De La Salle Rolls Past Cardinal Newman, Extends Incredible NCS Unbeaten Streak to 285 Games

De La Salle's dominance of North Coast Section football opponents shows no signs of slowing down.

The Spartans scored touchdowns through the air, on the ground and on special teams while their defense overwhelmed Cardinal Newman in a 42-3 victory Friday night at Owen Owens Field in Concord.

The victory improved De La Salle to 2-0 and extended its remarkable unbeaten streak against NCS opponents to 285 games. The Spartans are 284-0-1 against section opponents during the streak, according to the Mercury News.

Wide receiver Damari Dean supplied two of the biggest offensive plays of the night, catching touchdown passes of 79 and 24 yards from quarterback Jaxon Loftin in the first half.

The first came on De La Salle's sixth offensive play and quickly erased Cardinal Newman's early 3-0 advantage.

Cardinal Newman had taken the lead after recovering a De La Salle fumble deep in Spartans territory on the opening possession. De La Salle's defense prevented the Cardinals from reaching the end zone, however, forcing them to settle for a 45-yard field goal by Devon Taylor.

That would be Cardinal Newman's only scoring of the night.

De La Salle's defense held the Cardinals to just two first downs and nine passing yards in the opening half. The Spartans also sacked Cardinal Newman quarterback L.T. Retamoza twice before halftime.

De La Salle coach Justin Alumbaugh told the Mercury News his team had made eliminating explosive plays a priority after allowing several of them in its season-opening 35-25 victory over Serra.

The improvement was evident against Cardinal Newman.

De La Salle Pulls Away With Big Plays

The Spartans continued to create game-changing plays after halftime.

Duece Jones-Drew returned a punt 53 yards for a touchdown early in the third quarter, giving De La Salle another score without requiring its offense to take the field.

The defense continued to control the game as well. De La Salle forced two turnovers on downs and intercepted Retamoza once in the second half, according to the Mercury News.

Cardinal Newman running back James Curoso provided one of the Cardinals' few offensive bright spots, rushing for 62 yards on 18 carries. Curoso entered the game after running for 138 yards in Cardinal Newman's season-opening 23-17 overtime loss to Folsom.

Loftin eventually put the finishing touches on De La Salle's victory with a 23-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.

The Press Democrat also described the Spartans' defense as overwhelming Cardinal Newman's offense as De La Salle handed the Cardinals their second loss against a high-level opponent to begin the season. Cardinal Newman opened against Folsom before making the trip to Concord to face the perennial Northern California power.

Despite the lopsided final score, Alumbaugh saw plenty for his team to improve.

He specifically expressed disappointment to the Mercury News with the performance of De La Salle's experienced offensive line, saying the Spartans did not generate enough movement at the line of scrimmage or consistently reach Cardinal Newman's linebackers.

There was considerably more for the coach to like on defense.

De La Salle now turns its attention to another home game against St. Francis next Friday. The Lancers are coming off a 19-17 loss to Del Oro after surrendering a field goal in the closing seconds.

For the Spartans, the next challenge arrives with one of high school football's most extraordinary streaks still intact — 285 consecutive games against North Coast Section competition without a loss.

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