CONCORD – The first play by host De La Salle of the second part of a four-team all Catholic school scrimmage on Friday night pretty much summed it up.
Marin Catholic-Kentfield showed some real promise, Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland has some solid returning talent, Riordan-San Francisco took some lumps, but the bottom line is even though to the average California high school football fans De La Salle has lots of new faces, the boys that will be doing the marching for Sparta this season have just been biding their time and waiting in the wings for a chance to carry on the tradition of the greatest high school football program in history.
The Spartans had just finished using some starters and a lot of reserves on offense and defense in two periods in which they pretty much pushed around Bishop O’Dowd. After that the time came for them to take on Marin Catholic while O’Dowd matched up with Riordan.
The Spartans were on offense first and on the very first play the ball went to junior running back Kairee Robinson, and after the De La Salle starting offensive line pan-caked the Wildcats defensive line the powerfully-built 5-7, 186-pound Robinson sprinted up the middle and past the outstretched arms of the Marin Catholic defenders and into the end zone.
Marin Catholic was without top returner and Colorado-committed 6-4, 248-pound senior defensive end Sebastian Olver (tender ankle), and still actually held its own at times against the De La Salle offensive starters and subs, but it still didn’t stop Sparta from four straight marches to the end zone on offense from 40-yards out.
On the second series new Spartan quarterback Abel Ordaz, a 6-0, 175-pund senior that showed good accuracy and mobility, found 6-2, 193-pound junior tight end Luke Freeman for a 25-yard touchdown.
De La Salle scored twice more including a 1-yard plunge by wrestler turned bulldog 5-8, 185-pound senior running back Jonathon Hackett, and a nifty 15-yard run by Robinson. It looked like it would be five-straight scores until Marin County Athletic League 100-meter record holder Hunter Juarez (10.6) streaked in front of the Spartans receiver to make an interception.
A player that looked very good and was the top Spartans returner on the recently released Cal-Hi Sports Preseason All North Coast Section First Team at defensive back is 5-11, 170-pound senior and team co-captain Tre’ White.
“Tre’ is no doubt our top returner on defense, and he will also play running back and get a lot of carries,” Spartans’ Coach Justin Alumbaugh said in an interview that was mostly for a Freelance Preview of De La Salle and James Logan coming out early this week.
As if prophetic White got a lot of carries in the scrimmage and had some real nice runs. The backfield of De La Salle looks re-loaded with Robinson and White the glamour-type grinders with Hackett the plunger on short yardage situations.
By far the top lineman at the scrimmage who is looking like the next big star on the Spartans line if he can keep himself on the field is 6-2, 310-pound junior Tuli Letuligasenoa. On the big run by Robinson he single-handedly collapsed his side of the Marin Catholic line opening a hole big enough for one of the busses that brought the visiting teams to drive through.
“Tuli was our best guy,” was an assessment of the scrimmage by Alumbaugh.
“Tuli will be a key but he has to stay healthy,” said Spartans’ longtime top De La Salle assistant Terry Eidson.
Several other De La Salle players looked good and were Cal-Hi Sports NCS pre-season selections, and they will be mentioned in the Freelance Preview.
All in all it was a fairly good scrimmage for a young De La Salle team
“We’ve got a lot of young guys, a really young team, but we’re excited about this group,” Eidson said.
Master Yoda makes his appearance
Legendary De La Salle head coach and current assistant Bob Ladouceur was at mid-field right behind the action, and either by himself away from the other coaches, or alongside longtime fellow assistant coach Joe Aliotti. When by himself with hand on chin Lad was almost like Master Yoda of Star Wars fame.
He doesn’t say much but he observes everything and will occasionally talk to a player, or if he sees something real wrong will go right to his protégé Alumbaugh.
Cal-Hi Sports Co-founder and Editor Mark Tennis says it best.
“People don’t get it. Nothing has changed. All the coaches that built it from scratch are still there, Lad, Eidson and Aliotti.”
Marin Catholic shows promise
O’Dowd had its moments but the consensus amongst the coaches and the few football analysts at the scrimmage was Marin Catholic looked next in the pecking order of the four teams, albeit a somewhat distant second.
“We’re not at the level of a De La Salle but it was a great experience,” Marin Catholic Coach Mazi Moayed said. “We got a chance to learn a lot about our team.”
Olver didn’t get a chance to impress the De La Salle coaches but according to Moayed lineman Chantz Russell and quarterback Spencer Petras did and conveyed that to him afterwards.
Russell, a 6-6, 275-pound senior held his own against De La Salle and shined in the scrimmage with Riordan. Petras, a 6-5, 218-pound junior, ran for a score and found 6-3, 205-pound senior wide receiver Jack Hogeboom for another touchdown as Marin Catholic scored on its first four possessions against Riordan. Hogeboom also had an interception against Riordan and covered well as a defensive back.
O’Dowd returns talent
Based on how each fared against De La Salle the coaches and analysts felt Bishop O’Dowd was right behind Marin Catholic going into the season. The Dragons certainly have some excellent talent for second-year Coach Napoleon Kaufman, the 1990 Cal-Hi Sports Mr. Football State Player of the Year at Lompoc, Oakland Raiders star, and current Raiders team chaplain. It was too bad the two didn’t scrimmage each other so an even better look could have been taken, plus both are in the NCS Division III playoffs this season.
The player that looked the best for Twitter-handled Pastor Napoleon on Friday night during the time O’Dowd was observed was Je’quari Godfrey-baggett. The Cal-committed 6-2, 190-pound defensive back was repeatedly tested by De La Salle and he looked pretty good in coverage.
Jordan Jackson, a 6-4, 235-pound senior defensive end played hard but it’s not easy getting past the De La Salle offensive line.
O’Dowd looks like a team that is still developing a bit but under Kaufman don’t be surprised if this team is really rolling come playoff time.
No homecoming for Riordan’s Fordon
It was supposed to be a homecoming for second-year Riordan Coach Kevin Fordon, a 2000 graduate of De La Salle where he played two varsity seasons for Ladouceur, but he wasn’t able to make the scrimmage due to a wedding on the east coast.
“Super bummed not to be there on the other sideline,” Fordon texted before catching a flight out last week.
The Crusaders lost a ton of talent and only return four starters, and although they played hard on Friday night they took some lumps.
A player to look for is Folasa’aitu “Lasa” Tofi, a 5-9, 220-pound running back and linebacker.
