The storied De La Salle football program has played powerhouses from across the country through the years.
Now it is days away from its first-ever game outside of the United States.
The Spartans, the Bay Area News Group’s No. 1 team, left on Thursday for London to play NFL Academy on Tuesday at 10 a.m. PDT (6 p.m. in England).
The game will be held at the state-of-the-art Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, a venue built in 2019 with a capacity of over 62,000.
Here’s what you need to know about the trip, teams and game.
How did this game happen?
A Nike marketing executive – and DLS alum – mentioned to De La Salle coach Justin Alumbaugh that he was looking for a high school team to travel to London to play a game.
What started as an informal chat at a 2023 coaching clinic eventually eventually became a reality for DLS.
The California Interscholastic Federation and North Coast Section both signed off on the trip, which is being funded by Nike, as the Bay Area News Group reported this past spring.
DLS’s itinerary
Once the Spartans arrive in the UK, their schedule will be filled with what DLS athletic director Leo Lopoz called “wall-to-wall” activities and events.
The Spartans will sightsee – Big Ben, Parliament, etc. — and also host a flag football camp with middle school students.
They’re also scheduled to attend an NFL game between Jets and Vikings.
“On Sunday, we get a real treat,” Lopoz told the Bay Area News Group. “We get to go to a NFL game. It’s going to be a real experience for those kids.”
DLS’s entire varsity team and coaching staff — plus parents and support staff — will comprise the traveling party of 90 that will make the trip across the pond. Legendary former DLS coach Bob Ladouceur is expected to travel with the team.
What is NFL Academy?
The NFL Academy is an elite football developmental program for high school students (ages 16-19) in the United Kingdom.
The academy launched in 2019 but did not play until 2022 because of the pandemic. Its players hail from across the continent.
The team’s quarterbacks come from from Italy, Britain and Belgium, and two of its top running backs are from Germany and Czech Republic, respectively.
The academy has already produced college-caliber players, the best being current Oklahoma freshman Daniel Akinkunmi, an offensive lineman from Britain.
How good is NFL Academy?
Pretty darn good.
Last season, the academy routed a high school team from Brooklyn 35-0 and also defeated IMG Academy’s “B” team 31-14. IMG is a longtime Florida powerhouse that CIF schools such as De La Salle are not allowed to play.
But De La Salle is hardly an overmatched underdog.
Orlando-area school Edgewater beat the Academy 51-45 in Great Britain on Aug. 15. A week later, Ohio powerhouse Massillon beat NFL Academy 35-20 when the teams met at Nike’s headquarters in Oregon.
DLS speaks about trip
Even though the international trip has been a talking point for the team since the spring, Alumbaugh did his best to keep the Spartans focused on the five games before the big trip.
During a practice a few weeks ago, he told the Bay Area News Group that he had not even thought about London since the season started and was more focused on the next game than the long flight overseas.
Now that the London game is less than a week away, Alumbaugh turned his focus to the trip.
“It’s one of those things that’s worth it,” he said on Friday. “We knew the work that was going in when we agreed to do the game — I’m not bemoaning it. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
One of DLS’s top seniors cited patriotism as a motivating factor against NFL Academy.
“We can’t go out there and disappoint,” running back Dominic Kelley said. “We’re representing the USA, so when we go out there we have to ball out.”
What has DLS done this season?
The Spartans are 5-0 and have been the top team in NorCal since beating Serra in Week 2, reclaiming the mantle from the San Mateo juggernaut.
De La Salle beat those Padres 39-10 and have also defeated Grant-Sacramento, St. Francis and El Cerrito by huge margins. The Concord private school also slipped by St. Mary’s-Stockton.
The Spartans are headlined by a rushing attack that has featured quarterback Toa Faavae and running backs Derrick Blanche, Kelley, Jaden Jefferson and Duece Jones-Drew.
The defense features future college players Matthew Johnson on the line and Jefferson, Jayden Nicholas and Ant Dean patrolling the the secondary.
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De La Salle is favored to capture a 32nd consecutive NCS title and represent NorCal in the Open Division state championship game.
Where will De La Salle practice?
The NorCal powerhouse will use Cheshunt FC’s (pronounced Chez–unt) training grounds. They’re located eight miles north of Tottenham’s stadium.
Cheshunt FC is in the Isthmian League Premier Division, considered the seventh tier of the English soccer pyramid.
“Our hours are strict, because obviously in Europe, soccer is No. 1. … They don’t have sleds or a lot of the football stuff that is readily available over here,” said Lopoz, who emphasized he was grateful to Cheshunt for allowing them to practice there.
How to watch in Bay Area
Good news for Bay Area high school football fans. You don’t have to spend thousands for a plane ticket to watch the game. The official NFL UK and Ireland YouTube channel will live stream the game. Link here.
