By Mitch Stephens
MaxPreps.com
CONCORD, Calif. - When you've won five mythical national championships and haven't lost to a Northern California opponent in 16 years, there's not much urgency to change.
Then again, De La Salle coach Bob Ladouceur doesn't like to lose.
Not that he or the Spartans from Concord have.
In this his 28th seasons at De La Salle, the Spartans are an almost preposterous 320-20-3.
Their latest triumph, a 40-22 shellacking of Serra in a battle of Northern California's top two teams, had a different feel and tact.
Following the team's 27-13 loss in the CIF State Division I finals last year to Canyon-Canyon Country - the Spartans first season-ending loss since 1991 - Ladouceur and staff decided they needed to tinker.
The vaunted veer attack, one which had flourished because of machine-like precision, required an upgrade. Basically it needed a wrinkle in the passing game with new formations and sets.
Not only did last season's state-title loss inspire the change, but so did De La Salle's personnel at quarterback.
Ladouceur had Mike MacGillivray, a third-year starter with a fantastic arm and good feet, and newcomer Blake Wayne, a dynamic runner and ball-handler, who led last year's junior varsity team to an undefeated season.
He utilized both quarterbacks in a big way on Friday as the duo combined for 304 yards and four touchdowns as the Spartans (1-0), ranked 10th in the country by MaxPreps, raced to a 40-0 midway through the third quarter before Serra (1-1) scored three times against De La Salle's reserves, including remarkable TD runs of 93 and 95 yards by starting Serra quarterback Cody Jackson in the final 5:03.
MacGillivray was a crisp 7-for-7 passing for 118 yards and touchdowns of 55 and 27 yards to Michael Czyz, who also caught a 16 yards TD strike from Wayne, who ran nine times for 69 yards.
Wayne was also 2-for-2 passing and 51 yards, including a 35-TD from Kylan Butler.
All told the Spartans piled up 477 yards.
"I've never alternated two quarterbacks before and I generally don't like it," Ladouceur said. "I didn't know how I'd use them tonight but it worked out real well. I was impressed with how they ran things."
In the state-title game last year, Canyon ran nine men in the box and the Spartans never adjusted. "They weren't the first team to do it," Ladouceur said. "The whole summer we worked on the offense to open things up."
MacGillivray, a 5-foot-10, 182-pound senior, showed off his arm with a beautiful 55-yard bomb to a streaking Czyz (four catches, 100 yards) midway through the second quarter to make it 20-0.
The two hooked up for a 27-yard TD with 12 seconds left in the half, the third TD reception of the quarter for Czyz.
That sandwiched Wayne's 16-yard TD strike to Czyz, who took an inside screen and zipped through the Serra's active defense, which gave up just 170 yards and one touchdown in an opening 41-7 win over Buchanan-Clovis last week.
"Having both (Wayne) and I definitely gives other teams a lot to prepare for," MacGillivray said. "I think it's even more fun having both of us in there. And we're always fresh which is another advantage."
Wayne said he and MacGillivray are good friends and the competition between them is healthy.
"We really push each other," he said. "When I see him or us scoring a touchdown when he's in there, it just makes me want to get in there and do the same thing. All either of us really want to do is win."
Especially following last year's loss to Canyon, MacGillivray said.
He called the team's pre-game locker room on Friday the most intense he's experienced since taking the starting job in 2005.
"I've never seen us more focused or ready," MacGillivray said. "We couldn't wait to get on the field. That loss (to Canyon) has been sitting with us a long time."
They jumped on the mistake-prone Padres, who fumbled six times and committed four turnovers in the first half alone.
Serra received the opening kickoff and went penalty, fumble and fumble, the latter recovered by Blair Wishom at the Padres' 23.
After Gillivray accounted for 23 yards on three plays, Butler scored the first of his two touchdowns, on a 1-yard run.
Serra fumbled away its third possession and All-State linebacker Brady Amack, who later had an interception to set up another score, recovered at the Padres 25. After Wayne, a 5-9, 161-pound junior, rambled for 18 yards, Tito Pica (10 carries, 70 yards) scored on a 7-yard jaunt and the tone was set.
Not only was this a precursor for Serra's fumbling woes, but De La Salle's offense.
Even third-string quarterback Nate Montana, the oldest son of Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana, looked sharp, going 4-for-5 for 78 yards.
Serra eventually got on track on a 3-yard TD pass from Jackson to Andrew Cullins on the last play of the third quarter.
Jackson (8 rushes, 203 yards) then was off the races recording the second- and third-longest runs from scrimmage in school history. The longest is 98 yards by Jim Jackson against Marin Catholic in 1954.
The runs hopefully will give the Padres something to build on. They finished with 376 yards, 318 coming on the ground.
"We'll need to re-focus on our overall objectives which are to win WCAL and CCS," Walsh said. "It's a long season."
Ladouceur hopes this is a preview.
His team's 165th straight game without losing to a Northern California opponent had the look of a team determined to get back to the state title game.
With more versatility on offense, the Spartans look better prepared to win such a game.
"If we're going to get back to the state title game we're probably going to have to win them all," Ladouceur said. "This was a good start. I thought our running backs ran hard, and our defense and quarterbacks played well. I saw a lot of good things."