High schools: De La Salle dominance will be tested
It started with so much promise.
Looking invincible, Pittsburg raced to a three-touchdown lead in its first state-championship game only to fall hard, losing 28-21 to Narbonne-Harbor City in December’s CIF 1-A title game in Sacramento.
“We blew it,” Pittsburg coach Vic Galli said this week, sounding as if the game ended only moments before. “But (stuff ) happens. We got there. We know what it takes. Now we have to finish.”
Trey Turner — Pittsburg’s dynamic starting quarterback — couldn’t get started last season. He tore up his knee in a scrimmage a week before the regular season began. Now a 6-foot-2, 180-pound senior, Turner is back at full strength.
“He’s a fantastic kid,” Galli said. “A 4.0 student. A community and school leader. It’s great to see him out here smiling and working so hard. He’s a great comeback story.”
The Pirates and Turner have a lot to prove. They have playmakers everywhere with running back Premier Murphy, wide receiver Willie Harts III and Justin Boyd, who last year subbed for Turner at quarterback but is a natural receiver.
Pittsburg is even better in the trenches, led by 6-3, 305-pound two-way tackle Jacob Bandes, who last week received an offer from Clemson. He’s the 15thranked senior in California by 247Sports.
Three others — tight end Koby Gross (6-4, 235), linebacker Jaden Tauanu’u (6-3, 205) and defensive tackle De’jon Benton (6-3, 275) — are on The Chronicle’s Top 50 player list.
“They’re stacked,” De La Salle-Concord coach Justin Alumbaugh said. “They have pieces everywhere. We saw that last year, and they got almost everyone back.”
Pittsburg lost 24-7 to De La Salle in last year’s North Coast Section Open Division final, but with 15 starters back, perhaps this is the team that finally breaks the Spartans’ preposterous unbeaten streak against Northern California opponents. It’s at 291.
The Pirates are No. 30 in MaxPreps’ national computer rankings, the highest they’ve ever started. “On paper, it all looks good,” Galli said. “We’ve got a ton of experience back. We have loads of talent. There should be high expectations. Now we just have to do it.”
The regular season starts Aug. 17, the earliest on record in the area. Here are other notable story lines from the Bay Area’s best teams:
Hard to ever think of De La Salle as a comeback story, but after losing back-to-back CIF Open championship games by a combined score of 108-54 to St. John Bosco-Bellflower and Mater Dei-Santa Ana, respectively, the Spartans definitely want to prove they are still a national contender. The Spartans fumbled 18 times total in the two games, losing nine. With a stout defense, led by national recruits Henry To’oto’o (6-2, 230), Isaiah Foskey (6-4, 240) and Jhasi Wilson (6-1, 215), a strong set of skill players and superb line play — a program staple — De La Salle is ranked 18th nationally.
The Spartans’ unbeaten NorCal streak is in immediate jeopardy when it hosts national No. 19 and defending state 1-AA champion Folsom on Aug. 17. This is considered Folsom’s fastest team.
With the rapid development of sophomore Dorian Hale (6-1, 185), De La Salle should not have any question marks at quarterback.
Third-ranked St. Francis, the defending state 2-A champion, not only returns the Central Coast Section’s best tailback in Darrell Page (5-10, 185) but also top-100 national recruit Joshua Pakola (6-3, 257), a defensive end.
Fourth-ranked Serra, another defending state champion (2-AA) from the CCS and West Catholic Athletic League, lost most of its stellar line, but returns quarterback Luke Bottari (5-11, 170) and dominating linebacker Edmond Lahlouh.
Fifth-ranked Liberty-Brentwood burst onto the regional scene to win its first NCS D1 title last year and coach Ryan Partridge says it was no fluke. “Our goal now is to win an NCS Open Division title,” he said. “We’re no longer the underdogs. We have the guys to do it.” Liberty would need to get through De La Salle and Pittsburg to accomplish that feat and will need a big season from a fast-rising recruit, 6-6, 180-pound junior quarterback Jay Butterfield (son of former Stanford QB Marc Butterfield). His top target, Sione Vaki (6-0, 190), is one of the region’s most productive players on either side of the ball.