De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) vs. Servite (Anaheim, Calif.)
John Velasco and De La Salle are making a trip to Southern California to play Servite. If things go the way they want them to, there will be a second SoCal jaunt - for a state bowl game.
Photo by Dennis Lee
No. 16 De La Salle's one and only regular-season game against a Southern California opponent this year in a game that will be played at Santa Ana Stadium on Saturday. The Spartans (5-0) clobbered San Ramon Valley (Danville), 47-21, last week to extend their NorCal winning streak to a remarkable 241 straight games. Senior running back
John Velasco leads De La Salle with 748 rushing yards on 83 carries and a team-high eight touchdowns. After a 24-point loss on the road against No. 25 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), Servite has won three in a row including a week 2 win over then-nationally ranked Long Beach Poly. The Friars' top offensive weapon has been junior quarterback
Travis Waller, who also averages nearly nine yards per carry and has scored four touchdowns rushing and four more through the air.
Just the facts: The last time these teams played was the 2010 Open Division state championship game. De La Salle won decisively, 48-8, on a rain-soaked night at the Home Depot Center. … Both squads have first-year head coaches who previously were on staff as assistants and who also are former players for their programs. Justin Alumbaugh (a 1998 De La Salle grad) became Spartans head coach when legendary coach Bob Ladouceur stepped down last January. A.J. Gass (Servite Class of 1993) took over at Servite when Troy Thomas left to coach his alma mater Crespi (Encino, Calif.).
Mitch Stephens: De La Salle 35, Servite 21
Kevin Askeland: De La Salle 38, Servite 14
Jamie DeMoney: De La Salle 30, Servite 17
Stephen Spiewak: De La Salle 40, Servite 17
Leland Gordon: De La Salle 42, Servite 30
Colin Ward-Henninger: De La Salle 34, Servite 27
