SAN RAMON, CA- De La Salle used a 24-point outburst in the second half to surge past host California (6-2, 5-1 EBAL) on Friday night, by a final score of 31-9. The Spartans (7-1) shrugged off a frustrating first half and tallied points on every single one of their possessions in the final two quarters, with the exception of their last.
The Spartan defense was phenomenal all night long, but especially in the second half when they allowed just three first downs to silence the California offense. They were exceptional at getting big stops on third downs throughout the contest, keeping the Grizzlies from developing any sort of rhythm.
“We still made too many mistakes which limited our options in the first half, but we played a lot better in the second half,” said De La Salle coach Justin Alumbaugh. “That was a tough, physical game and I liked how our guys responded.”
After sitting out last week’s game with an injury, De La Salle running back Kairee Robinson put up a monster game in his return to the field, rushing for 229 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries. Robinson delivered the knockout punch early in the fourth quarter on a sensational, breakaway touchdown run of 63 yards, that put California’s comeback hopes to rest.
“I feel good and I just wanted to come out and help my team get a victory, so it was nice coming back,” said Robinson.
The first quarter of the contest was a defensive battle on both sides, as each team was forced to punt twice. The Spartans opened the scoring as the second quarter began, when Robinson ran for a one-yard touchdown.
With just over three minutes to play in the first half, De La Salle looked to have scored its second touchdown of the game on a nine-yard run by Justice Peters, but the senior running back fumbled the ball on the goal line, just inches from the left pylon, and California recovered in the end zone for a touchback.
The Grizzlies took advantage of the turnover and drove down the field to set up a 21-yard field goal by Justin Lego, cutting the deficit to 7-3 as halftime approached. The scoring drive was highlighted by back-to-back pass receptions of 36 and 27 yards by California wide receiver Brandon Perrilliat. Perrilliat was one of the lone bright spots for the Grizzly offense throughout the night, hauling in six catches for 99 yards.
The De La Salle offense took command in the second half, leaning heavily on a rushing attack that combined for over 465 yards on the ground.
“In the second half, there were a lot of openings outside, so I was just bouncing it outside and trying to get up field,” said Robinson.
Alongside Robinson, the Spartans got a nice contribution from Peters, who rushed for 113 yards on 13 carries. Robinson got things started on a 10-yard touchdown run, just four and a half minutes into the half.
Kicker Jackson Walsh converted on a 42-yard field goal try near the end of the third quarter, pushing the Spartans’ advantage to 17-3.
After Robinson’s electrifying 63-yard touchdown run at the start of the final quarter, Peters capped off the De La Salle scoring with a nine-yard touchdown run, to make it 31-3.
California ended up scoring its lone touchdown of the game of their last possession, as running back Carlos Gomez ran it in from one yard out.
Looking ahead to next Friday’s action, De La Salle will travel to Union City to take on James Logan, while California will remain home for its Homecoming game against Dublin.
