De La Salle’s Jaden Jefferson, California’s high school state record-holder in the 100-meter dash, brought the electricity to the football field Thursday night.
Catch, pause, run, touchdown.
That’s what Jefferson did to get things started as the senior caught the opening kickoff at the 1-yard line, paused to make sure he wasn’t in the end zone for a touchback, then took off running down the sideline.
Nobody was going to catch the North Carolina commit.
Jefferson’s 99-yard kickoff return set the tone for the game as De La Salle, the Bay Area News Group’s top-ranked team, built a 24-point halftime cushion on its way to a 52-14 victory at home over No. 11 California.
De La Salle improved to 9-0. California is 7-2.
Jefferson also reached the end zone on an 85-yard reception to make it 14-0 and a 21-yard run to complete the first-half scoring.
De La Salle quarterback Brayden Knight added a 7-yard touchdown run to stretch the lead to 24-7. The Spartans also got a 27-yard field goal from Justin Uribarri.
California pulled to within 14-7 late in the first quarter when Banerjee Arjun connected on a 40-yard pass to Luke Taylor for a touchdown.
Brady Smith’s 2-yard touchdown run five minutes into the second half widened the lead to 38-7.
Arjun’s 41-yard strike to Darius Brown accounted for California’s second touchdown, which brought the Grizzlies to within 38-14.
The game ended with a running clock.
De La Salle will try to complete its second consecutive 10-0 regular season when it plays host to Clayton Valley Charter on Nov. 7.
California finishes at home on Nov. 7 against Amador Valley.