OPEN DIVISION: De La Salle (Concord) 12-2 vs. Crenshaw (Los Angeles) 14-0, 8 p.m. Satuirday
Live TV: Comcast SportsNet California and Comcast SportsNet Plus
GameTracker: Click GAMETRACKER to follow each of the state championship bowl games.
Live radio/webcast: KBCSports.com will webcast all games and KFRC 1550 AM broadcast De La Salle-Crenshaw tilt.
Stadium ticket sales: $15 adult, $8 each for students, seniors and children.
Parking: $10 per vehicle.
Nike Football Coaches Clinic with Pete Caroll: Saturday, 9:30-11:30 a.m. at Home Depot Center (Agassi Pavilion), no registration fee, free Nike shirt and ticket to the games. Coaches only.
California High School Cheer and Dance Championships: Saturday at Home Depot Center Tennis Stadium, $15 adult admission ($8 student, senior, children) includes entrance to football games.
Other games: Small Schools, Modesto Christian (14-0) vs. Parker-San Diego (11-2), 4 p.m.; Division I, Bellarmine Prep-San Jose (11-1-1) vs. Oceanside (13-0), 8 p.m. Friday; Division III, Marin Catholic (13-1) vs. Oceanside (13-0), noon Saturday; Division II, Rocklin (14-0) vs. Servite-Anaheim (13-1), 4 p.m. Saturday.
FACTS AND STATS
MaxPreps rankings — De La Salle: No. 54 nationally, No. 9; Crenshaw: No. 39 nationally,by Freeman, No. 16 by Xcellent 25; state, No. 5.
Notable alums — De La Salle: Amani Toomer (NFL), Maurice Jones-Drew (NFL), Brent Barry (NBA), D.J. Williams (NFL). Crenshaw: Darryl Strawberry (MLB), Marques Johnson (NBA), Wendell Tyler (NFL), Ice T (rapper).
Leading rusher — De La Salle: Terron Ward (172-1,872-23 TDs), Tyler Anderson (135-1,202-22). Crenshaw: Geoffrey Norwood (113-997-16)
Leading passer — De La Salle: Bart Houston (66-103-1,175 yards-10 TDs). Crenshaw: Marquis Thompson (13 games) (102-178-1,785-19).
Leading receiver — De La Salle: Lucas Shapiro (20-386-5). Crenshaw: Geno Hall (42-677-8).
Points per game (allowed): De La Salle 44.9 (13.6), Crenshaw 48.9 (11.2).
CARSON, Calif. - This is a dream matchup really. Old school versus the newcomer. Private school versus public. Ultimate suburb versus inner city.
Photo by Juan Ruvalcaba
De'Anthony Thomas is one of country's top-ranked junior RBs.
De La Salle and all its tradition and reputation, a six-time mythical national champion and the only school to be selected to a State Bowl game all four years – no one else has been picked more than twice – against a Los Angeles City team far more known for its basketball prowess.
There's a load of Division I talent on both squads.
They truly saved the best for last - the final game in the country to be played in 2009.
Crenshaw is the first Los Angeles City school to be picked into the bowl game and after a 34-14 victory over Narbonne the team was overcome with emotion. The season has been that satisfying for the Cougars (14-0).
“I’m going to cry when I get in that locker room,” Crenshaw leading rusher Geoffrey Norwood told the Los Angeles Times. “If they want us, we’ll be there. We’re not going anywhere. I they want to play against an undefeated team, we’ll be there.”
The following day, the selection committee called the Cougars based not only a dominating season, but five wins over Southern Section squads, including at-one-time state-ranked Lakewood (28-27) and Norco (47-44) to open the season.
“I am overwhelmed,” Crenshaw coach Robert Garrett told the newspaper. “I’m very excited about the opportunity. We don’t get this honor all the time. That’s a powerhouse team. We accept the challenge.”
It’s indeed a large one. After a very slow start – especially offensively – De La Salle has ripped off 11 straight wins to improve coach Bob Ladouceur’s record to 356-24-3. He leads the state in career victories.
With a 49-14 win over Pittsburg on Saturday, De La Salle won its 18th consecutive North Coast Section title and 25th overall. The Spartans haven’t lost to a Northern California opponent since 1991 when they started a remarkable national record 151-game win streak.
Once De La Salle got its pair of potent tailbacks 100 percent healthy and found a steady influence at quarterback, the familiar train of success followed as they outscored for playoff foes by a combined 193-35 count.
That didn’t seem possible after starting the year with losses to Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.), currently No. 1 in every national poll, 30-6 and to nationally-ranked Lakeland, 31-30.
“At that point we definitely didn’t think getting back to this point was possible,” said longtime defensive coordinator Terry Eidson. “But we just got better and better and better.”
Photo by Dennis Lee
De La Salle senior RB Terron Ward is a game-breaker.
Ladouceur told the Contra Costa Times: “We’re naturally thrilled to be in that game and feel we have a chance. I think we’re the best team in Northern California, and I just hope we go down and represent well.”
DE LA SALLE OFFENSE/CRENSHAW DEFENSE
Never in Ladouceur’s career – even in the early years – did his team sputter so badly offensively. An ankle injury to leading rusher Terron Ward and hamstring pull by Tyler Anderson put the pressure on a trio of unproven quarterbacks.
It was hard to watch.
But once Ward got healthy during a school-record 398-yard performance against Monte Vista-Danville, and the coaching staff committed to talented sophomore Bart Houston, all fell into place.
At the same time Anderson’s hammy got mended and hit has produced one of the more explosive offenses in recent years. Ward and Anderson have combined for 3,074 rushing yards and 45 touchdowns.
Houston has passed for well over 1,000 yards and completed 10 touchdowns with just two interceptions. The veer attack the Spartans have perfected for years is now in full force. With an experienced and still improving offensive line, De La Salle has come a long way from its single-TD performance against Bosco. The Spartans have scored at least 40 points in eight of their last nine games.
“Having Bart step up and show so much poise and ability really helped,” Eidson said.
Defensively, Crenshaw flies to the ball and gang tackles impressively. The Cougars’ most active tackler is undersized 6-foot, 185-pound linebacker Ronald Stovall, who has been in on a gaudy 136 tackles and 13 sacks.
He’s got more than twice as many tackles as anyone on the team and other than 5-10, 245-pound junior James Brock (seven) no one has more than four sacks.
The team’s leading rusher Geoffrey Norwood is also the squad’s leader in the secondary with seven interceptions. De'Anthony Thomas and Hayes Pullard are two more standouts, play-makers and sure tacklers.
Photo by Dennis Lee
DLS RB Tyler Anderson is a state-meet sprinter as well.
CRENSHAW OFFENSE/DE LA SALLE DEFENSEAn early ankle injury to the very talented Thomas in the season-opener thrust senior Norwood into the spotlight. He responded with close to 1,000 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Thomas, one of Crenshaw’s most spectacular talents in years, returned to full strength in the City’s championship game Saturday with 193 yards and three touchdowns in just 12 carries.
A sprinter and defending City 100-meter champion, Thomas has 819 yards rushing in just 74 carries (11.06 average) and 10 touchdowns. The 5-foot-11, 165-pounder is considered one of the nation’s top recruits from the Class of 2011.
Pullard has also rushed for almost 500 yards and eight touchdowns for a team that averages about 223 yards rushing per game. Add in 1,785 yards passing and 19 touchdowns by 5-10, 170-pound quarterback Marquis Thompson and the pass-catching prowess of Geno Hall (42-677-8) and it’s no wonder the Cougars are averaging just below 50 points per game.
“They have speed, speed and more speed,” Eidson said. “They have Division I athletes everywhere. They’re very impressive.”
With seven starters back on defense, Eidson’s group was considered the team’s strength, especially the front seven led by juniors Dylan Wynn and linebacker Blake Renaud. The Spartans do a good job of getting to the quarterback, led by senior Will Marre (14 sacks) along with Wynn and Dino Waldren, who have eight sacks each.
The secondary had been a question but when Ward and Anderson moved to the corners permanently, the defense became complete. Considered one the school’s most physical defenses, the Spartans haven’t given up more than two TDs in a game since Oct. 16. At least half of those were by the second unit.
EXTRA POINTS
According to calhisports.com Editor Ronnie Flores, the last City Section school to win state Team of the Year was Carson in 1988 and the last undefeated city Team of the Year was Banning (1980). … Since Oct. 1, Crenshaw has allowed 54 points in 10 games with four shutouts. … Crenshaw was featured in the acclaimed 1991 movie “Boyz n the Hood” and the UPN television series “Moesha.” … Ward is the younger brother of Oregon defensive back Terrell Ward, a projected early-round pick in the upcoming NFL draft. … Ward, Anderson and safety Kenneth Egu were part of De La Salle’s 400 relay team that finished third at state last season. Egu is out for the game after sustaining an injury in game last week.
Photo by Juan Ruvalcaba
Crenshaw senior Geoffrey Norwood's power is perfect compliment to Thomas' speed.