Spartans hold off Vegas power
CONCORD >> The bright lights returned to De La Salle as ESPNU cameras rolled for a showdown against Bishop Gorman.
The game lived up to the billing.
De La Salle held on 27-21 on Friday night to avenge an ugly loss against the Las Vegas power last season in the desert while running its record to 5-0.
“Those guys are a nationallevel team; those guys are great,” De La Salle coach Justin Alumbaugh said moments after his team exhaled and celebrated in the same breath as time ran out. “It took everything we had. We couldn’t put them away at the end. That’s a testament to them. Those guys are scrappers.”
Henry To’oto’o scored on runs of 55 and 53 yards and Shamar Garrett had a 26-yard touchdown run to give De La Salle a seven-point edge.
When Dorian Hale threw a 17-yard scoring strike over the middle to Richard Fahiua midway through the fourth quarter, the Spartans had a 13-point cushion.
It almost wasn’t enough. Gorman — USA Today’s national champion in 2014, 2015 and 2016 — charged back in the waning minutes as De La Salle was flagged for one penalty after another.
Micah Bowens’ 2-yard run on a quarterback keeper cut the deficit to 27-21 with 1:50 left, capping a 68-yard drive that included three infractions on the defense for 40 yards.
“Oh my goodness, I was losing my mind,” Alumbaugh said. “Those refs do a great job. They were penalties. We can’t make those mistakes.”
De La Salle recovered the onside kick, but a tripping penalty on first down put the Spartans in a first-and-25 hole.
Three plays and three Gorman timeouts gave the visitors a chance. Gorman took over at its 32 with 1:08 left.
The Gaels were at the De La Salle 28 when time expired and the home team celebrated.
“We kind of shot ourselves in the foot,” To’oto’o said. “But we sucked it up at the end and were able to stop them.”
To’oto’o, as usual, was a twoway force. He finished with 131 yards in 15 carries and led the defense from his linebacker position.
Garrett ran for 116 yards in 18 attempts, most of it in the second half, and also contributed defensively.
“It was a redemption game,” Garrett said. “We knew we were going to be in a dogfight. We knew they were a good team. We just had to do our job and execute.”
Gorman struck first after halftime when Smith — a backup quarterback — threw a 58-yard touchdown pass to a wide open Bowens on a doublereverse.
De La Salle answered in three plays as Garrett sped along the right sideline for a 26-yard run that tied the score 14-14.