ATWATER -- When Matt Small fell on top of a loose ball early in the first quarter, whipping the home side into a frozen frenzy, he had no way of knowing it would be fortune's final kiss.
For a few minutes, the world seemed right, just as it had been for the first 12 weeks of Buhach Colony's season.
The Thunder had forced yet another turnover, and two plays later, Corey Chapman strode into the end zone with Buhach Colony's first strike -- a 33-yard, sprint through the heart of Folsom's defense.
Merced Sun-Star - James Burns
But in this game, this Sac-Joaquin Section semifinal played in near-freezing temperatures, Buhach Colony was perfect in only one category: break efficiency.
One break.
One touchdown.
Law of averages suggests that "the breaks" -- turnovers, penalties and the odd goofs that take place from time to time -- would balance out over the course of a game. Not Friday night. Not for Buhach Colony.
This game and its purse -- a berth in next week's Division II championship game at Sacramento State -- belonged to No. 4 Folsom and its little magician, quarterback Dano Graves.
Folsom had it all working, backing up last week's 75-6 drubbing of Vacaville with another blowout of a high seed. Only this time it was the top seed, the dark horse from down south: Folsom 55, Buhach Colony 20.
No taller than your grandmother, Graves was the triggerman for this pinball offense that kept the lights on the scoreboard flashing Friday.
He led the Bulldogs to touchdowns on six of their first seven drives, accounting for four of the scores before bowing out to injury in the third quarter.
His numbers were tame by superstar standards -- 15-of-20 passing for 210 yards and two touchdowns; 63 rushing yards, two TDs.
But more than Graves, or Folsom head coach Kris Richardson's gameplan, Friday night was defined by the small seismic shifts that, in the end, swallowed Buhach Colony's season the way a tsunami would a shoreline.
Lady Fortune, the bombshell who wore Vegas Gold throughout the fall, left Falcon Field on Folsom's arm.
The breaks, they belonged to Folsom. Those small seismic shifts, you ask:
Tough break No. 1: Buhach Colony kicker Tanner Gleason has been one of the most accurate and strong-footed kickers in the section this season, yet his opening kickoff missed badly. Asked to squib the ball to the deep corner, the kick bounced into the lap of Trevor Jones, the up man at the 24. Not so bad, right? Jones returned it to the Buhach Colony 9. Three plays later, Graves pranced across the goal line for the game's first chin-check.
Tough break No. 2: Later, just when it looked like BC might hold, Folsom was gifted a first down on an egregious pass interference penalty.
Staring at a fourth-and-long, Graves sent a bullet over the middle for Trosin, who was blanketed by BC defensive back Jayce Webster. The ball beat Webster to Trosin, a clear sign that the incompletion was, well, an incompletion.
As BC began to celebrate its fourth-down stand, a flag flew from the opposite boundary. Like a grenade from behind enemy lines, shattering Buhach Colony's spirits. Eventually, that drive finished with a familiar Folsom picture op: Graves in the end zone, beaming behind his bars, flipping the ball back to the referee.
Things got so bad for Buhach Colony that, at times, it couldn't get out of its own way.
All season long, head coach Kevin Swartwood had called the right number, picking the right play or player at just the right time.
On Friday, he could have used a mulligan. Or two. Or three.
Take the team's final offensive play of the first half, on what was easily the BC's most impressive drive of the game.
Trailing 28-14 and in a four-down frame of mind, Buhach went with a toss left on fourth-and-2 at the Folsom 10-yard line.
Just one problem.
The pitch was collected by Dallon Muse at the 17 and it took all he had to get back to the line of scrimmage.
A run up the middle with Chapman or Muse probably would have done the trick, and a touchdown there may have kept Lady Fortune home.
As it is, she's in Folsom now with her new squeeze, getting fitted for a championship ring.
James Burns is regional sports content editor of the Merced Sun-Star and Modesto Bee. He can be reached at jburns@mercedsun-star.com.
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