DLS takes advantage of two first-half turnovers
CONCORD >> The momentum was starting to swing. St. Francis had tied the score after an early De La Salle touchdown and was moving the ball again, reaching the Spartans’ 38 after a 19-yard pass from Reed Vettel to Darrell Page.
But on the next snap St. Francis fumbled.
Michael Puckett, a 5-foot-10, 213-pound defensive lineman, picked up the ball and headed toward the end zone. Fifty-six yards later, the junior crossed the goal line to give De La Salle a lead it would not relinquish.
It was a struggle for the Spartans much of the night, at least offensively, but they managed to win the matchup between the Bay Area News Group’s topranked teams 31-7 on Friday.
Though his team won, DLS coach Justin Alumbaugh was not pleased.
“Last week we can’t do anything right on defense, and this week we can’t do anything right on offense,” he said. “We had 480 yards of offense last week, and our defense was a mess. This week our defense was really good against a good team — that’s a good team — and our offense was a mess.
“I am not trying to take credit away. That’s a good defense. They’ve got some really good players. They’re tough. They’re physical. But we had I don’t know how many penalties, fumbles. We’re running our basic plays, and guys were running to the wrong spot.”
That said, St. Francis had the two most costly miscues.
A fumble on the next play from scrimmage after Puckett’s second-quarter touchdown also was recovered by top-ranked De La Salle, and the gift led to a 27yard field goal by Jackson Walsh for a 17-7 lead.
St. Francis hopes it didn’t lose more than the game. Vettel, who was sacked four times after halftime, suffered a lower-leg injury in the fourth quarter and left the field on crutches after the contest.