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| Wednesday, July 16 |
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| De La Salle wins ... again By Mike Haubrich SchoolSports.com | |||
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In a game that lived up to the hype, De La Salle High (Calif.), ranked No. 1 in the nation, extended it national-record winning streak to 103 games by beating No. 10 Mater Dei High (Calif.), 31-28, Saturday night at Edison Field in Anaheim, Calif. "We had our chances," said Mater Dei coach Bruce Rollinson after watching his team forge a frantic fourth-quarter comeback that fell 17 yards short. "It was a tough loss for us and a great win for them." De La Salle set the tone early, stopping Mater Dei cold on the Monarchs' opening possession. Jonathan Tucker then returned a punt 59 yards to the Mater Dei 16-yard line, and running back Kevin Simon scored from 14 yards out two plays later for a quick 7-0 lead. "This is what all the off-season workouts are about, for games like this," said Simon. After another Mater Dei three-and-out, De La Salle took only five plays to score again, this time a 7-yard TD run by Nate Kenion. The Monarchs finally began to move the ball on their next possession, but Tucker intercepted Mater Dei quarterback Matt Leinart's ill-advised pass into double-coverage. The Spartans took advantage, this time on a 32-yard touchdown strike from quarterback Matt Gutierrez to Demetruis Williams, to give De La Salle a 21-0 lead with six seconds remaining in the first quarter. "They could have shut it down right there," said Rollinson of his team. But they didn't. Leinart hit receiver Jeff Diulio on two consecutive passes the next time the Monarchs had the ball -- the first going for 22 yards and moving Mater Dei into De La Salle territory; the second a 40-yard touchdown pass that cut the lead to 21-7. Ian Gunderman then intercepted a Gutierrez pass, and Leinart found Matt Haugen open in the end zone for a 5-yard touchdown pass to draw the Monarchs to within seven points of the lead, 21-14, where the score remained until halftime. "We couldn't catch up with their speed, and it took us a while to get on track," said Rollinson. "You just can't simulate that speed in practice." In the second half, De La Salle appeared to again take control of the game, parlaying two critical Mater Dei mistakes into another big lead. The Monarchs were called for an offside penalty as the Spartans were preparing to punt midway through the third quarter. De La Salle turned the mistake into a 25-yard field goal by James Bloomsburgh. Mater Dei then tried a fake punt on its next possession, but upback Brown Faavae was stopped for a 1-yard loss. De La Salle once again took advantage, with Gutierrez hitting Williams with a 21-yard touchdown pass to make it 31-14 going into the fourth quarter. The Monarchs were pinned back at their own 13-yard line and facing a third-and-16 when their fourth-quarter comeback began. Leinart hit Brian Panique with a pass at the 30 and the Monarchs' receiver was off to the races, rumbling in for an 87-yard touchdown. De La Salle punted on its next possession, and Leinart guided Mater Dei on an eight-play drive that ended with a 40-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Panique with 4:12 remaining. Leinart completed 6 of 7 passes in the drive. De La Salle looked to put Mater Dei away following the touchdown, but Gutierrez was picked off by Camron Carmona at the Monarchs' 10-yard line with a little more than two minutes remaining. Mater Dei then went on a drive that will be talked about for years. Leinart avoided sacks, had two passes that should have been picked off dropped by De La Salle defenders, and converted two crucial fourth downs during the 14-play drive -- hitting Diulio on a 10-yard pass on fourth-and-2 at the Monarchs' 36 and a 18-yard pass on fourth-and-7 at the Spartans' 48. But the Monarchs finally ran out of miracles, as Leinart couldn't get the ball into the end zone on three tries from the 17, and kicker Brian New hooked a 34-yard field goal wide left that would have tied the game with 32 seconds remaining. Then, and only then, were the Spartans able to take a deep breath and relish their victory. "I never lost faith in my teammates," an emotional Gutierrez said following the game. "This is what you dream of doing, being in a game like this in front of all these fans." Leinart, who finished with a game-high 401 yards passing and four touchdown tosses, looked for the positives in the loss. "I thought it was going to go our way, getting those fourth-down (conversions), but it didn't happen," he said. "We'll be ready next week and for the playoffs." It was certainly a game for the ages, and it was the affable Rollinson who summed it up perfectly afterward. "This is high school football at its best. What else can I say?"
Material from SchoolSports.com.Visit their web site at www.schoolsports.com | |
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