One play.
That was all it took for De La Salle to show that the Spartans had no peers in the East Bay Athletic League in front of a packed crowd in Concord eager to watch the home team in its first game back on U.S soil since beating NFL Academy in London 10 days prior.
North Coast Section 100-meters champion Jaden Jefferson caught the opening kickoff at the 11-yard line and jetted down the left sideline.
A few seconds into his sprint, the junior cornerback shifted gears and directions, burning San Ramon Valley defenders as he reversed field and raced into the end zone using his 10.40 speed.
That started a De La Salle avalanche that saw the Spartans score 28 first-quarter points as the Bay Area News Group’s No. 1 team routed No. 3 San Ramon Valley 42-14 under a bright yellow Hunter’s Moon.
“You could just feel the air kind of be let out of their sideline 10 seconds into the game,” coach Justin Alumbaugh said after the Spartans ran their unbeaten streak in NCS play to 273 games. “What an electric start. It was awesome.”
De La Salle’s Jaden Jefferson (15) breaks multiple tackles to score an 89-yard touchdown kick-off return against San Ramon Valley during the first quarter of their game at De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif., on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
It was far removed as a game could be from last year’s regular-season thriller, which saw De La Salle eke out a 33-27 nail biter, or the 17-7 NCS championship rematch.
That was fine with DLS defensive tackle Matthew Johnson, who wanted to send a message to an SRV squad that entered Friday night 7-0.
“It felt good to handle them, and to make (the result of) this one obvious,” Johnson said.
Special teams may have been the spark, but Johnson and the defense set the tone. And more specifically, the front seven. The Spartans hounded Wolves quarterbacks all night to the tune of seven sacks.
San Ramon Valley’s first four series ended in a fumble, a punt and two interceptions.
Johnson, who has recruiting offers from powerhouses across the nation, looked every bit the part of a blue chipper as he had at least a dozen pressures and sliced through double-teams and chop blocks with ease.
De La Salle’s Bubba Vargas (44) runs onto the field with the U.S. flag before their game against San Ramon Valley at De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif., on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
That dominance up front helped linebackers Niko Baumgartner and Bubba Vargas make plays on the second level. After Duece Jones-Drew and Derrick Blanche ran for quick touchdowns after Jefferson’s return, San Ramon Valley was forced to go to the air.
Vargas was able to get his hands on a pass after dropping back in coverage, returning it 20 yards for the touchdown.
“I saw the quarterback looking right at him, and I started running,” Vargas said. “He didn’t see me, and he threw it right to me and I took it.”
The rest of the game was nothing more than a formality. The Spartans led by 35 at halftime, and number that would have doubtlessly been even larger had the De La Salle passing attack not thrown three interceptions in the end zone – one by Texas A&M commit Marco Jones.
The De La Salle run game was sharp though, with Dominic Kelley going for 91 yards and two touchdowns, and Duece Jones-Drew and Derrick Blanche each running for one score as the team had a total of 237 rushing yards.
De La Salle’s Duece Jones-Drew (24) runs in for a touchdown against San Ramon Valley during the first quarter of their game at De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif., on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
San Ramon Valley was able to put up a few late scores to avoid the shutout, with Rhett Thompson throwing for 187 yards and tossing scoring strikes to Evan Economos and senior Owen Scott.
“That first quarter ended up screwing us, but we’ll be back,” Scott said. “We’ll get better, and we’ll have a good season.”
San Ramon Valley (7-1, 1-1) will try to regroup at home against Amador Valley. And up next for De La Salle (7-0, 1-0) is Monte Vista, which is coming off a 50-36 loss to California.
“This team is confident, and we carry that kind of swag, but we also stay humble at the same time,” Faavae said. “We’re here for a state championship, and every team we play until that is in our way. We have a job to accomplish, and any team that is in our way, we’re not going to take them lightly.”
De La Salle head coach Justin Alumbaugh watches his team play San Ramon Valley during the second quarter of their game at De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif., on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
De La Salle’s DJ Asiasi (16) gets a hand on San Ramon Valley quarterback Rhett Thompson (7) during the second quarter of their game at De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif., on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
The De La Salle student celebrates a touchdown against San Ramon Valley during the first quarter of their game at De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif., on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
San Ramon Valley quarterback Rhett Thompson (7) throws his hands up into the air as head coach Aaron Becker speaks to him after throwing an interception during the first quarter of their game at De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif., on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
San Ramon Valley running back Matthew Garibaldi (4) fumbles the handoff from quarterback Rhett Thompson (7) during the first quarter of their game at De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif., on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)