26 Nov Pittsburg High Football Bested By De La Salle High In NCS Open Divison Final

Spartans senior running back Dominic Kelley breaks the plane in celebration; his fourth quarter touchdown was the deciding factor in De La Salle’s Nov. 22 win over Pittsburg.

Story and photos by Joe Porrello

Caution: slow offense when wet.

Heavy rain and wind kept Pittsburg High and De La Salle from putting up their typical stats or pulling away on the scoreboard on Nov. 22. A late Spartans touchdown sealed their 10-7 win in the North Coast Section Open Division Final held at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill.

The Pirates have now lost 16 straight over the last two decades when facing De La Salle, who last came out on the losing end of the head-to-head matchup 33 years ago at the Oakland Coliseum. The three-point defeat is as close as Pittsburg High has recently come, previously losing by an average of over 32 points in the last 20 years.

“We know coming into this, Pitt had a really good team — probably the best team we’ve played so far,” said Spartans sophomore running back Duece Jones-Drew, son of former NFL pro bowler and De La Salle running back Maurice Jones-Drew, now an assistant coach with the team.

 

Both teams came in ranked among the nations best varsity high school football programs: The Pirates are No. 74 countrywide and No. 24 in California; the Spartans, No. 22 nationally and No. 9 statewide. Each has outscored their opponents this season by over 300 points.

A sea of umbrellas covered fans in the bleachers as they watched both teams fumble the ball twice and slide around the field looking for any offense they could muster. The seven points put up by the Pirates was half their former season low of 14 and the 10 point Spartans total was far less than their season low of 31.

“Obviously it was sloppy on both sides; those conditions make it hard,” said Pirates 12th-year head coach Justin Alumbaugh. “I love that the team stuck together and weren’t griping at each other.”

 

The weather’s role was evident immediately, as De La Salle muffed the opening kickoff because the ball was wet. But the Spartans recovered the ball and methodically marched down the field for a nine-minute drive, culminating in a 32-yard field goal.

Without time for a full first quarter possession, the Pirates struck back quickly to start the second frame. Senior Pittsburg High running back James Searcy rumbled into the endzone from 15 yards out to give his team a 7-3 lead, though they would not score again.

 

With more than double the touchdowns of anyone else on the Pirates this season with 21, Searcy averages a team leading 109.6 yards per game. He finished with a team high 116 yards on 15 carries and led Pittsburg High with four receptions in the game.

Again hampered by precipitation on their ensuing drive, De La Salle was forced to punt for just the sixth time all year by a botched snap that sailed 17 yards into the backfield. Junior Spartans punter Justin Uribarri pinned the Pirates back to their eight-yard line with a 55-yard boot.

The following Pittsburg High punt only netted eight yards and set up De La Salle less than 40 yards from paydirt.

 

Pirates senior safety Dominik Calhoun then intercepted a Spartans pass and took it 32 yards before turning it right back over on the same play with a fumble recovered by De La Salle senior running back Dominic Kelley.

One thing the forecast did not dampen was the competitive spirit between teams.

On the first drive of the second half, a Pittsburg High wide receiver ripped off the chain worn by his opposing Spartans defender and threw it on the ground. Shortly thereafter, the Pirates dropped the ball on the ground for their second lost fumble.

 

De La Salle would fumble twice more themselves in the third quarter, but team sack leader and senior linebacker Matthew Johnson helped keep the score at 7-3. He knocked the Pirates out of red zone territory on their opening fourth quarter possession by taking down the quarterback well behind the line of scrimmage, forcing a turnover on downs. 

With just nine minutes remaining and at risk of ending their winning streak against Pittsburg High that dated back to 1991, Alumbaugh said his only focus was the matchup in front of him.

“The pressure builds because you know the game’s running out of time, but this is De La Salle; there’s pressure to win every game, just like at Pitt,” he said. “We don’t think about the history with them or anything like that.”

Kelley then weaved through defenders for a 33-yard game winning touchdown and high stepped through the endzone. 

“I wasn’t going to let anything stop me,” said Kelley. “This team is my family. I had to score for them.”

After a quick Pittsburg High three-and-out punt, Kelley helped salt away the final seven minutes with two more long runs. He finished with a game high 173 yards on 18 carries and paces De La Salle with 16 touchdowns.

“Losing like that is frustrating, but I feel like we gave it our all, and I’m making sure guys keep their heads up,” said Searcy.

De La Salle secured the win despite being unable to complete a single pass; their previous low for completions was five. Senior Spartans quarterback Toa Faavae went 0-3 with zero yards and one interception thrown for a quarterback passer rating of 0.

 

Pirates senior pass thrower Marley Alcantara was able to finish 10 attempts for 79 yards. His former yardage low was 139, he ended with a quarterback passer rating about half his average, and it was his first game of the season without a passing touchdown — he averages around three per bout.

“The weather kind of took me out of the game, but I can’t complain; I just have to execute,” said Alcantara. “We have to keep that chip on our shoulder next week because we still have a chance to win state — that’s our main focus.”

 

The Spartans now have 12 straight victories and remain undefeated, while Pittsburg High snapped its win streak at seven and added a second loss to their 10-1 record. 

Both teams are unbeaten in their respective leagues. In fact, De La Salle has been victorious in every East Bay Mountain League it has played in since joining the conference seven years ago.

The Pirates take on San Ramon Valley High next on Friday at Diablo Valley College to start the CIF Nor-Cal Regionals. An opponent is yet to be decided for De La Salle, but one win by them and Pittsburg High would result in a rematch in the Regional Finals with a state bowl game spot on the line.