De La Salle versus St. Thomas Aquinas is a high school football feast

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – If the high school football titanic matchup today between De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) and St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) were a meal, there would be no possible need or room for dessert.

Consider the ultra rich credentials for each program heading into the 8 p.m. (EDT) ESPN2-televised contest at Aquinas' Brian Piccolo Stadium.

THE RESUMES
* Aquinas (2-0) is No. 5 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 national rankings and De La Salle (2-0) is No. 10.

* Aquinas is ranked as high as No. 2 in other national rankings and De La Salle as high as No. 3.



* De La Salle won a national-record 151 games from 1992-2004 and has claimed at least eight mythical national crowns.

* Aquinas has won six state (three of the last four) and two mythical (2008 and 2010) championships. The Raiders are riding a 16-game win streak.

* De La Salle has won 27 straight games and back-to-back CIF State Open Division crowns.

* Aquinas boasts a national-best eight former players currently in the NFL and a remarkable 50 at the Division I college level, 40 of whom play for BCS schools.

* Among the Raiders' most famous alums are Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin, Piccolo, Leonard Hankerson and Major Wright.

* De La Salle coach Bob Ladoucuer is California's winningest current coach with a seemingly impossible record of 373-24-1 since he took over in 1979.



* Aquinas Athletic Director George Smith, who just retired as head coach in the spring, won 360 games, lost 66 (.845 winning percentage) and is a member of at least four coaching Hall of Fames.

* De La Salle's most famous alums include Amani Toomer, Aaron Taylor, Maurice Jones-Drew and D.J. Williams.

TWO QUOTES
"It's two powerhouse schools, two nationally known programs after another national championship," said Aquinas' latest big college recruit, senior defensive end Jelani Hamilton, who has committed to the University of Miami.

Said teammate and fellow defensive lineman Bryan Cox, son of former NFL linebacker by the same name: "The game carries a lot of juice right now. We're looking for the No. 1 spot. I'm sure they're looking for the No. 1 spot. We're just two outstanding programs ready to clash."

And you won't hear a hint of trash talk between the two teams or read a word of locker room material.

Quite the opposite. Consider the following:



THE MUTUAL RESPECT SOCIETY
When De La Salle defensive coordinator Terry Eidson was asked what he's seen on film of St. Thomas Aquinas, he chuckled and took a very long breath for a very long answer.

"I see a lot of athletes," Eidson said. "I see running backs who are fast and break tackles. They have two D-I receivers that catch the ball and run well after the catch. They have a quarterback who can run like the wind and who can manage the game. … They have kick returners and punt returners. … they have everything that makes them a perennial Top 5 team in the country every year.

"We have our work cut out for us, no doubt about it. It's a great challenge."

De La Salle head coach Bob Ladouceur took it a step further than that.

"We're clearly the underdogs in this game," he said. "(Aquinas) is better than us athletically. They're faster than us. They're more experienced than we are."

And with that, Ladouceur added: "I'm anxious to play them. I want to see how we're going to do. It's going to be a good test for us to see how good we are. "



Ladouceur and Eidson compare Aquinas on par athletically with the great Long Beach Poly teams from a decade ago but with this caveat: "They run more things and they execute better," Ladouceur said. "So that's not good."

First-year Aquinas coach Rocco Casullo isn't buying much of any of it. The 35-year-old whose father Bob is the Oakland Raiders' special teams coach said though De La Salle may not look like a juggernaut to the naked eye, they are a Monet to any high school football coach.

He's well aware that Ladouceur and Eidson have prepared and led dozens of supposedly overmatched teams to national showdown victories.

Case in point, those talented Poly teams the Spartans faced in 2001 and 2002. De La Salle prevailed 29-15 and 28-7.

"Everyone in the country knows about De La Salle," Casullo said. "We've never seen a team so precise and technically sound. They chop teams down like trees. They're 100 percent in the first half and 110 percent in the second. You have to respect a team and program like that.

"They are just an old school, hard-nosed football team."



Aquinas first-year starting quarterback Max Lescano, who sports a – get this! – a 4.8 grade point average, offered the ultimate compliment to the Spartans.

"When I watched De La Salle on film I think of us," he said. "I mean we have bigger guys and have fast athletes, but with us it's more about team and sticking to our assignments. We have really good coaches.

"When you watch De La Salle, you can tell they have great coaches too and they've been doing it for a long time."

THE TOP PLAYERS
Aquinas is led offensively by the running tandem of Dami Ayoola and junior Fred Coppet, the receiving duo of Corey Holmes and Gavin Sinclair, the quarterbacking of Lescano, the defensive front of Hamilton and Cox and linebackers Cole Champion and Tyler Drake.

De La Salle owns the nation's No. 78 senior recruit in 6-4, 215-pound Wisconsin-bound quarterback Bart Houston, wide receiver and defensive back Anthony Williams, defensive lineman Justin Walker and linebackers Michael Barton (Cal), Michael Hutchings and David Moffitt.

Houston has struggled the first two games following two fairly flawless seasons as a starter. He's 27-0 as a starter.



Lescano has yet to make a turnover and manages the game superbly. He replaced two-year starter Jake Ruddock, now at Iowa.

"What else can you ask for?" Casullo said.

FATIGUE AND TRAVEL
Much has been made of De La Salle's 3,000-mile flight to South Florida and playing in the swampy 90-degree heat. Both coaches agreed, it shouldn't be a factor.

"Those guys are in impeccable shape," Casullo said.
 
Ladouceur didn't like losing a day of practice or his kids missing school, but said "It won't make a much difference in the game. We won't make any excuses. We'll manage."

KEYS TO THE GAME
Barton, a coach on the field, said it's all about being physical and effective up front defensively.

"Our front seven is going to have to step up and plug those holes and force them to pass. Their running backs are awesome."



Cox and Hamilton said their key is to stay low.

"They get off the ball quickly and come at you really low," Cox said. "They might not be the biggest line but when they get off so fast they might as well (weigh) 280, not 220."

INSPIRATION
Though De La Salle appears largely outmanned, ultimately the Spartans feel they control their destiny.

"It's a test of courage to see how tough we are," Barton said. "We're going down there to play the best and see what we're made of."

Said Ladouceur: "If we play hard and do the right things and our kids play courageous, we'll have a chance of beating them."

Look for complete coverage of Aquinas versus De La Salle Friday night and through the weekend.