December 1st 2024.
On a quiet Sunday morning, De La Salle coach Justin Alumbaugh woke up at the ungodly hour of 4:30 to watch a replay of his team's previous game against powerhouse Mater Dei-Santa Ana. It was the 2018 state championship game, and despite dealing with a fractured foot from practice the day before, De La Salle's star linebacker and power runner Henry To'oto'o managed to keep the team competitive until the fourth quarter. Alumbaugh couldn't help but feel both inspired and saddened as he watched To'oto'o limp around on the field, knowing that he now plays for the Houston Texans.
Despite being considered the underdog, that De La Salle team had enough strength to hold their own against the best of Southern California. The same can be said for the 2019 team, who unfortunately fell short in the state championship game against St. John Bosco-Bellflower. However, Alumbaugh remains confident that this year's Spartans have what it takes to go head-to-head with Mater Dei once again.
On December 14th, De La Salle will have their chance to prove themselves as they face Mater Dei in the Open championship game at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo. Alumbaugh made sure to emphasize his belief in his team's capabilities, stating that they have what it takes to compete with anyone in the country. However, he knows that they will have to bring their A-game in order to come out on top.
The odds may not be in De La Salle's favor, as Calpreps' computer has predicted a 46-3 rout by Mater Dei. But as Alumbaugh points out, the same computer predicted a similar outcome for Bosco in their recent game against Mater Dei, which ended up with a much closer score of 31-24. Alumbaugh attributes his confidence to his players' determination to compete in the highest division, as well as the physicality of his team's line and their impressive speed.
In order to prepare for the big game, Alumbaugh and his staff will have to strike a delicate balance between pushing their players to be physical in practice while also keeping them safe from injury. It's a risky decision, but Alumbaugh knows that his team can't improve without playing football and they can't stay healthy if they don't play football. It's a difficult catch-22 situation that they must navigate carefully.
For Alumbaugh, this year's state championship game is a chance to redeem himself from a play call that still haunts him to this day. In last year's game against Bosco, with just four minutes left on the clock and down by two touchdowns, he made the call for a triple option play at the goal line. It was a risky move that ultimately resulted in a fumble and Bosco's defensive end, Matthew Jordan, running it back for a 96-yard touchdown. Alumbaugh takes full responsibility for the loss and knows that he should have called a different play.
But this year, Alumbaugh and the Spartans are determined to prove that they can compete with the best of the best. Despite the computer's prediction, they believe they have what it takes to come out on top. Alumbaugh knows that sometimes in these big games, it can feel like bringing a spoon to a gun fight, but this year, he believes his team is armed and ready for battle. And who knows, maybe this time around, he'll get a chance to make a play call that will go down in history as a game-changer.
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