Video: MaxPreps Top 25 football rankings De La Salle move up to No. 12 following 52-16 win over 2016 state champion Bishop O'Dowd.
Top program, top recruit.
Isaiah Foskey faced that scrutiny since he was named a starter at tight end and defensive end as a sophomore.
He's been a solid player for two seasons. Good teammate. Hard worker. Physically conditioned. But elite player? Probably not.
When the Spartans (3-0) travel to defending CIF state 2-A champion
Saint Francis (Mountain View) on Friday, the Lancers (2-0) will be seeing the whole package.
The 6-foot-5, 240-pound Foskey is living up to all that promise. And then some.
Isaiah Foskey (18) has 26 college offers including Alabama, Clemson, Michigan, Penn State and USC.
Photo by Dennis Lee
"He's playing at a super high level," De La Salle coach Justin Alaumbaugh said. "He's been a good player for two years but now he's maximizing his ability. Sky is the limit for him."
He's rated the 172nd senior nationally by 247sports, but expect that number to shrink to double figures by the end of the season.
Foskey has been dominating on the defensive end as the Spartans (3-0) recorded a 14-0 win over then nationally-ranked Folsom, 35-7 triumph over four-time state champion Central Catholic and a 58-16 victory over 2016 state champ Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland).
Foskey has registered better than seven tackles, recorded four sacks and against O'Dowd, his 30-yard touchdown return was a thing of beauty to coaches.
He rushed hard but realized quarterback Moe Flynn was dumping the ball to Stanford-bound tailback Austin Jones. Foskey read it, peeled back, intercepted the pass and went untouched into the end zone.
Isaiah Foskey is excelling on both sides of the ball.
Photo by Dennis Lee
"He played it perfectly," Alumbaugh said. "Some schools are still looking at him as a tight end, but his upside seems to be at defensive end."
He'll need to play strong against a St. Francis team that is big, strong and athletic up front. The Lancers feature college prospects
Joshua Pakola (6-3, 257), guard
Mose Vavao (6-3, 310) and
Nikko Pohahau (6-5, 265).
Pakola, who has 17 offers including Stanford, USC, Notre Dame, Georgia and UCLA, is particularly a load at defensive end.
Add in athletes like safety-receiver
Evan Williams, receiver-defensive back
Maurice Wilmer and cornerback
Justin Sinclair, all with multiple college offers, and De La Salle's 293-game unbeaten streak against Northern California opponents is threatened.
Especially considering it is De La Salle's first road game of the season.
"They got a lot of size and very physical on defense," Alumbaugh said. "They're very good on offense too and have a lot of skill guys who can hurt you. They present a big challenge no doubt about it.
"We've had a lot of home cooking thus far. It's a great place to play. We've been there before. It should be a lot of fun. We love the challenge. They grind it out and that's how we like to play too. It should be awesome."
De La Salle has partnered with CBS Sports Digital to stream
nine of its 10 regular season game this season, including Friday's home
game. Pat O'Rourke, the voice of De La Salle, and 30-year journalist Damin Esper will call the action.
Through
the partnership, fans throughout the country can watch the nation's No.
15 team along with more than 40 other De La Salle sporting events over
the next 10 months via the
SportsLive subscription OTT service online and via mobile and Roku apps.
St. Francis start defensive end Joshua Pakola after the Lancers won the state 2-A title last season at Sacramento State.
File photo by Dennis Lee
