Division III-A: Daschbach stars at tight end for SHP
Andrew Daschbach plays tight end for Sacred Heart Prep, a position almost extinct in today’s era of spread offenses. And he’s more than simply an extra blocker, a glorified third tackle.
With 55 receptions for 1,119 yards and 13 touchdowns this season, as well as his contributions as a linebacker, Daschbach is a big reason Sacred Heart Prep will play at Rancho Bernardo on Saturday for the Division III-A state championship.
“I take a lot of pride in having 22 starters,” Sacred Heart Prep coach Pete Lavorato said. “However, once we get closer to the playoffs, I shorten the bench a little to give ourselves the best chance to win a championship and go to state. I did that with Ben Burr-Kirven, and I’ve done that this year with Andrew.’’
Daschbach played nearly every snap on defense in the Central Coast Section Open Division III title game against Archbishop Riordan and had two sacks and an interception. He also caught a pass for the winning touchdown with 40 seconds left.
On the season, he has five sacks, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries in limited time defensively.
“It’s definitely a different mentality playing defense,’’ Daschbach said. “It makes the game a lot more physical, hitting someone on every play. It’s like being a catcher in baseball, involved in every play.’’
Daschbach is a rare three-sport athlete, starring in football, basketball and baseball at Sacred Heart Prep. He has committed to play baseball at Stanford.
As a freshman, he played lacrosse rather than baseball.
“He could’ve played lacrosse anywhere in the nation,’’ Lavorato said. “He’s good at tennis — he challenged me to a game — and he’s a very good golfer.’’
This will be Daschbach’s second time playing in a state championship football game. As a sophomore, he was a member of the team that lost to Corona del Mar in the state Division III final. He wants a different outcome this time around.
“This year we’ve called ourselves the redemption team,’’ Daschbach said. “Losing to Riordan (48-21 on Sept. 11) and then coming back to beat them. Losing the state championship game two years ago, we want to come back and win this time. Two years ago, we beat El Cerrito (42-7 in a NorCal regional) and some guys were shocked, blindsided by it. They were looking forward to going to Disneyland as much as playing the next game. Now we know what it takes.”