- East Bay Prep Corner
Week 9: Prep football recap from Friday night
By Jon Becker
Saturday, October 20th, 2012 at 3:23 am in Uncategorized.
The biggest game Friday night in the East Bay was top-ranked De La Salle’s showdown with No. 3 Monte Vista. But, thanks to perhaps the Spartans’ best performance of the season, this showdown was never in doubt as De La Salle rolled to a 41-9 win.
Other top stories included some showdown victories by Clayton Valley Charter, San Ramon Valley, Hayward and Pittsburg.
We’ve got you convered if you happened to miss out on any of Friday night’s East Bay prep football action, so check our recap right here.
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October 20th, 2012 at 7:19 am
Another win for the Bay Area Spartans. Best highschool team money can buy. I wonder how many zip codes these kids come from?
October 20th, 2012 at 10:22 am
Looks like Dougherty Valley and San Leandro may both go 0-10.
October 20th, 2012 at 11:18 am
Until De La Salle sacks up and joins a league with equal ability to draw, like maybe the WCAL, no one should be impressed. I’m tired of the hype.
They draw from an unlimited pool and offer financial aid to kids they want. None of the other team in their league can do that. How about a little Christian humility to go along with your false football greatness, DLS?
October 20th, 2012 at 6:19 pm
Any teams still winless after week 8?
October 20th, 2012 at 7:43 pm
SAN LEANDRO SUCK REAL BAD SMH
October 20th, 2012 at 8:28 pm
San Leandro has actually been in some games this year and have lost a bunch of close ones. I think there are a few other teams who have not won a game in some other leagues?
October 20th, 2012 at 9:26 pm
There are 3 other winless teams besides SL & DV in all of NCS: St. Elizabeth, Elsie Allen & Albany.
In fairness, SL has played a pretty tough schedule. However they only have 2 games left to get off the schneid, this week against Encinal and then vs. BOD in their finale.
October 20th, 2012 at 9:30 pm
Logan 45 – Washington 8.
Logan was up 42 – 0 at the end of the third. 3 of their TDs came off a returned muffed punt, kickoff return and a fumble by wash.
October 20th, 2012 at 9:43 pm
Prep Fan-
Do any of these teams have a chance to win a game?
October 20th, 2012 at 10:46 pm
#3 Get a clue..another hater who does not get it.
October 20th, 2012 at 11:00 pm
Why did the headline on the main sports page state Clayton’s win as an upset? Murphy has the Ugly Eagles rolling, and I don’t think many people were surprised they ran over, around, and through Concord.
October 20th, 2012 at 11:16 pm
Just a hypothetical question – if Livermore drops their final two, or even beats Granada, they would finish 2-8 or 3-7, but 1-0 against D2 NCS teams, with their win over Hayward (1-1 against all D2-size schools considering their loss to Consumnes Oaks). They would be eligible to apply for NCS, and would have played the toughest schedule among all D2 teams. Do they apply? Seems they would be formidable competition for most of that field, with maybe the exception of Clayton Valley . . .
October 20th, 2012 at 11:21 pm
They are definitely planning on applying for the NCS D2 playoffs. I spoke to some Livermore parents the other night and they were excited to have qualified. They may not get a very good seed, but they’ve played some tough teams and will come in battle tested.
October 21st, 2012 at 3:34 am
@Steve, DLS wanted to join the WCAL for football back in the 90′s before they went semi-independent. The thing that held it back was the WCAL wanted full sport participation which DLS did not. By the way they play one of the WCAL teams every year and still win.
October 21st, 2012 at 9:52 am
looks like the coach perry train is gaining momentum. ive talked to atleast 3 parents who want him in and moyer out. from what i hear some players are starting to want a coaching change. gardner only 3 touches on friday when a week ago he takes a 70yrd to the house. i dont understand someone please explain? the seat was hot for moyer now its on fire after losing at home again on sr.nite. stay tuned we may have a coaching change sooner than later…..
October 21st, 2012 at 9:57 am
The WCAL suggestion, while understandable, is not realistic logistically. Were DLS to join the WCAL they (and in turn their opposing schools) would have minimum drives of 30+ miles up to nearly 60 miles for what would be league games. While this might be doable in football alone (and even that is a stretch from a budget standpoint – if not for DLS then certainly for their opponents) it would never fly in the remaining sports (basketball, baseball, wrestling, soccer, track, etc.).
Bottom line, an NCS team is going to have to up their game and beat DLS. You can argue the merits of advantage, even playing field, recruiting, etc., but the fact of the matter is that DLS does not break any existing rules and if that is a problem for folks, then petition for the rules to be changed. Barring this, step onto the field and beat them. I understand the frustration, but the solution is as simple as that. And it can be done…
October 21st, 2012 at 10:12 am
Epcthree -
You’re right. For that to happen, there has to be a special coach at a school that has “unlimited” boundaries with good financial support and players/parents willing to dedicate their time/energy and money.
I think if CV-C grows into a DI in the next 3 years, DLS had better watch out.
October 21st, 2012 at 10:28 am
Im with Steve… lets put DLS with Berean Christian, Moreau, Valley Christian, St Marys, and CSD (unlimited boundries)
October 21st, 2012 at 1:25 pm
Reinstituting the old CAL, as some seem to be suggesting (add in Salesian), would be a great idea except for the fact that one school is much larger than all of the others. That wouldn’t be fair to the smaller privates and would result in an uneven playing field. So lets just keep it the way it is.
October 21st, 2012 at 1:34 pm
What do you know about the old CAL? Nothing.
The old CAL was SM, SE, and Salesian-they played for the McManus trophy. Moreau was added and then they played for a league championship. The newer CAL was, SM, SE, Salesian, Moreau, DLS, O’Dowd and SPSV. If you think DLS was dominant back then Lad lost to Shag at Salesian, SPSV and Shag again at St. Mary’s. DLS built their dynasty from the ground up, not recruiting, free tuition and all the other BS you guys think you know. Did any one of you play prep football and also if so during these times?
October 21st, 2012 at 1:47 pm
Could SRV reach the playoffs if they finish the year at 4-6?
October 21st, 2012 at 2:26 pm
When Moyer was hired, the other finalist for job was Logan d coordinator…beginning to wonder if they made right choice
October 21st, 2012 at 2:36 pm
Epcthree,
You are absolutely right, DLS plays by the rules. No one has more admiration for what DLS does on the football field and how they do it, than I. They run an impeccably clean program and do things all other programs, private or public, should emulate. However, the solution is not simply to “step on the field and beat them”. I’ll say it ’till I’m blue in the face. 99% of the reason DLS has won the past 20 NCS D1 Championships is because of their proximate access to over 1.5 million people. Without this one single advantage, DLS doesn’t win 20 in a row; plain and simple.
Also, the structural advantage DLS enjoys does not pertain to just the other 20 public NCS D1 programs. Prep Fan hits the nail on the head, DLS has a population reach far beyond any other private school in all of northern California as well.
Cut this access to 400,000 and you have what Cardinal Newman enjoys; cut it to 250,000 and you have what Marin Catholic enjoys. These are two very good D4 private schools who are competitive at the highest level of D3, year in and year out. With the hypothetical of having the DLS coaching staff, at say Cardinal Newman for the past 33 years, would they win 20 consecutive D1 NCS Championships? As good as Coach Ladouceur is, I think we all would agree it couldn’t be done. Now if he had over 1.5 million in population to mine the best student athletes…….absolutely!
Of course, the next team to beat DLS from northern California will necessarily be another private school team, likely from the WCAL, if it ever happens at all.
Clearly, the best solution has always been for DLS to join the WCAL for football. But that avenue has been explored and put to rest 15 years ago or so. Unfortunately, the system CCS employs in having D1 & Open Playoff Divisions is not workable in NCS they way things are currently set up.
I don’t blame DLS for taking advantage of the NCS playoff system the way they have the past 20 years. I’m sure they would resist any change to the current system that essentially hands them a berth to the SBG every year. At least this year, they put one more roadblock in their path with the regional games this season.
Enjoy DLS football, I certainly do. Just educate yourselves as to how they have been able to maintain the dynasty.
October 21st, 2012 at 3:38 pm
Does anyone know the furthest location of any kid on DLS roster resides? & the % of kids who are actually local? Just curious.
October 21st, 2012 at 4:00 pm
I want to know too Diddio
October 21st, 2012 at 4:45 pm
I’m sure when the Christian Brothers decided to build DeLaSalle on Winton Dr their first thought was that in thirty years they would have this great geographic advantage and they would be able to build a dominant football team. Voice thanks for the geography lesson.
Financial aid is also given at public schools. It’s called tax payor dollars. As a matter of fact since most DLS parents are paying taxes and elect to to utilize the public school system they should get a write-off for their donations.
October 21st, 2012 at 7:56 pm
I think, on the DLS roster, it should state where each player went to middle school.
October 21st, 2012 at 9:17 pm
Did anyone see the story in the news section about the varsity athletes at Piedmont drafting a fantasy league of girls they would then compete to sleep with? Wonder what kind of ramifications it could have for their school. Considering what a big deal the hazings at Alhambra and Liberty turned into, I can’t imagine how big this might become . . .
October 21st, 2012 at 10:28 pm
Doesn’t surprise me with this generation & its technology
October 22nd, 2012 at 12:17 am
DLS does not post the hometowns of the kids on the football team, though its certainly not the first time that question has been raised. A non-DLS announcer did say on an internet broadcast last year that one of their star players was from Fairfield, and I have known kids playing at DLS who commute from Livermore. Both of those are about 30 miles away. It’s possible but doubtful if anyone would commute further than that to a HS, even if they get to play on a state championship team.
There is always the famous story of NFL great Aaron Taylor, who lived in Marin City and his mom actually moved to Concord in his Junior year so he could play football at DLS. I’m not sure how in depth the admissions process was at the time, but based his quotes in the article it would be hard to imagine him getting in today with those grades or actions. Maybe someone put down the blind application and took one look at him?
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1992-10-02/sports/9203300276_1_notre-dame-mother-aaron-taylor
October 22nd, 2012 at 12:53 am
Totally agree Voice of Reason. Great post.
October 22nd, 2012 at 1:18 am
@17 – EB FB Coach… I’m with you on all aspects except the unlimited boundaries aspect you mention. Because of the enrollment sizes of the EBAL Schools as well as schools such as Pittsburg and Logan; enough quality athletes can be found at any given school for any given year who, with the right coaching and effort could stand up and beat De La Salle. To say that this is not possible does a disservice to the kids attending these schools. It can be done with the right group of kids and coaches.
@ 23 – Voice… While I understand your insistence on the unlimited boundaries argument, it just isn’t that simple. There are a number of other private schools in the area that, were unlimited boundaries were the key, would be having similar success to that of DLS. But the fact is that they are not. Why doesn’t Moreau, Bishop O’Dowd, Salesian and other non-public schools have the same success year-in and year-out as DLS? It’s not because DLS takes “all the good athletes: in the area. There have been plenty of D1 kids coming out of other schools who didn’t attend DLS. Why aren’t they enrolled at these other non-public schools? Other schools have taken advantage of the more open enrollment policies which are becoming more prevelent. I recall a few years back when Leroy Green, a running back at California HS did some moving around between CHS and a school in Sacramento. It wasn’t illegal, but it seemed a bit contrived at the time. Kids have been enrolling in public schools outside their areas for a number of years now. Why aren’t these kids leading the teams to victories against DLS?
I’ve said it before and I will say it again; Bob Ladouceur is the reason DLS has had its success. Yes, DLS get good athleted, but Ladouceur makes them better. DLS was coached by Ed Hall back in its CAL days prior to Coach Lad coming in. They were the doormat of the league. Ed Hall is a well respected FB coach who went on to coach at UC Berkeley and is currently the D-Coordinator at DVC. He is well respected in the East Bay coaching community. But at DLS, he was not successful. Coach Ladouceur took that team who had had virtually no success and turned them around in literally two seasons and has never looked back. So, does DLS have an advantage over other NCS schools? Yes and the biggest advantage is Bob Ladouceur.
October 22nd, 2012 at 7:21 am
Lad is a great coach, no doubt. I know, I played for him. But if it was truly only his greatness that makes DLS what it is, why wasn’t Monte Vista the same greatness when Lad coached there?
October 22nd, 2012 at 8:17 am
After watching Logan they are an average good team that is playing a weak schedule. They are coached well but seem to lack discipline. Granted they dabbled with San Ramon from the vaunted EBAL. The question is could they Hang with the Bells or the Spartans for 4qtrs?
October 22nd, 2012 at 8:45 am
@32, if I recall correctly, Leroy Green’s parents had split up, and he transferred up to Windsor or some other school up there to live with the other parent for his sophomore year. He played at Cal his freshman year and returned to Cal for his junior & senior seasons. So just 1 year away. I don’t think there was anything funny going on. If anything, the year away may have hurt his development.
October 22nd, 2012 at 9:41 am
The topic of DLS and their success is a discussion in circles and always ends on the same fact … they are far and away one of the most dominant high school programs ever, period.
I like to say the perfect storm hit in Concord, CA.
1. They were established in a great location of growth (population and economic), they could draw from not only white-collar families (Danville, Alamo, Lafayette, Orinda, Walnut Creek), but blue-collar families (Antioch, Concord, Pleasant Hill, Martinez) and even very low income families (Pittsburg, Richmond, Oakland). Very little competition from other Catholic Schools … SoCal has many more options for kids who want to attend Catholic Schools and most schools are centered in a wealthy area or low-income area. No cross pollination like DLS.
2.Incredible support and leadership at DLS. As EPCthree continues to highlight, the work done by Coach Lad to instill the life-long lessons to football is without question. He runs it the DLS way … period. Folks with big money don’t get to influence the program and even when Joe Montana sends his kid to DLS, no preferential treatment. Once incoming freshman arrive at DLS they are given a great direction and focus to enable success in their academic and athletic development. In some cases the athletic prowess is far more material than the academic. This point needs to stressed that the focus and commitment is far superior to any public and most private high schools.
3. Last point, DLS goes into every season with a mentality that they will win every game. They know they have the talent, resources, coaches, parents, team leadership, facilities, and history to maintain a tradition build over many years. Kudos to DLS.
I will maintain that everyone knows the perfect storm exists at DLS … and thus those of us that love high school football can’t stand playing a team every season that is unbeatable due to the factors I’ve laid out above. Not only is it no fun to show up to their stadium and be embarrassed but in many cases injuries occur due to the inequities between the teams on the field …
There is no easy answer to this issue … and I think the EBAL is simply sick of playing DLS. And as I’ve learned on this board … anything anyone says against DLS is accused of being a cry baby. Perhaps true … find someone else to bully.
October 22nd, 2012 at 9:54 am
#34
whats average about logan
the fact that they have 4 or 5 kids that can dominate the game ur an idiot
u beat the bells by blitzing the corners
that offense is prehistoric
October 22nd, 2012 at 10:13 am
Epcthree,
All private schools have the inherent advantage of “no boundaries” and for that, regardless of the school size, will always have an advantage over public schools.
This is the point that keeps getting overlooked: It still took northern California’s best ever coach, Bob Ladouceur and his staff, 13 years or so to create the juggernaut that is DLS football. No other private school coaching staff, as yet, has created and leveraged the culture, enthusiasm, aura and success about their own program the way DLS has. There are certainly some very good coaching staffs at private schools, but they certainly haven’t reached the status of the DLS coaching staff. And even if they do reach that level, no other private school has the population reach of DLS.
The gravitational pull of DLS is so great that many student athletes given the choice of going to either DLS or let’s say BOD, are choosing DLS for obvious reasons. During the 90′s & 00′s, many high profile Richmond student athletes were shunning Salesian football and making the longer drive to Concord to play football for Coach Lad.
The two best and most recent examples of private schools creating a program like DLS are Marin Catholic & Cardinal Newman. Each has been to a State Bowl Game and their year in and year out sucess, no doubt, is enticing prospective football playing student athletes to attend their school.
Bottom line is private schools like Moreau, BOD and others could have the same success, IMO, as MC & CN; but they will need to develop a quality coaching staff, run a clean program, attain some success, and the student athletes will come.
October 22nd, 2012 at 10:26 am
Ghost#36
Very well stated.
In watching many EBAL games since DLS joined the league, I feel the level of EBAL play has cranked up. The DLS intensity of hard hitting, split second awareness and response, looking for 2nd and 3rd “hits”, wrapping up tackles, etc. has somewhat rubbed off on most of the other EBAL teams, and they play better football as a result of their experience on the field with the Spartans.
Of course winning is important, but improvement is even a greater quest.
Of course, there’s always those who hate to lose more than they love to win. Usually to them it’s just a matter of winning: PERIOD; and they whine and make excuses when they lose.
October 22nd, 2012 at 11:24 am
DLS issue. I think voice is right. My sons attend Salesian. We sent them there because of the education, but both of them play football. Well, my oldest graduated last year. Here’s the thing. DLS at this point doesn’t have to do anything. Lad is a great coach and has a great staff. The school is centrally located. Lastly, all the great football players WANT to go there and can. If you are a 14 year football player and you have parents that are willing to put you there, why wouldn’t that player go there. DLS definitely doesn’t have to recruit, at this point, the program recuits for itself.I think there are valid points on both sides, but in the end, there is no clear cut solution, so just enjoy the greatness.
October 22nd, 2012 at 11:38 am
marm,
I would take issue with your contention the play of the EBAL has “cranked up”. Since DLS joined the league in 2008, they are a perfect 33-0 against the rest of the league winning games by an average of 44.2 to 9.7.
In fact the average margin of victory was closer in the first two years against the EBAL 32.0 & 29.9 points, respectively, than the last 3 years, 40.0, 36.3 & 33.6, respectively.
The thing to marvel at is many are saying, including the CC Times blogs, that DLS is not performing up to their standards yet this fall and that last week’s game against MV was the first time they put together a complete game.
Looked what happened in week 1 against Bellarmine; a 41-7 shellacking of the consensus #2 team in the bay area when DLS admittedly did not fire on all cylinders.
As most of us know who follow DLS, they start to perform better as the season wears on and last week’s pasting of MV certainly seems to be following that script. Look for more of the same the next few weeks and into the playoffs.
October 22nd, 2012 at 12:38 pm
Current run by the Spartan team is 19 wins, seems like most streaks hit a bump around 34 games.
When you consider DLS overall record under coach Lad and crew it is just amazing what they have been able to do with the football program as a whole. And it starts with the frosh kids, discipline & more discipline. Granted not many people care what goes on at the frosh & JV level but DLS in its own way takes pride in the learning curve and challenge that is presented to those teams and that focus carries on with those players as they progress to Varsity. I think the JV score vs MV was DLS 47 & MV 0 .
As most of you know DLS never publishes frosh or JV scores. But typical performance is only 1 or 2 losses for those teams in a season. That again speaks highly of the entire combined coaching staff at DLS.
October 22nd, 2012 at 1:10 pm
If any team should be considered to move into the EBAL you would have to take a good look at Clayton Valley Charter, get one more season under the new coach and his staff and it is another successful season like this year they should move in because right now they could take the bottom two in the EBAL.
October 22nd, 2012 at 1:13 pm
@40- I, for one, can attest all the great football players do NOT want to jump on the bandwagon of success and next level recruitment that is highly developed at Winton. To paraphrase- Southwick, Keller, Helu-Jr, Tonneson, Ertz, Atkinson, Rosato, MV ’09, Cal ’08 & ’10. 95%+ of eligible FB players CHOSE to stay homeboys to play and slay goliath, instead of lemming or second stringing to a national ranking. Some of those kids played other sports and beat DLS there for a degree of contentment. BTW, once your kid graduates and moves on to the next level, the degree of importance of HS football drops precepitously; watch the Giants or the debate tonight for a reality check.
October 22nd, 2012 at 2:14 pm
Candy Ass- all those players you mentioned NEVER beat Dls, nor Dixon, Leinhart and others a lot better. However the experience to play DLS is a big factor in those kids prep lives. I don’t think anyone you mentioned did not want to play DLS.
It’s the parents who don’t want to play Dls. So throw out the ebal factor, some of these teams choose to play Dls way before the Spartans entered the ebal.
October 22nd, 2012 at 2:15 pm
IF FOOL COULD FLY THIS PLACE WOULD BE AN AIRPORT
LMAO
October 22nd, 2012 at 2:18 pm
Voice of Reason, I am starting to agree with you more on some of your points- how’s that for being as humble as a Dls supporter can be? You forgot one big reason for winning- Dls attitude, confidance and mental toughness. The Spartans have a mental advantage when local teams take the field against them, agreed?
For out of state and socal games I think these teams get up for Dls and beleive they can and sometimes have beaten them. So back to my main point in the past, the program dicates a lot of this stuff and those national and socal programs have almost the same mojo going for them.
October 22nd, 2012 at 2:25 pm
bIGDOG ur right
dls kids actually want 2 play football
they put in the work it take 4 average players 2 win
I DONT SEE ANY ULTRA TALENTED PLAYERS JUST AVERAGE KIDS THAT PLAY WELLL TOGETHER
most talented players dont have the mentality 2 play at DLS period…
thats y u dont see 2 many players in the pros
October 22nd, 2012 at 2:40 pm
#33, what a silly argument. Lad was a volunteer assistant coach at MV for 1 year. Hard to have that much of an impact in that position for that short amount of time.
October 22nd, 2012 at 2:55 pm
I just love a heated debate. Those that are in the know understand that DLS is more then just football. They make it very clear to the student applicants & parents that if you are coming here just for sports..do not apply. If your are committed to a Catholic Education and you would like to participate in a sport you are more then welcome so long as you pass the entrance exam, your good to go, along with the $14,000 tuition. There are no scholarships, limited financial aid, and some extreme cases of need that can apply for scholarship from the Dioceses of Oakland. I have seen excellent student / athletes not make it into DLS and have seen some who made in but do not embrace the entire package leave after a year or two. It is a commitment to do your best whither its, academics, football or the robotics club. The concept of brotherhood grows with each passing year for the students and parents at times are bewildered by it all. Again some get it and other don’t i.e the haters. Hey the season is almost done and NCS & State is just around the corner Good Luck to all of the teams around the area & stay healthy.
then we can start to jabber talk about who is hot or cold for 2013
October 22nd, 2012 at 3:08 pm
Dead-ON Renegades. Lad had a vision and ran with it at De La Salle, you might say it is one of those once in a lifetime happenings. He has also developed a staff for all three teams that work well together and they are not yes men but have a deep respect for one another. They are all coaches that could run a program at most any school and do well.
October 22nd, 2012 at 9:57 pm
Guys….The only way to stop DLS in the local area is refuse to schedule them…DLS when it comes playoff time will ramsack each team they meet..There is no answer in how stop DLS in the near future…
October 22nd, 2012 at 10:36 pm
@ Stewie,
I’m a loyal Pittsburg fan and I have the upmost respect for the DLS program. Strive to beat them every year and fall short. Nobody can knock them till you beat them.
But, I will say I can’t agree with you on one point $14,000 tuition. Most of the Pittsburg kids that go there don’t pay that cause they can’t afford it. Currently at least 6 Pittsburg kids in the DLS program. Ross, Velasco and Tagaloa, etc. I personally know many kids from Pittsburg that have played for DLS like Mister cotton for one. The list goes on.. Can’t speak for which every single one paid – but as little as $200 -300 out of pocket. Granted there may be some volunteer hours, etc.. but $300 x 12 months does not = $14,000
October 23rd, 2012 at 9:16 am
BigDog,
It is mighty big of you to concede some of my points are valid; now if we can only get Junior to get on board………
And you are absolutely right, there are so many intagbiles in addition to the mental advantage that DLS enjoys over nearly every team they play. No other program is able to squeeze every drop of talent out of all their student athletes like DLS does over their high school career.
And Stewie, you are right, for every student athlete playing sports at DLS, there are two to three times as many students attending for the academics and the Christian Brothers education; clearly it is not all about sports at DLS.
CandyCrowley, I have never said that DLS gets all the best football players in the greater east bay, clearly many of them stay to play at their local public high school; you’ve mentioned some of the more recent ones who have gone on to play at the next level. My contention has always been that while DLS will attract some of the best talent in the greater east bay, its the depth of good but not great student athletes that sets them apart. And after 4 years of Lad’s indoctrination, they become world beaters; not to mention the vast majority become fine young men in the process.
October 23rd, 2012 at 11:03 am
@ 48 – Chalktalk, while I hesitate to engage you in discussion as it has led nowhere in the past, your contention that at DLS you “… DONT SEE ANY ULTRA TALENTED PLAYERS JUST AVERAGE KIDS THAT PLAY WELLL TOGETHER” is simply wrong and either shows a lack of ability to assess player talent or an unwillingness to admit that DLS does in fact get more than their fair share of talented football players.
I state again that the biggest and most obvious reason for the success at DLS is Bob Ladouceur. That said because of his success DLS attracts kids (and parents) who want to be part of this success. This isn’t to say that players don’t improve under the coaching they get at DLS; they do. But to insinuate that these kids are all only average athletes you are simply choosing to be ignorant of the situation.
Going as far back as Aaron Taylor; players like Amani Toomer, Cameron Colvin, Maurice Jones-Drew, DJ Williams. Several of these and recent athletes like Dylan Wynn, Michael Hutchings, Bart Houston saw action as freshman on the Varsity squad. That signifies a certain level of physical talent and ability in and of itself.
Again coaching is the reason for DLS success but it’s also the reason they get good (and sometimes great) athletes.
October 23rd, 2012 at 11:13 am
Voice- good points. Another point, all Catholic grammar schools are feeder schools to local Catholic high schools. Some years the 8th grade class might favor one high school over the other. DLS and CHS do have connections to Catholic grammar outside their immediate area. Example St. Pat’s in Rodeo, Salesian, SPSV, SMCHS or Dls/Chs. They all come a give a presentation to the class.
Junior has good points also. He’s in the inside. When you are in the inside, you have more info than others.
As for Dls getting Pitt kids, some of those kids ent to Catholic grammar in Pitt and Antich. The natural Catholic high would be Dls. Kids coming from Fairfield and Cordova, , it’s either SPSV or Dls. Cordova is no more than a 20-25 min. drive. If it’s Richmond/Hercules it’s Salesian, SMCHS or Dls, if it’s Berkeley it’s SMCHS or Dls thru the tunnel. So if you put the dots together for ex-players and players, you can see that going to Dls is very accessiable in many areas of the East Bay. All of these kids are not Pop Warner all-stars, however many have been. The majority of kids coming in to Dls and playing football don’t play pop warner. Top freshman/JV programs with excellent lower level coaching are the answer to build programs.
October 23rd, 2012 at 11:20 am
BlueDog 2, refuse to play your opponent??? Don’t schedule them. The have to be attached to some league, then play just the top 3 in the league. There are plenty of schools that would schedule Dls. CV, Pitt, Logan, MC and SJS teams St. Marys, Jesuit, CB and publics in SJS.
October 23rd, 2012 at 11:27 am
KIR- you should not mention tuiton payments and kids names together. That could cause embrassment to kids and parents and frankly it’s no one’s business. You said $ 200-300, are you sure that’s not per month? Monthly tuition runs about $1200 plus per month. If 29% of the school is on tuition assistance, then if would be only $ 4000 per student per year, so some get a better break than the $ 4000 and others less of a break, but not free and most likely not the numbers you quoted. I am aware of 2 Danville kids on assistance and neither one plays football.
October 23rd, 2012 at 11:37 am
#55
OUT of all those PLAYERS Maurice Jones-Drew, DJ Williams are the only gifted ones
MAYBE UR CONFUSING WORK ETHICS WITH TALENT JACKASS
sure if u bench press 350lbs and ur playing a kid that press 200lbs u loook talented 2 an un trained EYE
TALENTED OR GIFTED PEOPLE R ABLE TO IMPROVISE IN A SPLIT SECOND DLS STRUCTURE BEATS THAT OUT OF A kid
it may look amazing 2 u but its average!!!
STRANGLY ENOUGH U CANT TEACH A KID HOW 2 BE GIFTED BUT WHAT I CAN DO IS SHOW A KID ALL MY TRIGGERS THAT MAKE ME REACT 2 DIFFERENT SITUATION
once agian im having a clinic chalktalk 101 lmao MR.epcthree
October 23rd, 2012 at 12:00 pm
@ 38 – Voice… I would argue that it didn’t exactly take Ladouceur and staff “… 13 years or so to create the juggernaut that is DLS football.”
De La Salle lost a total of 10 games in the 80′s, 1 in the 90′s and 10 in the 00′s. Coach Lad took a 2-7 team and in his first year went 6-3 (DLS has only lost 3 games in a season one other year – 2004). By 1982 DLS had its first undefeated season; the point being Coach Ladouceur created that “juggernaut” in far less than 13 years…
October 23rd, 2012 at 12:27 pm
@ 59 – As I expected… not able to actually entertain a civil conversation.
So to you, Amani Toomer was not “gifted”? Aaron Taylor didn’t have the “physical gifts” needed for his position? Dylan Wynn doesn’t have the physical gift of a never ceasing “motor”.
Based on your definition of gifted, I suppose that most athletes that have ever performed at a superior level don’t qualify as “gifted” in your eyes. The definition of gifted is as follows:
Endowed with great natural ability, intelligence, or talent.
It is not limited to the upper 1/1000 of 1% of athletes. It indicates a superior natural ability or talent. Your definition of “gifted” is far too limiting. We simply disagree on this one.
As an aside, just once it would be nice to actually see you have a conversation with someone where you don’t automatically attempt to belittle them because they happen to have an opinion different than your own. Unfortunately, I saw what I predicted from your response and frankly, your attacks only show an intrinsic fear of being mentally outmatched. I wish you had more true confidence in your ability to voice your opinions; they might have more impact.
October 23rd, 2012 at 1:19 pm
@ coach I, you must be talking to Gardner’s dad and his crew on the sidelines. You failed to mention that on the next possession, Gardner fumbled the snap for a Piedmont scoop and score. As far as Perry, he is not a head coach. Moyer is on the right track. Individual mistakes and penalties have made the difference in the close losses, and not coaching.
October 23rd, 2012 at 1:20 pm
#61 i c ur well diversed in the English language doesnt mean u know anything about football
Endowed with great natural ability, intelligence, or talent. (keyword being great)
do u know y SUH was able 2 destroy CUTLER ON THAT HIT LAST NITE
let me explain it 2 u from a gifted point of view
WHEN U KNOCK SOME ONE OFF BALANCE AND THEY TRY AND BALANCE THEMSELVES U GO THRU A STAGE I LIKE 2 CALL (ZERO POWER) at this stage u become lite as a feather
IF U HIT THEM 2 SOON the victim USES UR OWN FORCE AGAINST U if u hit them 2 late they stabilize and have enough power 2 maneuver but if u catch them just right its like biscuit and gravy “civil conversation”
BY THE WAY AMANI TOOMER was a fine player
October 23rd, 2012 at 2:52 pm
@ 62 – Chalk, thank you for at making a salient effort to remain civil (in spite of your underlying digs).
Again, we simply disagree as to what constitutes the level or definition of “gifted”. Your keyword great and mine are different. I think your definition is FAR too limiting.
Without getting too far into it, my football knowledge is based on the following: 4 years as a Pac10 competitor, invited to tryout professionally (I declined as I was not “gifted” enough and knew I was too small and slow for the position I would have had to play).
Assistant coach at the HS level in California for a number of years before moving out of state. Coached HS for more than 25 years in Colorado including multiple state championships. I’ve had a handful of the elite “gifted” kids you like to cite and I’ve had many more kids who qualify as gifted under my, less stringent qualification, many of whom went on the play at the major college level and a decent number that went on to play professionally.
Chalk – I know you feel strongly about your opinions and that’s fine. That said when you dismiss others because they disagree with you and then attempt to belittle their knowledge or understanding of the game or athletics in general, you lose the battle. You know full well that there are multiple ways to accomplish similar tasks. Barry Sanders and Earl Campbell were both gifted running backs (IMO) but in vastly different ways. Is it your contention that because Earl wasn’t as fast or quick as Barry that he wasn’t gifted? Can an athlete be gifted and also have great work ethic? Or does work ethic and resulting level of success supercede the gifted factor?
Make your case. Back it up with ideas and facts. Stand by it but acknowledge that there are other ideas out there that are als valid but may be different. Bottom line this is all opinion you are entitled to yours based upon your life experience just as I am entitled to mine, based on my own life experience. I look forward to an interesting response.
October 23rd, 2012 at 4:58 pm
voice- If you didnt get emotional and actually read my posts, you would see we mostly disagree on one simple point: you believe DLS football’s success is highly (99%) tied to open enrollment. I dont place that nearly as high as you do.
1. Leadership
2. Coaching
3. Strength/conditioning
4. Talent
5. Tradition
Thats my formula for HS football success. The top two are responsible for 75%.
I have poked so many holes in your theory- it would not float for more than one second.
Simple stuff.
October 23rd, 2012 at 5:47 pm
Funny Junior, I would hazard a guess that 99% of the people on this forum agree with me. Frankly, you continue to argue a different point than I am trying to make. Of course the 5 items you list DLS has in spades over every other program at present.
But you continue to discount the fundamental point I have been making all along…….DLS doesn’t win 20 NCS D1 championships in a row WITHOUT FIRST having access to student athletes over a wider geographical & population area than any other private school by a SIGNIFICANT margin; not to mention over the public schools in the EBAL which maybe have up to a population base of 50,000 people; meaning DLS has over 30 times the reach of any other public school in the EBAL.
All those wonder attributes you mention can only go so far, even for someone as deified as Coach Ladoeceur. The simple fact that no other private school football program in the State of California (perhaps the country?) has remotely come close to DLS’ 20 consecutive section championships tells any right thinking person they must have ONE SINGULAR advantage over every other program. I can’t even tell you who is in second place behind DLS, but I can’t imagine it being more than 4 or 5 consecutive championships.
All the credit in the world goes to the DLS football staff for being able to leverage this structural advantage into what they have achieved, 27 NCS chamionships since 1975. By the way, Cardinal Newman is second with 11 NCS championships since 1975.
Junior, I rely on solid facts for my statements and that, my friend, is as solid as a US Aircraft Carrier.
October 23rd, 2012 at 6:48 pm
Junior, Don’t waist your time. They will never understand. The 5 reasons you posted above,should be enough proof for anyone who knows what it takes to be a successful program. DLS. is the only school to have this consistency every year. Lack of any one of these reasons will result in failure at some point. Like you said “simple stuff”.
October 23rd, 2012 at 7:02 pm
Big Dog
You are absolutely right I did not intend it that way. I mentioned kids I know that go there, separately I know kids with very good payment plans.. But yes 200-300 a mo, is accurate. I was just making a point to Stewie that assistance does exist, I read his post to say it didn’t.
It’s not a bad thing DLS can do this it’s great for those chosen kids. The fact just remains it adds to the dominance they have over all NCS teams.
October 23rd, 2012 at 7:11 pm
Junior, here’s a little more proof for ya. This board is filled with posts by fans of programs who lack 1or more of your reasons. Mainly the first 2.
October 23rd, 2012 at 7:13 pm
I don’t understand why DLS backers insist they do not have advantages over other schools. Yes Lad and crew built a great program and a big part of it is buying in from the players. Which they are great at getting them to do.. But have the kids just in a 15 mile radius of DLS buy in and you have a team no better then Concord or Northgate. But when you get the best players from 3-4 counties buying in now you built a dominant program. Don’t tell me they win all those games with just concord/walnut creek kids. No disrespect to those kids just making a point.
Read the post in this blog the former DLS stars mentioned, Jones Drew, Toomer, DJ Williams, Aaron Taylor, TJ Ward, Jackie Bates, Kevin Simon – not a single one of these kids are from Concord/Walnut creek.
I 100% respect what Lad and the program has done, I’d respect the fans a whole lot more if they just admit “were dominant in this area, but yes we have advantages”
October 23rd, 2012 at 7:20 pm
Reading comprehension is not your strong suit.
Berean Christian has the EXACT SAME access to the students DLS does.
aircraft carrier … sunk.
October 23rd, 2012 at 7:28 pm
OK so BC has same advantages and doesn’t capitalize, shame on them. Funny how you ignored all the facts presented in my post and others. Take any of the names listed above off any of those teams and those teams are a shell of what they were. Top O an D players on this years team are not from DLS area. I know I just sound like a hater, but fact remains even as great as Lad and DLS creedo/program are, they are not tops in nation without the kids recruited or banging on their door to get in.
October 23rd, 2012 at 8:15 pm
#63
LUV ya blu I’m from HOUSTON
EARL CAMPBELL is my favorite back next 2 Eric Dickerson
great power excellent balance supreme vision
B4 JACK PASSED may he REST IN PEACE WE WERE JUST TALKING about that hit when he knock the crap out of earl but he still stumbled into the end zone…
(gifted means able 2 balance and leverage yourself in awkward position when most other talented would fail….. and that’s in any sport by the way MY GIRL AGREE WITH U ABOUT ME BEING OPINIONATED LMAO
October 23rd, 2012 at 8:18 pm
BC does not capitalize because it takes SOOOO much more than just open enrollment.
That’s the point.
October 23rd, 2012 at 8:45 pm
@ Junior,
I 100% agree, read any of my post I give all the credit to the program, discipline, etc Lad insist upon. I have no problem agreeing when you make a valid point. But why as a DLS fan/backer won’t you admit that in addition to the tradition, program, coaching, etc.. DLS’s legacy would not be if it were not for the advantages they have open enrollment, tuition assistance, etc.. But now remove open enrollment and you don’t ever have, MJD, Toomer, Simon, Williams, Bates, Ward(s), etc.. Open enrollment is a huge piece of it. And at this point you can say the recruit less, I agree cause kids are know lining up hoping to play there. Trust me on that, the Freshman kid on Varsity now is ours (well DLS’s) now.
October 23rd, 2012 at 9:34 pm
KIR- I agree talent has helped DLS’s success- always have stated that.
I just dont think talent ranks as highly as some other people do.
Post 65 lists where I rank talent in regards to success of HS football teams.
October 23rd, 2012 at 10:03 pm
To understand why DLS supporters refuse to admit that access to a larger population base contributes to their success i think you have to reframe the argument. We’ve all tried to compliment them on their success, given Lad all the props he deserves, and praised the brotherhood for all the character building they do. If anyone has read the book “Outliers”, you might agree that DLS’s success can be attributed to specific imperial data that can be measured and not to intangible concepts like leadership and tradition. To really understand why they are successful you also have to exclude factors that other schools also have. For example money. Many of the EBAL schools probably have access to as much money as DLS. Training and conditioning, has a lot to do with winning but not a reason that differentiates because any school can train year round. In defense of DLS, any school can recruit, public or private, can recruit, especially now that an athlete sits out a couple of weeks after transferring. So what does DLS do that is so different than everyone else. You are all going to laugh, but here’s my theory. The DLS OL routinely is better than any other OL. They practice getting off the ball as one unit until they become one unmovable force. And they can do it better and longer than anyone else. You can measure it, just like you can measure the miles (28,000) Phelps swam before he won his first gold medal. To reach a critical level of success a minimum level of practice is required. Ask any one who has played against them and they will tell you it is the line play, every time. You can measure the practice time by the hours they spend developing the line. A second measurable factor is the pool of talent the program has access to whether through recruiting, success breeding success or parents and kids wanting a good education, statistically it is a factor. Not the dominant one but a factor.
October 24th, 2012 at 12:31 am
I hear you barefoot and agree 100% regarding the OL for DLS as being the bellweather for the team. But before you can talk about how good that OL is, you have to ask where they came from. We would all be more impressed if that OL was made up of kids who grew up together in the same neighborhood or even the same city instead of the liklihood they all came from different cities or perhaps even different counties. DLS is akin to a college program in that regard.
In the context of DLS playing any other public school in northern California, is it any wonder then they haven’t lost to one in over 20 years?
As if you needed any more evidence Junior just doen’t get it, his comment that BC & DLS have the “exact same access” to football playing student athletes takes the cake!
October 24th, 2012 at 8:14 am
UR ALL RIGHT TALENT HAS NOTHING 2 DO WITH TEAM BUT IF UR TRYING 2 WIN THE GAME U NEED TALENT
most coach are entrenched in this team concept thing
that may make u feel good on the inside but it can be costly THERE ARE SOME KIDS THAT ABSOLUTELY DO NT BELONG ON A FOOTBALL FIELD but some how they start… In HS one kids can score 10 plus touchdowns but that’s poor sportsmanship lmao LOOK AT THE STATS OF TEXAS KIDS U DONT LET VIRGINA’S STEP ON THE FLIED U GET THEM OF THE FLIED IN PRACTICE
do u let dummy’s on the debate team hell no
Troy Edwards score 11TD on a highly rank Nebraska team 405yards receiving bomb after bomb
ur all giving LAD a lap dance —– u beat dls by throwing bombs
October 24th, 2012 at 9:47 am
the solution is to have a separate league for private schools within CIF, like the OAL. these private schools will be bowl-eligible. Perhaps the champion of the private school league can play the champion of the public league at the end of the season, but really, the best option is to split them up.
October 24th, 2012 at 10:17 am
So voice would have us believe that public schools in the bay area dont have lineman that are 6′ 210 LBS. Or how about the DLS lineman who have been well under 6′ or 200 lbs.
Guess those big, physical born-to-be-a-lineman come from all over the bay and end up at Winton Dr.
Fantasy Land.
October 24th, 2012 at 10:34 am
It is hard to believe someone is comparing DLS to Berean Christian, a D5 school with only 453 students total, male and female. They may have open boundaries, but the school is only going to admit a certain number of students. They would in no way be able to have the depth at each position or the number of kids in the program that DLS gets in being the only D1 private school within a large area.
October 24th, 2012 at 11:39 am
great insight preppy.
October 24th, 2012 at 12:15 pm
The point I am making is that although being able to draw from a larger population statistically improves your odds of getting better athletes, it is not the primary reason for DLS success. If having a large population to pull from equated to success, than why does India not have a great Olympic team. If you look at the Olympic medal per capita here are the top five: Medals Population Population per Medal
1 Grenada 1 110,821 110,821
2 Jamaica 12 2,705,827 225,485
3 Trinidad4 1,317,714 329,428
4 New Zealand13 4,432,620 340,970
5 Bahamas 1 353,658 353,658
October 24th, 2012 at 12:48 pm
You might be getting a little bit off track with Olympic comparisons there Barefoot. A large population is obviously not the only thing DLS has going for it, but it certainly is one of the components of the perfect storm that has been DLS football over the past 30 years or so.
It is entertaining to see people try to minimnize everything except coaching, dedication and effort in attempts to sway people to believe that it can be done at other schools such as YV or Livermore if they just hired the right coach or if their kids were more dedicated. It is a conglomeration of a lot of things that have helped DLS to become the most storied program in the history of HS football (movie to come), open enrollment, and being in a large area with a diverse population to draw from without other large privates nearby just being part of the equation.
Certainly, DLS has many great coaches, they work very hard, are dedicated and make a lot of sacrifices during the summer and the school year, but most people can see that there are many other factors involved as well.
October 24th, 2012 at 1:30 pm
Great points made by all (except Junior, LMAO). Yes DLS’s O – Line is the best around, and to Juniors credit DLS’s O – line is typically smaller, stout tough guys who work as a unit. Can’t argue that. But the fact remains your much better with that awesome line and MJD, Kevin Simon, Ward, etc.. running the ball behind that line. Then your avg RB. They bring in top notch players to add to the top notch coaching and program..
With all that said I don’t want them going anywhere to any other league, put them back in the BVAL please. I rather play the Green Monster every year and loose then not have a chance to play them.. One day PITT will again get the green monkey off their back! Beat em or go done tryin…… And I hope it’s a year where they got 7-8 PIttsburg kids playing there like this year damn it!!
October 24th, 2012 at 2:09 pm
I SURE HOPE SAN LEANDRO DOESNT GO 0-10
THERE’S LIKE 3000 KIDS AT THAT SCHOOL PLUS
its a great bunch of guys over there
lets go pirates finish up strong!!!
October 24th, 2012 at 2:36 pm
KIR- the O line grad their entire starting lineup last year. Amazing reserves and kids up from JV’s filling in that well.
October 24th, 2012 at 2:48 pm
In the 50′s and 60′s Bellarmine was a boarding school. Many students were boarded there and played football. Bellarmine’s success during these decades is legiondary, similar to DLS.
At SMCHS in the 60′s and 70′s they had kids from Berkely, Oakland, SF, Concord, Martinez, El Cerrito, Richmond, Emeryville, Hayward. Many of these kids played football.
The point is lots of kids including football kids come from a wide variety of cities surrounding the school.
To beleive that DLS should have only kids from Concord and Walnut Creek is ridicious. The surrounding cities like the 2 schools mentioned would be antioh, pittsburg, danville,alamo, san ramon, richmond, hercules.
October 24th, 2012 at 2:57 pm
Ghalktalk hit the nail on the head about some kids not belonging on the field.
At DLS freshman and JV teams are taught to tackle and block successfully. They are taught to gang tackle and not to be afraid, be aggresive and take it to your opponent before they get you.
The point of this is clear. Unless you are fielding Frosh/JV teams who have extensive pop warner experience, there are a lot of kids that don’t like contact or to be hit. They start in frosh and unless completely prepared for all the contact, shy away. It is not fun to be hit or make tackles aS A FROSH UNLESS IT’S IN YOU OR YOU ARE TAUGHT AGGRESIVENESS. The size of frosh and JV teams out there are usually small. Some of those kids aren’t going to play 4 yrs of football.
I believe the success of any program starts at frosh/JV and the need for excellent coaches to teach this.
How many programs can claim big efforts in this area.
I watched MV JV get beat 55-08 last week and Dls JV were beat earlier in the yr by St. Marys Stockton. MV did not look prepared to play. The coaching on this level is not up to par. Some schools can’t field a frosh team, a big disadvantage.
I would say Pitt and Logan have good insite to developing these entrance teams.
October 24th, 2012 at 3:14 pm
At one time San Leandro had 3 high schools. They now have 1. They draw from East Oakland, CV, Hayward and San Lorenzo. That team should be in the hunt Every year like they did during the Dixon years and afterwards.
October 24th, 2012 at 3:32 pm
Gotta love the Pitt fans- they have what it takes! So are the Pirate players- they always play hard and physical vs the Green Machine. KIR- you da man.
October 26th, 2012 at 1:21 pm
I would love someone who actually played at DLS or had a son who played to post the hours per week,12 months out of the year,DLS players have to put in to be in that program.
Lad is an exceptional coach,but is he 40 points better than the MV coach or the Foothill coach?
DlS FB and BASKTBALL programs demand and get players who are willing to put in so many more hours year round than 99% of schools in the bay area.They execute so well because of the countless hours of repetition along with the discipline the coaches demand.
Let me also point out before we annoint sainthood here that the NCS has strict rules about when you can practice and they are broken and bent in a 12 month 360 days a year setting,believe me.