CONCORD — it was like old times for De La Salle on Friday night. Big crowd. Formidable opponent. And a Jones-Drew running the ball.
Duece Jones-Drew, the sophomore son of Spartans legend and former NFL star Maurice Jones-Drew, got the fun going for the home team with an electrifying 64-yard touchdown run early in the first quarter.
Quarterback Toa Faavae followed with two more rushing touchdown, then defensive back Ant Dean stripped the ball from the opposing quarterback and ran 33 yards for a score.
De La Salle led by four TDs at halftime and went on to rout Sacramento powerhouse Grant 42-14 to open the season.
On a night of big plays and hits for the Bay Area News Group’s top-ranked team, Jones-Drew’s run on the third snap was the most special, given that it was the running back’s first game for his dad’s alma mater after he missed last season with a shoulder injury.
“I have to say, that was a neat moment,” coach Justin Alumbaugh said. “We’re really focusing on joy and the moments that we have together. Standing next to Maurice, the smile on his face. I coached Maurice. Seeing Duece running down the field like that and Maurice, I am so happy for his son. I’ll remember that for a long time.”
Maurice Jones-Drew is an assistant on Alumbaugh’s staff.
De La Salle’s Derrick Blanche (22) scores a touchdown against Grant in the fourth quarter of their game at De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif., on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024. De La Salle defeated Grant 42-14. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Duece finished with 100 yards in nine carriers. Senior Derrick Blanche had 102 yards and a touchdown in 16 attempts, and Jaden Jefferson ran 10 times for 56 yards and a touchdown.
“It felt great,” Jones-Drew said about his TD run. “But honestly I can’t take any credit for that. The line blocked so perfectly. Really all I had to do was run straight. They make my job easier. I want to give all credit to them.”
De La Salle dominated on both sides of the ball in the first half and, though sloppy at times after halftime, sent Grant home with a running-clock defeat.
The Spartans scored touchdowns on their first three possessions and forced punts on Grant’s opening two series.
Faavae’s 21-yard run set up his sneak from the 1 that made it 14-0 seconds into the second quarter. The quarterback scored again on De La Salle’s next series, running around left end from 9 yards out to extend the margin to 21-0.
Then Dean, following a technique he learned watching YouTube videos, took the ball from Grant’s scrambling quarterback Luke Alexander and coasted into the end zone for a 28-0 halftime cushion.
“I’ve had strips before,” Dean said. “But not like that one, that open. But I practice it every day. Every single day I am going for a strip. It wasn’t really a ‘whoa’ because I am used to it. I am not used to scoring. That was my first varsity touchdown. But I am used to taking the ball.”
De La Salle’s Ant Dean (12) strips the ball away from Grant quarterback Luke Alexander (7) and returns it for a touchdown in the second quarter of their game at De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif., on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Both teams Friday entered the season with unfinished business, each having won regional titles last season but falling short in state title games.
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Grant opened its season last week with a victory over Edison-Stockton.
De La Salle figured to be a much bigger test for the storied Sacramento program and that certainly was the case. The only area that wasn’t on point for DLS was its passing game.
“Our physicality was there,” Alumbaugh said. “Runners ran the ball hard. Toa ran the ball hard. We had open passes that we just didn’t complete. We’ve been completing them all the time in practice. We completed them in the scrimmage. I have full confidence that we’re going to throw the ball better than we did tonight.”
Next up for the Spartans: Serra, the reigning NorCal champ that opened its season Friday with a stunning victory at Folsom, visits DLS next Friday.
De La Salle’s Ant Dean (12) runs into the end zone to score a touchdown after stripping the ball away from Grant quarterback Luke Alexander (7) in the second quarter of their game at De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif., on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
