Column: Even a 2-year-old knows the challenge facing De La Salle against unbeaten Mater Dei
Somebody kept calling.
"Hello," I'd answer.
Nobody would respond. There was only the sound of talking in the background.
It happened five times.
The mystery was solved when Concord De La Salle football coach Justin Alumbaugh reached me and apologized that his 2-year-old daughter, Isabel, had gotten ahold of his phone.
If you think De La Salle’s task of trying to hand Mater Dei its first defeat in Saturday night’s CIF Open Division state championship bowl game might be tough, imagine the balancing act Alumbaugh has been pulling off with help from his wife, coaching football and having kids ages 6, 5 and 2.
“There’s no denying how good they are,” Alumbaugh said of the 12-0 Monarchs.
Coming to Saddleback College by bus for the 8 p.m. kickoff, De La Salle (12-0) is such a huge underdog that the CalPreps.com computer prediction has it Mater Dei 44, De La Salle 3.
This game has such a certain outcome — a Mater Dei victory — that it reminds me of the first Division I state bowl game in 2006. De La Salle was the heavy favorite against Canyon Country Canyon. De La Salle was unbeaten and ranked No. 1 in the nation. When the game ended, Canyon had won 27-13. A De La Salle victory Saturday would be the biggest upset since then.
Former Canyon coach Harry Welch has some advice for the underdog.
“I was more focused on us than De La Salle,” Welch said. “In fact, I took the team and coaches early off the field before the game and read them the riot act because I didn’t care for our focus. I said nothing during the week before the game to motivate or help focus on De La Salle.”
De La Salle hasn’t played since a 10-7 victory over Pittsburg in a rainstorm on Nov. 22. That’s three weeks of preparation. The Spartans have a lineman committed to Oregon, a quarterback who is 100-meter dash fast and a running back who’s the son of former NFL running back Maurice Jones-Drew.
Mater Dei coach Raul Lara knows all about De La Salle’s pedigree from having played the Spartans when he was coach of Long Beach Poly in 2001. His team lost to De La Salle 29-15 when Jones-Drew was the star running back.
This game be a mismatch as expected. Or maybe there’s a surprise coming. In sports, anything can happen.
De La Salle is holding nothing back, including bringing legendary former coach Bob Ladouceur to stand on the sideline. Perhaps De La Salle will play some of those memorable sports movies featuring upsets. “Remembering the Titans” is one. “Hoosiers” is another.
Alumbaugh just needs to make sure his phone is in his pocket or somebody might be receiving lots of calls from a 2-year-old during the game.
Pitcher who tackles well
In the 11:30 a.m. Division 2-A final at Saddleback College on Saturday, watch out for Palos Verdes’ 245-pound defensive tackle, Giuseppe Virzi, against 14-0 Lincoln Twelve Bridges.
He was going to focus on baseball only this year and joined the football team mid season. He is an excellent hitter and should put up significant numbers as two way player in his junior year. pic.twitter.com/STBWxhw3oe
— Terman/ (@DaveTerman) December 9, 2024
He had a 1.87 earned-run average pitching for the baseball team last spring and decided to return to football at the last minute after a summer of baseball. He increased his weight, joined late and has become a big part of a big-play defense that has been key to helping Palos Verdes (10-5) reach its first state championship game in football.
Another defensive lineman who was a late addition was Marlon Osborne, who skipped his junior season, came out late and has joined with Virzi to provide help.
Asked how his team has gotten this far after losing 25 players to graduation, Palos Verdes coach Guy Gardner said, “I’m not sure. We’re still trying to figure it out.”
Highland's Wyatt connection
Palmdale Highland coach Justin Wyatt gets one final game with his son, Justin Jr., the 6-foot-4 quarterback headed to Nevada. Highland plays Petaluma St. Vincent de Paul in the 4-AA final at 4 p.m. Friday at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach.
“It will be a special moment,” Justin Sr. said.
He has three other football-playing sons. Charlie Jackson III is a freshman receiver. Jalen Wyatt is an eighth-grade quarterback. Isaac Jackson is a seventh-grade edge rusher.
“The next three or four years are going to be fun,” Justin Sr. said.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
