By Steve Spiewak
MaxPreps.com
After flying from Louisville to Sacramento late on Saturday, Trevor and I got to hang out with all the good people at MaxPreps headquarters in Cameron Park, California. Since we are off to De La Salle tomorrow, as the Spartans prepare for Saturday night's showdown against Mission Viejo, Trevor and I asked a few people around the office to share what they thought about De La Salle.
The general consensus seems to be that this team is as well-run as any team you'll ever find. Also, De La Salle has a reputation unlike any other school that I'm familiar with. Everyone knows De La Salle, and it seems as if everyone respects them. The amount of media coverage they received during and after the streak is unprecedented on the high school level. There are several books and documentaries about the the team. In fact, a new documentary called
Perfect Effort debuted in Bay Area theatres several months ago. After hearing about De La Salle for so long, I am thrilled to be able to see them play in person.
Trevor and I are hoping to catch the De La Salle practice tomorrow with MaxPreps' writer Mitch Stephens. Mitch humbly insists that because of the constant turnover of players, there aren't actually any authorities on high school sports. But Mitch, a Bay Area veteran, knows as much about De La Salle as anyone. I'm excited to pick his brain about this current team, as well as the great teams of the past. Another great resource I've found is
Spartanhood.com, a website run by fans of the De La Salle program.
Today after a great day at headquarters, I did a full-body outdoor workout with Claude the Bod, head of the MaxPreps Training Center and Kevin Ambrosini, VP of media partnerships. Having gone several weeks without hitting a gym, it goes without saying that the work out killed me. I expect to be extremely sore in the morning, and should get to bed ASAP. More to come tomorrow after we spend Tuesday with the Spartans! -SS
