As this feature continues to take shape we are going to a format this week where we have three games. There will be a featured game of the week from either the North Coast, Central Coast or Sac-Joaquin Sections, and then the two sections that don’t get the featured game will also have a game preview/write-up that will be shorter. This week De La Salle takes center stage as the Spartans invade a familiar territory on the other side of Mount Diablo in San Ramon where they face California. The CCS is represented by the Serra at Mitty WCAL clash, while the SJS game is a Sierra Foothill showdown between Del Oro and visiting Oak Ridge.
De La Salle-Concord (6-1) at California-San Ramon (6-1, 5-1 East Bay Athletic League), Friday, 7 pm
Despite the fact De La Salle is no longer in the East Bay Athletic League since going independent in 2012, or the Bay Valley Athletic League they belonged to for a while between stints in the EBAL, the Spartans still play a mix of teams from those leagues each season, with primarily EBAL teams on their schedule.
Last year they only had San Ramon Valley and California from the EBAL and beat shut out both. This season the P2P NCS top-ranked Spartans opened with Amador Valley, and have already played San Ramon Valley and Foothill, with California and then a regular season finale at home against Monte Vista.
One of the reasons this is the top game is whenever the chit-chat starts prior to what is perceived as a possible tough march for Sparta, the annual question always comes up about whether or not a team north of Fresno can pin a loss on the Spartans, something that has not happened since 1991 when Pittsburg beat De La Salle 35-27 in the NCS Division 3A title game.
This week against California would seem to fit the bill as a tough match-up for De La Salle since they’ve had two close games against EBAL and BVAL opponents. They bested P2P NCS No. 17 San Ramon Valley in a 28-27 road win, and the week before that they came away with a 28-21 home victory over Antioch. NCS P2P No. 6 California has a lone loss and it was 27-24 at home to P2P NCS No. 4 Monte Vista.
For the Spartans to keep their streak going they will need to do all the things coach Justin Alumbaugh told Nate Smith in his De La Salle feature. They can’t fumble like they’ve had a propensity to do this season, cut down on other mental mistakes, and they must continue to be physical up front on both sides of the ball, something they were last week in a 35-0 win over a Foothill team that only lost 28-15 to California.
They will also need junior running back Kairee Robinson to be at full strength. He missed last week with back spasms, but according to Alumbaugh he’s back this week. Quarterback Abel Ordaz is beginning to look more comfortable running the Spartans offense and that’s a plus.
This evolution during the season is not something that is unfamiliar to those that have followed De La Salle for a long time. Many past years the Spartans have not come together until late in the season and the fact it’s a young group has some thinking this year’s group might not follow suit.
For California to win they will have to control the ball and keep the De La Salle offense off the field, and that’s pretty hard to do. Even though many think this is a sub-par season for Sparta, the Concord boys are still averaging around 33 points per game.
The Grizzlies have several players that can run the ball, and despite only passing for 883 yards in seven games, junior quarterback Ryan Wright has thrown 15 touchdown passes with only one interception. Eight different receivers have caught a TD pass so it might be a busy night for the Spartans secondary, led by cornerback Tre White.
This will be the fourth meeting between former De La Salle teammates Billeci and Alumbaugh. The two pupils of legendary De La Salle Coach Bob Ladouceur played together on the 1995 and 1996 teams before Billeci graduated in 1997 and Alumbaugh in 1998.
Obviously Billeci has not beaten Alumbaugh in the previous three match-ups, and if that’s going to change it will have to be a drastic turnaround since the Grizzlies haven’t even scored in the previous three Alumbaugh/Billeci meetings, losing 55-0 in 2013, 42-0 in 2014 and 47-0 last year.
California’s Prep2Prep student contributor Brendan Ogburn will be at the game for coverage that could turn into one heck of a story if Billeci can turn the tables on his old mate.
Other Games to Watch
Serra-San Mateo (3-4, 3-1 West Catholic Athletic League) at Archbishop Mitty (4-3, 2-2 WCAL), Saturday, 1 pm
Prep2Prep Central Coast Section No. 7 Serra has been clawing its way back up the ladder after opening the season with four straight losses to teams that are all ranked in the Cal-Hi Sports Top 25 rankings. Since then, Coach Patrick Walsh has seen his boys win three in-a-row with the biggest victory coming in a 41-40 win over P2P CCS No. 2 St. Francis, a game that gets the Padres a tie at 3-1 with the Lancers for second place behind Valley Christian in the wild-and-wacky West Catholic Athletic League.
P2P CCS No.8 Mitty is tied with Bellarmine at 2-2 in the WCAL and has the same 4-3 record as the Bells, but after a 42-0 loss to a St. Francis team that has a 21-12 win over Bellarmine but also the loss to Serra, means this is going to be a tall order for the Monarchs, and although we have it as one of Northern California’s top games this could be a blowout for the Padres despite it being on the road.
But then again sometimes things that should happen in the WCAL don’t, and things that shouldn’t happen do. It’s Kind of a Yogi-ism of sorts.
Del Oro-Loomis (7-1, 3-1 Sierra Foothill League) hosting Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills (6-1, 3-0), Friday, 7:30 pm
Prep2Prep CIF Sac-Joaquin Section No. 4 Del Oro bounced back from a shellacking by Folsom to post a solid win over a good Rocklin group behind the rushing TDs of running back of Dalton Gee and quarterback Stone Smartt.
Oak Ridge, now up to No. 5 in the SJS pecking order, has a lone loss, 55-34 to Northern Nevada large school defending champion Reed-Sparks, and that team has a lone loss to P2P NCS No. 3 Clayton Valley-Concord.
The two have similar scores against their two common opponents. Del Oro has a 26-14 win over Rocklin and a 42-21 win against Granite Bay. Oak Ridge beat Rocklin, 27-15, and has a 28-0 victory over Granite Bay.
Del Oro needs a win to stay in the Sierra Foothill race while Oak Ridge could stay unbeaten in league and tied with Folsom for first place. Folsom has a bye this week but ends league play in three weeks with Oak Ridge.
This could very well be one of those games where a goal line stand produces a winner and likely will be a great game.
