Can storied De La Salle reclaim CIF state football championship?
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CONCORD — During an on-field award ceremony after last year’s state championship game, De La Salle star Henry To’oto’o embraced Shamar Garrett and whispered into the running back/safety’s ear.
At that moment, as Mater Dei celebrated a second consecutive state title, the torch was passed to the next De La Salle star.
The Concord powerhouse faced long odds last season, even longer after To’oto’o — now at the University of Tennessee — broke his foot on the eve of the championship game and was a shell of himself as he gutted out reps at linebacker and could not play running back.
The odds will be daunting again Saturday night as St. John Bosco and its bevy of major-college prospects try to deny De La Salle from reclaiming the California Interscholastic Federation Open Division state championship for the fourth consecutive season.
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De La Salle is once again a heavy underdog, so heavy, in fact, that the question must be asked:
Do the Spartans have a chance?
That question was asked the past few years as Bosco and Mater Dei took football in this state to another stratosphere, and the answer in 2016 and 2017 clearly was no.
Last year De La Salle had a chance in the middle of the fourth quarter, trailing by only seven points even with To’oto’o on the sideline.
Now?
“I’m confident that we can compete with anybody,” De La Salle coach Justin Alumbaugh said. “We’re going to have to play well. But we can compete with anybody.”
This De La Salle team doesn’t have the major-college prospects that Bosco will spread all over the field, but it has athletes. Lots of athletes.
And experience, too.
Running backs Garrett and James Coby are no strangers to the big stage. Same with quarterback Dorian Hale and receivers Grant Daley and Lu Magia Hearns, who is healthy after dealing with a hamstring issue much of the season.
Linemen Benjamin Roe and Wyatt Crespi have been around the block a few times as well.
Clayton Valley Charter coach Tim Murphy, who has seen De La Salle many times through the years, including a loss late this season, is not ruling out an upset Saturday night.
He marveled at DLS’s quickness.
“The fact that they’re really fast this year, one of the fastest teams they’ve ever had, they play good defense and they run a system, you always have a chance when you run a system,” Murphy said. “I know the talent level, it’s kind of like when De La Salle plays one of us. Now all of a sudden it’s the opposite way. But, yeah, I think they’ve got a chance. I definitely do.
“If they were a spread team or they’re a grab-bag offense, they’d have zero chance. Now you’re just playing the talent level vs. the talent level. But because De La Salle runs a system, it gives bigger, faster schools problems.”
Bob Ladouceur, the architect of the De La Salle program who stepped down as head coach after the 2012 season, has studied Bosco on film and acknowledges that “we’re going to have our hands full.”
He said of the recent versions of Bosco and Mater Dei, “I’ve commented here and there that I think they could compete in the Mountain West.”
That might not be far-fetched. Just look at the recruiting list. Clemson, Ohio State, Oregon, Washington and USC are among the schools that have received commitments from Bosco seniors.
But Ladouceur also thinks this DLS team has a better shot than the past couple of editions that have fallen short of the state championship.
“These kids matured at the skill positions,” Ladouceur said. “The quarterback’s better, Hale, and we’re confident that our line is going to hold their own a lot better and they’ll fight. I think it’s going to be more competitive. Even if we were playing Mater Dei, I think it would be more competitive.”
Does DLS have any margin of error?
“We don’t have to be perfect,” Alumbaugh said. “But don’t get me wrong. We have to be really, really good. But, no, we don’t have to be perfect. That’s something we have been discussing with our team about.”
Turnovers have been an issue for De La Salle in these games the past few years and Alumbaugh noted that part of the problem was probably players trying to be too flawless.
“In some respect, I appreciate that because they’re trying so hard,” Alumbaugh added.
In a noteworthy coincidence, Bosco offensive coordinator Steven Lo is Serra’s former offensive coordinator. Serra’s coach is Patrick Walsh, a former De La Salle star and longtime friend of Alumbaugh’s.
Has Lo’s name come up in Alumbaugh’s conversations with Walsh?
“Yeah, a little bit,” Alumbaugh said, laughing. “But, you know, by now there’s not much more to ask. I mean, that’d be like someone calling Patrick and asking about us. It’s obvious what we’re doing.”
Garrett, who was given the leadership torch from To’oto’o after last season’s state championship, said the Spartans just have to play their game.
“We’re going to pound the rock, obviously,” Garrett said. “We just can’t make too many mistakes.”