De La Salle dominates previously unbeaten Clovis North 41-0 in NorCal D1-AA finals
CONCORD, CALIF. — They came up in droves from the Central Valley on Friday. A school band. A 20-foot tall inflatable mascot. A fog machine. And perhaps 1,000 fans.
All to root on a fabulous, historic squad from Clovis North High School. A 13-0 team to boot.
But the Broncos met up with a storied program out to make a point and the result was an early dismantling and a 41-0 De La Salle CIF Division 1-AA Northern California playoff throttling, advancing the Spartans to a state championship game for the 16th time in the 17-year history of the California playoff series.
Junior quarterback Toa Faavae ran for two touchdowns and passed for another. Derrick Blanche Jr. rushed for two touchdowns and more than 100 yards leading the the Spartans (11-2) who won their 11th straight game after a humbling 0-2 start.
Speedy Jaden Jefferson, a 10.7-second 100-meter sprinter, put the finishing touchdowns on this one with a 81-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. The fourth was played with a running clock, which seemed unfathomable considering the quality of the opponent.
"That was our best game of the season, no question," De La Salle coach Justin Alumbaugh said. "We wanted a physical football game and we got it. And the boys delivered."
- SCORES | CIF 1-AA, 2-AA, 3-AA, 4-AA, 5-AA, 6-AA, 7-AA ACTION
Did they ever, scoring on all five possessions of the first half while holding a 242-42 advantage in yards. The stranglehold the Clovis North normally puts on its opponents was reversed.
This was vintage De La Salle, a brand of football fans around Northern California, the state and even the nation is accustomed to watching. The Spartans haven't been that dominating force in recent years. Formidable, but not as dominating. The were Friday, going back to the vintage veer attack. The line exploded off the ball. The running backs run hard and helped convert 7-of-10 third-down conversion and two fourth-down chances.
Blanche was the big workhorse with 19 carries for 146 yards, Jefferson (2, 80) and Dominic Kelley (9, 46).
It brought a big smile to the face of Alumbaugh, a former offensive lineman himself.
"That was an old-school win for sure," Alumbaugh said.
On both sides of the ball. The Spartans kept Clovis North's high-powered attack which came in averaging 417 yards per game, out of the end zone.
To a man, De La Salle's players pointed to the sky in honor of their longtime defensive line coach Steve Jacoby, who passed away at midseason.
"He's carried this entire second half of the season," De La Salle linebacker Drew Cunningham said. "And he carried us tonight. There's a reason why we're playing so well. We're playing for him."
The Spartans will now Mission Viejo in next week's state championship game 8 p.m. at Saddleback College in, yes, Mission Viejo.
Clovis North, making its first NorCal playoff appearance, finished 13-1. The Broncos showed themselves in the second half, twice reaching the red zone and gaining 160 of its 208 total yards. Andrew Chavez had seven carries for 50 yards and Jackson Cinfel (15, 48). The Broncos recorded 10 of their 11 first downs in the second half, not easy with a fourth-quarter running clock.
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(Photos by Dennis Lee)
Photo by Dennis Lee
Photo by Dennis Lee
Photo by Dennis Lee
Photo by Dennis Lee
Photo by Dennis Lee
