De La Salle is a well-rounded West Coast squad, like Stanford, and would be a slight favorite against a Wisconsin-like team like Archbishop Moeller.
Photo by David Hood
Rose Bowl, Wisconsin vs. Stanford
High school equivalent: De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) vs.
Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati)Rankings: (Xcellent 25, MaxPreps Freeman Rankings): De La Salle: 4, 1; Archbishop Moeller 25, 6
Stanford has a rich football tradition and prep powerhouse De La Salle has set the standard for excellence under head coach Bob Ladouceur and is a logical choice to represent the West Coast in the mythical high school Rose Bowl game.
The Spartans overcame Mullen in their notable interstate game this fall, and, as has become customary, took home a section championship and made a CIF State Bowl Game appearance after shutting down Folsom's touted spread offense.
In its bowl game, De La Salle overwhelmed Corona Centennial with a methodical offense and a punishing defense. By season's end, De La Salle could have beaten any team in the country.
Jonathan Bucher and Moeller haveabsorbed defeats but also havepersevered through one of the nation'stoughest brackets.
Photo by Michael Noyes
Like Wisconsin, Moeller's season followed a peculiar path. Whereas the Badgers earned a berth in the Rose Bowl despite five losses, Moeller dropped its share of games, including a 28-point loss to St. Xavier, before eventually winning Ohio's Division I title, typically one of the most difficult postseason tournaments to win.
Moeller is a big, physical team, characteristics that are often used to describe Wisconsin. 6-foot, 180-pound running back
Keith Watkins II ran behind a giant offensive line led by future Miami Hurricane
Alex Gall, who checks in at 6-5, 295.
Spencer Iacovone is a poised, experienced signal-caller - the type of quarterback that could test De La Salle's defense.
Given how daunting De La Salle looks in December, Moeller would need to play a flawless game to defeat the Spartans.
Our computer projection (neutral field): De La Salle 31, Archbishop Moeller 28
