Today Trevor and I spent much of the afternoon at De La Salle.
We received a tour of the school, hoping to find where all of the countless awards/banners/trophies were kept. Interestingly, there were hardly any such items around the school's interior. We did get to take a look at one trophy case that had some a bunch of football awards for individual players' accomplishments (accolades for Maurice Jones-Drew and D.J. Williams) and team achievements (national team of the year plaques from various years). It definitely put into perspective De La Salle's history of success.
Watching practice, it was amazing to see how the seniors rallied the team together for stretches and warm ups, before coaches were even on the field. They were organized and efficient, and it certainly impressed me. Once the coaches took the field, practice seemed to proceed as usual, with players knowing exactly where they needed to be whenever the whistle blew.
Also of note was that Nate Montana, son of legendary 49ers QB Joe Montana, seems to be just another Spartan. He received no ostensible special treatment. He took snaps after the top two QB's on the depth chart, Mike MacGillivray and Blake Wayne, took their snaps.
After practice Nike present to present the team with some items brandished with the motto "Brotherhood is Everything". It seems to embody De La Salle's program perfectly.
Off to Mission Viejo bright and early in the morning!-SS