No. 3 De La Salle

De La Salle owned arguably the most impressive victory of the 2010 season: a 48-8 dismantling of nationally ranked Servite.

Bob Ladouceur's Spartans are the model of consistency. Predicting that they will have a good season is like predicting they will be wearing green and silver uniforms. It's nearly a guarantee.

Quarterback Bart Houston gives De La Salle one of the most talented quarterbacks it has had in 10 years. The Spartans will also have talented athletes all over the field, including linebacker Michael Barton, receiver Anthony Williams and receiver/linebacker Michael Hutchings.

The Spartans' offensive line, per usual, will be explosive off the ball and will get a tremendous push for a deep stable of talented but unproven running backs.



Once again among the nation's elite, expect to see De La Salle back down in Carson, Calif., in December, as a CIF Bowl Game berth is probable.

Local look: "Any time De La Salle has had a strong experienced quarterback like (Bart Houston) they've had a lot of success. Their defense looks to be spectacular which doesn't seem likely after losing D1 guys like Blake Renaud (Boise State) and Dylan Wynn (Oregon State). Not every team has the luxury of having (defensive) guys as good as Michael Barton, Justin Walker, Anthony Williams and Michael Hutchings. As good as their defense was last year, this year's squad could be better. If the offense is as strong as it looks, the Spartans should be able to stand up against any team in the nation."
- Ben Enos, Contra Costa Times

Continue to School Profile{PAGEBREAK}
School size: Division I



Enrollment: 1,039 (all boys)





2010 finish: 14-0, North Coast Section Division I and CIF State Open Division champion.



Head coach: Bob Ladouceur



Career record: 371-24-3



Years at school: 32





Notable players coached:
* WR Amani Toomer (Michigan, New York Giants)
DB Jackie Bates (Oregon, Kansas City Chiefs)
RB Maurice Jones-Drew (UCLA, Jacksonville Jaguars)
DT Derek Landry (Notre Dame, Carolina Panthers)
* OL Aaron Taylor (Notre Dame, Green Bay Packers)
DB T.J. Ward (Oregon, Cleveland Browns)
LB D.J. Williams (Miami, Denver Broncos)
*Retired


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Number of returning starters: 5 (offense), 6 (defense)

Key losses:
LB Blake Renaud
DL Dylan Wynn
RB Lucas Dunne
WR Lucas Shapiro

Key returners:
QB Bart Houston
LB Michael Barton
LB Michael Hutchings
DL-OL Justin Walker
RB Joe Te'o
WR-DB Anthony Williams

Key newcomers:
TE-LB Victor Egu
WR Andrew Buckley
OL Jeff Houd



Continue to Season Outlook{PAGEBREAK}
Toughest game: St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.). The Raiders mirror the Spartans in their coaching, preparedness and success. This is one of the more intriguing out-of-state matchups in years.

Top local contenders: It should be a very good year for football in Northern California. The Bay Area boasts the likes of Valley Christian, Monte Vista and Bellarmine, which are all due for very strong seasons.

Question marks: While De La Salle returns key players on defense, it also loses linebacker Blake Renaud and Dylan Wynn. Both will be difficult to replace.

Overall outlook: Bob Ladouceur and staff will have this team ready to go by the time De La Salle faces Aquinas in their third game. A victory over the Raiders certainly would justify the Spartans' spot near the top of the rankings.

Coach quote: "We have a chance of being very good. If (Joe) Te'o was at full strength (he'll likely be out the first half the year with a knee injury) we'd feel a lot better. But I think we have less question marks than we did last year heading into the season. And that turned out OK." – Longtime Defensive Coordinator Terry Eidson.

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