De La Salle holds off Pittsburg again to claim 33rd consecutive NCS title

PLEASANT HILL — For more than three decades, De La Salle has turned North Coast Section championship nights into a ritual of inevitability. 

But for two of the last three years, Pittsburg has arrived to the NCS Open Division title game determined to scribble over history’s script.  

On Friday night at Diablo Valley College, the heavy underdogs controlled the clock, dictated tempo and pushed the Spartans to the edge again — only to watch De La Salle do what it has done to NCS opponents since 1991. 

De La Salle bent, but didn’t break and made just enough plays to escape with a 24-17 victory. The result extended De La Salle’s unfathomable run of NCS dominance and denied Pittsburg a long-awaited chance to make history after coming close in 2024. 

Despite winning time of possession, converting more third- and fourth-down attempts and moving the chains more consistently, Pittsburg’s missed red zone chances – including shanking two chip shot field goals – left the door cracked just enough for the Spartans to keep their grip on the game. 

The win buys De La Salle three consecutive weeks of rest before playing the winner of the Santa Margarita-Centennial-Corona Southern Section Division I championship game for the Open Division state crown. 

“In our chapel yesterday, these guys talked about legacy and being a part of something bigger than themselves. Being a part of the De La Salle legacy. And it showed tonight,” De La Salle coach Justin Alumbaugh said. “I’m obviously glad we got the victory, but Pittsburg was really impressive tonight. They did a great job.”

De La Salle rushed for 269 yards as a team. Jaden Jefferson led the way with 106 yards and a touchdown. He played nearly every snap, covering Pittsburg’s explosive receivers as a cornerback. 

Despite the loss, Pittsburg sophomore Javale Jones had a breakout game, completing 24-of-36 passes for 250 yards and a touchdown pass to fellow sophomore receiver Kenneth Ward. 

Pittsburg’s season isn’t over. The Pirates will play for the NCS Division I championship next week against No. 3 seed Cardinal Newman, which routed Acalanes 52-17 on Friday in Santa Rosa.

“We’re never gonna quit,” Pittsburg coach Charlie Ramirez said. “We’re always gonna focus on doing what we gotta do ourselves. And if we do that, great things are gonna happen. That’s why they were able to play the way they did tonight.”

Early on, it was Pittsburg controlling the flow of the game and the Spartans rattling off big chunk plays. 

With the game tied at seven, De La Salle found the end zone in just three plays as quarterback Brayden Knight scored on a 57-yard rush. 

Pittsburg responded on the ensuing possession, stringing together a long seven-play drive that ended with Jones to Ward 16-yard hook up on fourth-and-4. 

The Spartans kept their lead at halftime when Jefferson sped past Pittsburg’s front seven to score from 50 yards away to put De La Salle up 21-14 at the midway point.

Jones completed 12 passes to eight receivers in the first half to keep Pittsburg within striking distance. 

Pittsburg continued to find success with an up-tempo attack, chewing nearly seven minutes off the clock to open the third quarter. The Pirates completed a 19-play drive that ended with a 24-yard field goal from senior Luis Rodriguez that cut the De La Salle lead to four. 

Pittsburg looked poised to finally break through and take the lead after the Pirates’ defense forced a fumble and took the ball deep into De La Salle territory. 

But the Pirates couldn’t find the end zone and settled once again for a field goal, which bounced off the left upright. 

De La Salle made good on the Pittsburg mistake, scoring a field goal of its own on the next possession. But still, the Pirates remained in the game down a touchdown with seven minutes left.

Pittsburg drove to their own 44-yard-line and faced a fourth-and-1 with just under three minutes left. De La Salle linebacker Bubba Vargas made one of the biggest plays of the night as he stuffed a QB power play short of the sticks to give De La Salle the ball back. 

“We bend, but we don’t break,” Vargas said. “We won’t fold under pressure. We uphold ourselves. We stay relaxed, stay communicating and handle what’s going on in front of us.”

Down the stretch, the door still stayed slightly open for Pittsburg as the Pirates stopped the clock with their last timeout while forcing De La Salle into a third-and-15. Alumbaugh didn’t have to look far into the playbook, using a fake QB rollout that then turned into a halfback counter for junior running back Duece Jones-Drew, who picked up 17 yards and iced the game. 

“When I was an offensive lineman, I blocked for that play, and that was in the mid ’90s, so that play has been run plenty,” Alumbaugh said.

Pittsburg racked up 16 first downs, was 5-for-13 on third downs and had eight fourth-down conversions. But when De La Salle needed a stop most, the Spartans got it. 

De La Salle’s defense allowed just three scores on seven red zone attempts from Pittsburg, one of which was a field goal. 

The Spartans got to Jones four times with Vargas, Mya Telona, Landon Miller and TJ Finau each recording a sack. 

For De La Salle, Friday’s win was a continuation of its NCS dominance. Though these games have gotten tighter for De La Salle – the Spartans beat Pittsburg by one score in 2022, San Ramon Valley by 10 points in 2023 and squeaked out a three-point win against the Pirates last year – the Spartans’ streak continues. 

Now, De La Salle has its sights set on capturing its first state title in 10 years. 

“This win was a great opportunity,” De La Salle quarterback Brayden Knight said. “Now, we’re moving on to the Open state title game.”