Rocklin High School tops Northern California after statement win
ROCKLIN, Calif. — The Rocklin High School Thunder won the Sierra Football League on Oct. 22 with a 29-7 win over Grant High School. The Thunder are 9-0 overall and 6-0 in the Sierra Football League.
An earlier game in October 2021 may be the moment a power shift in Northern California happened.
Why? The Rocklin High School Thunder smashed the perennial powerhouse Folsom High School 40-7, snapping the Folsom Bulldogs 54-game league winning streak.
Rocklin, located in the suburbs of Sacramento, California, has built competitive football programs in the past. The program ranked second in the state and first in the Sacramento Bee’s high school football rankings in 2009, when the team went 14-1. The Thunder has featured in the Sacramento Bee top-ten four other times since 2001 and played in two section finals in the Sierra Foothill League.
The Folsom Bulldogs have been the dominate Division I football program in the region for more than a decade. As of 2018, the Bulldogs had one seven section championships in ten years.
3 interceptions help the Thunder take the lead 21-7 at halftime! @SacBee_JoeD @cameronsalerno1 @KCRAdapper @NMPecoraro pic.twitter.com/DYCN6AEwG9
— Rocklin High Sports (@RocklinSports) October 16, 2021
Folsom has sent a handful of players to top college programs and into the NFL including quarterback Jake Browning (University of Washington and Minnesota Vikings), tight end Josiah Deguara (University of Cincinnati and Green Bay Packers) safety Jordan Richards (Stanford University and the Baltimore Ravens), and offensive tackle Jonah Williams (University of Alabama and Cincinnati Bengals).
Much of Rocklin’s success comes from their special teams and consistent offensive playmaking.
Rocklin’s senior wide receiver Elias Mullican is second in the league with nine touchdowns. Senior quarterback Kenny Lueth is third in the SFL in total passing yards with 1,026 yards and has a 62.2 percent completion rate, 15 touchdowns and only two interceptions before being injured in late September. Junior quarterback Joey Roberts has stepped up. He passed for more than 200 yards and two touchdowns against Folsom and continues to be consistent for the Thunder.
Overall, Rocklin is second in the league with 45 total touchdowns, 19 sacks, and a league-leading 18 interceptions. Four of those interceptions came from the Folsom game and Mullican leading Rocklin receivers with six receptions for 79 yards. Senior running back Anthony Johnston added 58 yards and two touchdowns on a staggering 23 carriers, too.
As things currently stand, Rocklin enters the Northern California Division I playoff brackets as the first seed. Coincidentally, if teams are seeded based on the current standings, Rocklin and Folsom sit at opposite ends of the bracket and would play each other in the championship if both teams win out.
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