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CONCORD — At this point in the season, it’s pretty much a foregone conclusion that De La Salle is likely to win another North Coast Section championship and play one of the SoCal titans for the California Interscholastic Federation Open Division crown.
The Spartans ran their record to 8-1 on Friday night, rolling past San Ramon Valley 52-0. Quarterback Dorian Hale ran for one touchdown and threw for another. So did running back Shamar Garrett, who hooked up with Peter Mazolewski on a 64-yard option pass in the second quarter as DLS built a 31-0 halftime lead.
San Ramon Valley (5-3) played hard, a fact acknowledged by both head coaches — Aaron Becker of the Wolves and Justin Alumbaugh of De La Salle. But when all was said and done, the Spartans held a 474-77 bulge in total yardage. SRV did not run a single play inside De La Salle territory.
Now, as the season winds down, the Spartans freely admit they are looking ahead to the playoffs, especially an anticipated meeting with a Mater Dei or St. John Bosco.
“We prepare for the team we will be playing each week.” wide receiver/defensive back Lu Magia Hearns said. “But the coaching staff also implements stuff we might see down the road.”
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Against San Ramon Valley, the Spartans ran 29 plays in the first half. Nineteen were rushing plays that went for 207 yards. The Spartans threw 10 times, completing seven for 130 yards and two touchdowns. De La Salle scored on its first eight possessions.
“We’re always trying to see how our program can get better,” Alumbaugh said. “Compete with anybody in the country. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
In the first half, the Spartans put an emphasis on “trying to spread the (San Ramon Valley) defense out a lot more,” Hearns said.
It worked as Garrett, Grant Daley and tight end Isaiah Burton all caught passes. One of Daley’s receptions went for a touchdown, as did the option pass from Garrett to Mazolewski.
The Spartans only threw one pass in the second half, a 30-yard completion from backup quarterback Sam Odell to sophomore Brodie Tagaloa. As much as De La Salle wants to prepare for what’s ahead, it doesn’t want to run up the score.
The defense, on the other hand, didn’t have to worry about going basic. Friday was a good night to test the secondary, as San Ramon Valley is a passing offense that has gained a little over 60 percent of its yardage this season through the air.
San Ramon Valley completed six of 14 passes for 51 yards and managed just 26 yards rushing.
“They had less than 100 yards, so that was good,” said running back/defensive James Coby, who scored on a 10-yard run.
The secondary has been a little bit of a work in progress for the Spartans this season. De La Salle paid a price in graduation last season, losing Henry To’oto’o, Jhasi Wilson, Amir Wallace and Taveis Marshall. To’oto’o and Wilson were linebackers whom the Spartans relied on for pass coverage.
“You lose all those guys, they were big, physical kids,” Alumbaugh said. “But this team’s speed is one of the best I’ve had.”
The speed in the secondary has forced opponents into trying to move with short passes. Monte Vista had some success earlier this month, but Garrett and Coby said the secondary did a pretty good job of containing San Ramon Valley. The Spartans had one interception.
San Ramon Valley might be good down the road, but this season it’s a young team with sophomore quarterback Jack Quigley and a host of underclassmen at wide receiver.
“I thought our kids played tough,” Becker said. “I was pleased with the effort. We could have folded, but we didn’t. We hung with them defensively in the first quarter, in the first half. But anything we tried to get going offensively, they took away.”
De La Salle will have to play good defense against either Mater Dei or St. John Bosco. Both have premier quarterbacks.
“Their quarterbacks are incredible,” Alumbaugh said. “Today you’ve got to have a good quarterback to have a chance.”
Of his own quarterback, Alumbaugh said, “We’re happy with the guy we have back there. He can create problems for defenses. He can run, he can make the underneath throws, he can make the deep throws. He’s pretty dynamic. He can drop back, then run.”
Hale scored the game’s first touchdown with a 43-yard run less than two minutes after the opening kickoff. He ran five more times after that, and finished the night with 71 yards on the ground.
It was one more step for De La Salle toward the ultimate prize — a meeting in the CIF Open Division championship and possibly a state title, a coveted prize the Spartans haven’t won since 2015.
