost only to Grant and Pleasant Grove this season.
Tommy Arnold returned a fumble 49 yards for an Elk Grove (12-1) touchdown. Rushing for scores were Wadus Parker (27 yards), Deon Ransom (26) and Robert Frazier (14) in a season that was a remarkable return to glory for the Herd.
Elk Grove was not able to sustain long drives to keep Trosin in check.
The Folsom defense was led by linebacker captain leaders Alex Wood and Mark Meyer, and defensive back Rodney Ellison had an interception and fumble recovery.
Folsom coach Kris Richardson runs the offense and raved about his line protection and another Trosin masterpiece. The game marked his 10th of 300 passing yards or more and his fifth of 100 rushing yards or more this season. By contrast, Graves had four 300-plus passing games and three 100-plus rushing games last season. He had 4,696 total yards.
Max Miller coordinates the Bulldogs' defense, and has that group eager for another opponent. Folsom will get one in another wing-T team in Vacaville, which defeated top-seeded Buhach Colony 27-17 in the other semifinal.
Folsom beat Grant last season to win the D-II title en route to a state D-II bowl win.
Friday evening, Trosin held onto the game ball, looking the part of battered leader, and smiled.
"So proud of our guys, very proud, and so excited," he said. "We want to win another championship."
Folsom's Tanner Trosin selected as State Player of the Year after shattering numerous records.
Any time a player does something no one else has ever done, then that player deserves player of the year recognition.
Thus Tanner Trosin of Folsom is an obvious choice for MaxPreps California Division II State Player of the Year.
Trosin became the first quarterback in state history to throw for more than 5,000 yards in a season. His 5,185 yards blew away the former record of 4,907, set by David Koral of Pacific Palisades in 1999, by close to 300 yards.
Furthermore, Trosin's 527 attempts, which tied with El Toro's Conner Manning for the most in the state this year, tied the state record while his 360 completions broke the previous mark.
Trosin also accounted for 69 touchdowns on the season, the second most in state history behind last year's Folsom quarterback Dano Graves, while his 6,364 yards of total offense is also easily a state record.
Trosin edges out Manning and Concord running back Olito Thompson for the prize. Manning set the single-season passing mark in Orange County while Thompson broke the Northern California record for most yards rushing in a single season.
By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com
There are a good number of spread-offense teams dotted across the Sacramento landscape in high school football, gobbling up first downs and scoring in bunches and making for an entertaining and affordable showcase.
And then there are the Folsom Bulldogs.
They are the masters of keeping teams guessing on defense, ultimately leaving them keeled over and spent.
On Friday night at Prairie City Stadium, the second-ranked Bulldogs devoured No. 15 Casa Roble 49-14 in a nonleague game of league championship contenders.
It was another sparkling complete-game effort for Folsom – and more evidence of an outfit fast building up avalanche momentum.
Dano Graves, the Sac-Joaquin Section's spread-offense whiz for his ability to read, react, pass, run and lead, accounted for seven touchdowns. He had five touchdown passes, two to Tyler Trosin and three to Marcus Hendricks, and ran for two scores.
Folsom has gone 4-0 since losing to Grant 49-14 to open the season.
There's no shame in that setback, certainly, given the Pacers' pedigree and No. 3 national ranking.
With superb line play giving Graves plenty of time to survey his options and slice teams apart, and a strong defense, the Bulldogs have outscored their last four victims 235-36.
The Bulldogs easily scored on their first seven possessions against Casa Roble with Graves at the helm before the starters sat the fourth quarter.
The defense forced three three-and-outs to open the game and four first-half punts.
And typical for Folsom the last two seasons, Graves leads the charge and everyone in Bulldogs blue follows suit.
"He's faster than any linebacker out there when he runs, and he can pass," Casa Roble coach Norm Ryan said of Graves. "He can put you in a world of hurt. I truly believe Folsom is the second-best team in the area – and then there's the rest of us."
Casa Roble (3-2) had its three-game winning streak halted. The young Rams have the pieces to run off another lengthy winning streak, but Folsom has made it a habit the last few weeks of making good teams look a step slow. And that's the whole idea with its point-a-minute offense that stretches teams sideline to sideline.
Graves hit superb route-runner Trosin for first-half scores of 20 and six yards, and Hendricks for strikes of seven, 20 and eight yards. Graves also scored on runs of two and 27 yards. He has not thrown an interception since the Grant game, and he has also sat out six quarters in the winning streak as Folsom has cleared the bench in the second half of routs.
"Dano's great with the ball in his hands," Folsom coach Kris Richardson said. "He's been fantastic."
So has the defense, with leaders in linemen Trevor Jones and Alec Grodecki, linebackers Burton Dekoning and Hendricks and a secondary that includes Tanner and Tyler Trosin, Jordan Richards and Kori Babineaux.
Mitch Samson had two touchdown passes for Casa Roble, one that cut it to 28-7 and the other to cut it to 42-14.
The Stanford-bound Richards was also named at the half as the school's Homecoming King, befitting the man's popularity and making for a thorough night for the Bulldogs.
Out goes the National Player of the Year.
In comes the new Northern California record holder.
Folsom (Calif.) senior quarterback Tanner Trosin, who last year backed up the MaxPreps National Player of the Year Dano Graves, threw for 601 yards and five touchdowns. That included the game-winner, a 40-yard strike to J'Juan Muldrow with 1:35 remaining, lifting the Bulldogs to a wild 49-46 nonleague win at Deer Valley (Antioch) on Friday.
Trosin completed 34 of 49 passes and had one intercepted.
The 601 yards is the third-most in state history, according to the CalHiSports.com record book (seventh edition), and broke the previous Northern California mark set by current Oregon State quarterback and previous Foothill (Pleasanton) standout Sean Mannion of 582 set two seasons ago.
Trosin's total absolutely shatters the previous Sac-Joaquin Section mark of 479 yards set by North Hills Christian (Vallejo) quarterback Darren Campas in 2004. The state and national record is 764 yards set by David Koral of Palisades (Pacific Palisades) in 2000.
Down 46-41 and facing fourth-and-15, Trosin fired a long bomb that was caught by the diving Muldrow for the score. A two-point conversion pass to Troy Knox gave Folsom (3-1) its final margin of victory.
Muldrow finished with 10 catches for 251 yards and Knox had 14 catches for 248 yards.
The passing exploits spoiled an otherwise spectacular night from Deer Valley's Matt Smith, who broke off a 44-yard touchdown run with 3:12 left to give the Wolverines a 46-41 lead. Smith finished with 231 yards rushing and five touchdowns.
Trosin, who also ran for a touchdown, has now thrown for 1,605 yards in four games with 15 touchdowns. He's rushed for six more.
Last season when Graves was injured, Trosin showed what he could do, completing 14 of 19 passes for 333 yards and two scores.
Graves passed for 3,702 yards and 62 touchdowns last season and rushed for just less than 1,000 yards and 23 more scores. His 85 touchdowns combined were a state record.
Trosin and Folsom should be in for quite a shootout next week as well.
The Bulldogs play at Casa Roble (Orangevale), which lost its opener 70-54 before pulling of wins of 50-49 and 61-58. Casa Roble is 2-1, yet has allowed 59 points per game.
Tanner Trosin has been named U.S. Air Force National Player of the Week.
The Folsom senior quarterback, who last year backed up the U.S. Air Force National Player of the Year Dano Graves, threw for 601 yards and five touchdowns in a nonleague win at Deer Valley on Sept. 16. That included the game-winner, a 40-yard strike to J'Juan Muldrow with 1:35 remaining.
Trosin completed 34 of 49 passes and had one intercepted.
The 601 yards is the third-most in state history, according to the CalHiSports.com record book (seventh edition), and broke the previous Northern California mark set by current Oregon State quarterback and previous Foothill (Pleasanton) standout Sean Mannion of 582 set two seasons ago.
Trosin's total absolutely shatters the previous Sac-Joaquin Section mark of 479 yards set by North Hills Christian (Vallejo) quarterback Darren Campas in 2004. The state and national record is 764 yards set by David Koral of Palisades (Pacific Palisades) in 2000.
Spring Football is right around the corner. The Bulldogs will hit the practice field for Spring Drills starting May 7th.
Keep checking back here at the Coaches Corner for updates and announcements.
