The scene for the second straight match-up between Northern and Southern California Catholic school powerhouses De La Salle-Concord and Mater Dei-Santa Ana moves back to the Southland and Cerritos College for the Saturday night CIF Open Division championship title tilt.
For De La Salle the move back down south after three years at Sacramento State might be a blessing in disguise. For the first nine years after the CIF re-instituted state championships in football in 2006, and the games were held in Carson, De La Salle went 6-3 including four straight Open Division titles from 2009-2012.
The Spartans won the first year at Hornet Stadium in a hard-fought 28-21 win over Centennial-Corona but the last two years have been disastrous in losses to St. John Bosco, 56-33 in 2016 and 52-21 last year to Mater Dei.
It’s one thing to lose, and De La Salle under legendary coach and movie man Bob Ladouceur, and now in the past five years under his protégé and current Coach Justin Alumbaugh, has always been classy and gracious when they’ve lost, but giving up 50 points in two consecutive losses to their Southern California opponents is not something the Spartans and their faithful stomach very easily.
In some respects it was beginning to look like the option and veer offense and a defense designed to stop the run was no longer a match for the high-powered offenses of St. John Bosco and Mater Dei that are recently re-loading each year with not only the top talent in Southern California but from parts beyond as well.
Last year is last year and every year is different. What the score of the game was the last time they met for what is really the only state championship, with all the other winners divisional champions, really has no bearing on this game.
What has to change and has this season is the repertoire Alumbaugh and his staff, including Ladouceur, brings to the field this time. For the last two seasons at the annual trek to a pre-season practice, Alumbaugh, and even Lad, have begrudgingly admitted that to beat the top teams from Southern California they need to be able to pass and stop the pass. In the last two Open appearances they really did neither.
The good news for Spartans fans is this team is different, and better, and even though they’ve rarely had to unleash the variety of offensive possibilities this year’s group of players offers Alumbaugh, it’s all going to have come out of hiding if De La Salle is to have a chance against the Mater Dei juggernaut.
There is no question De La Salle is going to run the vaunted veer, with junior 1000-yard rusher Shamar Garrett the primary running back, and 6-2, 205-pound two-way senior star Henry To’oto’o likely seeing some carries, and both will hopefully hang onto the pigskin.
Because the Spartans have only been tested in a couple of games this season 6-0, 175-pound sophomore quarterback Dorian Hale has not been called upon to pass a lot, but that could change, and its exactly what will have to change according to those previous and current predictions of the coaching staff. Alumbaugh was pretty blunt.
“We need to throw the ball effectively when needed and we have to make sure we protect the ball,” Alumbaugh said. “We had eight fumbles last year.”
Two names that could be called a few times if the passing game has any success are 6-2, 180-pound junior wide receiver Grant Daly, the Spartans leading wide receiver, and 6-5, 235-pound two-way star and tight end Isaiah Foskey. Alumbaugh has hardly used Foskey as a receiver this year but somehow that is likely going to change. In fact, he’s only caught five passes but the big fella has rumbled to pay dirt three times.
After being forced to forfeit a game to start the season for using an ineligible player and then getting trounced 41-18 at Santa Ana Stadium by St. John Bosco in Trinity League action, it wasn’t looking like legendary Monarchs Coach Bruce Rollinson and his boys were going to make a return appearance in the CIF Open title game. But despite the setback in league Mater Dei met Bosco again in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 title game two weeks ago and after overcoming an early 7-0 deficit they turned it around with a 17-13 victory to punch their ticket to Falcon Field.
Quarterback JT Daniels and receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown are both off to USC but a new cast of characters presents itself for the Spartans to contain.
Bryce Young, a 6-0, 185-pound junior quarterback that fits the current Mater Dei mold of doing some running when needed, has some very solid numbers. He threw for 300-yards against Bosco in the first game and in the second meeting he was a solid 15 of 22 for 177 yards and one touchdown. The new favorite target is 6-3, 205 pound Bru McCoy and he’s been a load with over 1,300 yards receiving and 17 touchdowns. He had six catches for 72 yards and the one TD reception in the CIFSS D1 title game.
The running game is led by 5-7, 185-pound senior Glenn Harper (1,150 yards rushing and 17 TDs) and 5-10, 185-pound senior Sean Dollars.
Even if De La Salle can find ways to score, the defense, led by To’oto’o and Foskey plus others, is going to have to keep from being outscored.
“We’re a much better team than last year,” Alumbaugh remarked. “But we have to make it happen on the field. We can’t give up big plays, we have to collapse the pocket on their quarterback, and make something happen on special teams.”
Pretty much every analyst, pundit, prognosticator, and a preponderance of the plethora of self-proclaimed experts, has the game in the bag for Mater Dei, but don’t tell that to De La Salle. No one likes being embarrassed once, let alone twice or three times, particularly a Spartan, and De La Salle wants this bad. Whether or not they have the mustard to go with the hotdog remains the question.
“As far as favorite or underdog our approach is ALWAYS the same,” Alumbaugh texted with always in caps. “Be the best version of ourselves with maximum effort and discipline. Results happen from that.”
“We prepared for this by playing Folsom right at the start and playing a non-league schedule of teams still playing for state titles,” Alumbaugh continued. “If we made it to this game we knew exactly what type of team we would face.”
Mater Dei may be No. 1 in every national ranking but they’re still only 1-4 all time against De La Salle, and win or lose there is no question Alumbaugh will see to it his boys leave everything on the field to try and make it 1-5 and end the two-game Open skid.
