Stout defense cures all for No. 7 De La Salle in tough win over Mullen

CONCORD, Calif. – The long trip from Denver was paved with good intention for Mullen (Denver, Colo.) High School's football team and for a half against arguably the nation's most famous football program, it was filled with good fortune too.

But De La Salle's hellish defense proved to be too tough after intermission and the Spartans from Concord cleaned up a bad case of fumble-itis, scoring 23 unanswered second-half points en route to a 30-13 nonleague home win Friday.

The nation's No. 7 team according to MaxPreps got a combined 215 yards rushing and two touchdowns by running backs Tiapepe Vitale and Das Tautalatasi, but it was the play of its fast and physical defense which helped wipe out a 13-7 halftime deficit.

Mullen, the 14-time Colorado state champ, played tough and spirited, but it could manage only 10 yards after halftime and 137 total for the game.

"Our defense was stout tonight," De La Salle coach Bob Ladouceur said. "They definitely carried us most of the way."

Led by four Division I defenders including defensive end Austin Hooper (three sacks) and linebackers Michael Hutchings (99-yard kickoff return) and D.J. Moffitt (11 tackles), the Spartans gave up just one offensive touchdown and that was two plays after De La Salle fumbled the second play from scrimmage.

Air Force linebacker Patrick Healy recovered and one play later, impressive senior quarterback Gasper Dominici completed an 18-yard touchdown to a leaping Michael Moore, who made a spectacular catch in the back of the end zone. Just like that, Mullen was up 7-0.

"It was a good and pleasing start," said Mullen coach Tom Thenell said. "Unfortunately we couldn't keep up that momentum long and our special teams broke down."

It took 12 seconds for the Spartans to tie things up on Hutchings' record-tying kickoff return for touchdown. California – as well as most states – don't allow returns from the end zone so 99 yards is as far as you can go.

"You can't break down in any phase against a program as great as that one," Thenell said. "Unfortunately we did so more than once with our special teams."

But Mullen rarely broke on defense.

Led by Healy, Mullen gave up just 270 yards against a high-powered veer attack that often takes at least four quarters to get used to. By the time, the Spartans, who once won a national record 151 straight games, are often long gone.

Not Friday.

I'm obviously not glad we lost," Healy said. "But I'm glad we played. It was a great experience. We came here and learned a lot about ourselves. We learned we can play with anyone, but also that we have a lot to work on."

Not so much for Healy.

"He made the defensive play of the game while De La Salle looked like it was going in to take the lead. The Spartans had driven from their own 9, had a 78-yard touchdown run by Vitale wiped out by a block in the back, and were on the Mullen 12, first-and-10.

But Healy held up Vitale for no gain and then ripped the ball right out of his hands as he was fallen to the ground. Few, even coaching staffs on both sides, even knew Healy had the ball and he was 35 yards down field going the other direction before the Spartans even chased him.

He scored on the bizarre 88-yard return, giving the Mustangs a 13-7 lead with 10:43 left in the second quarter.

"I've never done it before but I had him held up so I went for it," Healy said. "It was sort of weird being so far in front of everyone. I'm just glad I made it to the end zone."

The play stunned most of the 5,000 fans at Owen Owens Stadium, but it wasn't the last time De La Salle would give up the ball in the first half. It fumbled a total of five times, three recovered by the Mustangs.

"It's hard to know exactly what to do or how to coach you're your team can't hold onto the ball," Ladouceur said. "I thought our guys were running hard, doing a good job, but they couldn't hold on to it. But hey, that's a very good football team we just beat. Some of the credit goes to those guys."

A ton, Thenell said, goes to Healy, a 6-foot-1, 220-pound outside backer who seemed to be everywhere, especially in the first half.

"There was a lot of great Division I football talent out on the field tonight," Thenell said. "But I wouldn't take one of them over No. 9 (Healy's number). That kid is special.

"If you pulled out a dictionary and looked up the word football player, his picture would be next to it."

But De La Salle defensive coordinator Terry Eidson's dictionary might claim at least a couple on that page as well, namely Hooper and Moffitt who for the second week in a row dominated.

Hooper, a 6-4, 247-pound defensive end, pressured Dominici often in the second half and Moffitt was all over the field making plays. Defensive tackle Xavier Banks (6-0, 285) was also a force as was USC-bound Hutchings (6-2, 215) and linebacker Victor Egu (6-3, 220).

Once De La Salle got the lead to start of the third quarter on a 1-yard sneak by quarterback Chris Williams and then extended it to 22-13 on its next possession via a 2-yard TD run and 2-point conversion from Vitale, this one felt over.

That's only because the Spartans' defense simply wasn't going to budge.

"Their defense is very good, but I don't really see a weakness anywhere," Healy said. "That said, I'm proud of our guys. I think we represented our state well and we'll only get better because of this."

In only his second game as head coach after taking over for legendary Dave Logan, Thenell said this was a loss to build off. The team opened last week with a gritty 14-13 win over three-time defending state champion Valor Christian, which had its 25-game win streak snapped.

"So far we've played two national caliber teams and we're 1-1," Thenell said. "Life goes on and we'll be the better for it."

Meanwhile De La Salle improved to 2-0 and next week takes on a strong Sac-Joaquin Section squad St. Mary's-Stockton. The Spartans will need to hold on to the ball and stop making key penalties – two wiped out long touchdown runs – but they also made some spectacular plays, including the offensive gem of the night, a leaping 24-yard catch by Andrew Buckley between two defenders.

The play come on 4th-and-16 from the Mullen 26 and set up Vitale's touchdown run.

"It was a great throw and a better catch," Ladouceur said. "It was a really clutch play when we needed it."

E-mail Mitch Stephens at mstephens@maxpreps.com or follow him on Twitter @MitchMashMax.