D.C. power invades DLS
Spartans gear up for nationally-ranked team
CONCORD >> Say this about De La Salle: Beyond the rich tradition, championships and great players through the years, these guys don't back down from anyone.
Friday night, Washington, D.C. power St. John's — ranked No. 1 in Maryland (MaxPreps) and No. 18 nationally (USA Today) — will visit De La Salle for a matchup that will be broadcast on ESPNU. Kickoff is 8 p.m.
The scouting report on St. John's?
“Big and fast,” De La Salle coach Justin Alumbaugh said. “Their line is pretty massive, both offensively and defensively. Their secondary guys on defense are extremely athletic. Their quarterback, he's phenomenal. Really good thrower. A lot times in high school you see kids and they have a big arm and can throw it far.
“But it's pretty rare to see a guy that can throw it with a lot of velocity and a lot of juice but also with a lot of touch. He made some throws last week in their first game that were pretty impressive. He's pretty dynamic in that regard. But he's got playmakers all around him. Their running backs are awesome. Their receivers are a nightmare. They have a lot of speed. They put a lot of pressure on you.”
St. John's quarterback Kevin Doyle was described by the Washington Post as “the D.C. area's most sought-after college QB prospect.”
The 6-foot-4, 210-pound senior threw three touchdowns passes last weekend in his first game with St. John's after transferring from Malvern PrepPennsylvania, leading the Cadets to a 49-30 victory over Jones-Orlando, Florida. Two of the TD passes went to Quinten Johnson, who also ran for a score.
De La Salle, ranked seventh nationally by USA Today, is coming off an impressive albeit onesided 42-7 victory over Amador Valley.
“I liked our physicality,” Alumbaugh said. “We had a different mentality than we did to start last year. A lot more aggressive. But with that came more penalties than I would've liked. We had 11 penalties. We have to cut down on those. We can't have penalties against a team like this.”
Keeping his cool
Bellarmine College Prep quarterback Harry Mingrone didn't hesitate to admit that he was nervous last week. There the 6-foot, 150-pound junior was, on the road, making his first varsity start against a defending section and regional champion that knocked Bellarmine from the playoffs the previous season.
“But I had my whole team telling me, ‘Be confident. I know the playbook. Run the plays like you were coached,” Mingrone said. “I couldn't have done that without them.”
The most important statistic for Mingrone in Bellarmine's 21-16 victory over Menlo-Atherton: Zero. He had no turnovers.
“He did a nice job,” said coach Mike Janda, whose team plays Clovis North on Friday at San Jose City College. “Didn't try to do things that we weren't asking him to do.”
Thoughts for Houston
Long before Janda became the all-time winningest football coach in CCS history and a respected chemistry teacher, he was a football, basketball, track and baseball standout at Houston's Strake Jesuit High School.
So, naturally, news reports about Tropical Storm Harvey's destruction on the Houston area have hit close to home.
“They keep saying that there is so much more to come,” said Janda, who still has cousins in the area. “They showed some areas that I am very familiar with. Flooded. Freeways under water.”
Strake Jesuit's new football coach, Mark Modeste, also has Bay Area ties. Mark just moved to Houston after a highly successful run as Sacred Heart Prep's defensive coordinator.
Mark's dad, Ron Modeste, reports that Mark and his family were evacuated to the school, where the Jesuits have safe cottages. Mark's home was OK as of Wednesday, Ron noted, but a levee breach could change that.
Jets flying high
The season-opening 6314 victory at Washington-Fremont last weekend was emotional for Encinal coach Ricky Rodriguez and some of his assistants. They played high school football at Washington for the late Jim Ingram, the Fremont school's longtime coach.
Rodriguez called it an honor to bring his program to Tak Fudenna Stadium to “play on the same field that me, my brothers, my father and my coaching staff members put blood, sweat and tears on. I was actually coach Ingram's last quarterback, his last year. Where I am at right now, a lot of it has to do with him. He lays heavy in my heart right now.”