The storied De La Salle football program has played powerhouses from all around the country through the years.
Now we're just a number of days away from the first-ever game outside the US.
The Spartans, the Bay Area News Group's No. 1 team, traveled to London to play NFL Academy on Thursday at 10 a.m. PDT (6 p.m. in England).
The game will likely be played on the state-of-the-art Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, a venue in-built 2019 with a capability of over 62,000 spectators.
Here's all the things you should know concerning the trip, the teams and the sport.
How did this game come about?
A Nike marketing manager – and DLS graduate – mentioned to De La Salle coach Justin Alumbaugh that he was in search of a highschool team to travel to London and play a game there.
What began as an off-the-cuff conversation at a training course in 2023 eventually became a reality for DLS.
Both the California Interscholastic Federation and the North Coast Section have approved the trip, which is being sponsored by Nike, as the Bay Area News Group reported last spring.
DLS travel plan
Once the Spartans arrive within the UK, their schedule will likely be crammed with what DLS sporting director Leo Lopoz described as “wall-to-wall” activities and events.
The Spartans will tour — Big Ben, Parliament, etc. — and in addition host a flag football camp with middle school students.
There are also plans to attend an NFL game between the Jets and Vikings.
“We’re in for a real treat on Sunday,” Lopoz told the Bay Area News Group. “We get to go to an NFL game. It will be a real experience for these children.”
The entire DLS university team and training team – plus parents and carers – will form the 90-strong travel group that may make the journey across the pond. Legendary former DLS coach Bob Ladouceur is anticipated to travel with the team.
What is the NFL Academy?
The NFL Academy is an elite football development program for prime school students (aged 16 to 19) within the United Kingdom.
The academy was launched in 2019 but didn’t play until 2022 as a result of the pandemic. Its players come from all around the continent.
The team's quarterbacks come from Italy, Great Britain and Belgium, and two of the highest running backs come from Germany and the Czech Republic, respectively.
The academy has already produced college-level players, the perfect being current Oklahoma freshman Daniel Akinkunmi, an offensive lineman from Great Britain.
How good is the NFL Academy?
Pretty rattling good.
Last season, the academy defeated a highschool team from Brooklyn 35-0 and in addition beat IMG Academy's “B” team 31-14. IMG is a long-time powerhouse in Florida that CIF schools like De La Salle are usually not allowed to compete in.
But De La Salle is hardly an overwhelmed underdog.
Orlando-area school Edgewater defeated Academy 51-45 on Aug. 15 in UK. Every week later, Ohio powerhouse Massillon defeated NFL Academy 35-20 when the teams met at Nike headquarters in Oregon.
DLS talks about travel
Although the international trip has been the talk of the team because the spring, Alumbaugh did his best to maintain the Spartans focused on the five games before the massive trip.
During a practice a number of weeks ago, he told the Bay Area News Group that he hadn't even considered London because the start of the season and was more focused on the subsequent game than the long flight overseas.
Now, with the London game lower than every week away, Alumbaugh has been focused on the travel.
“It’s one of those things that’s worth it,” he said Friday. “When we agreed to do the game we knew how much work went into it – I'm not complaining. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
One of DLS' top seniors cited patriotism as a motivating factor against the NFL Academy.
“We can’t go out and disappoint,” running back Dominic Kelley said. “We represent the United States, so we have to let our guard down when we go out there.”
What has DLS done this season?
The Spartans are 5-0 and have been the highest team in NorCal since beating Serra in Week 2 and have reclaimed the mantle from the San Mateo juggernaut.
De La Salle defeated the Padres 39-10 and in addition defeated Grant-Sacramento, St. Francis and El Cerrito by wide margins. The Concord private school also passed St. Mary's-Stockton.
The Spartans are led by a rushing attack that features 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 road and Jefferson, Jayden Nicholas and Ant Dean patrolling the secondary.
De La Salle is the favourite to win its thirty second straight NCS title and represent NorCal within the Open Division state championship game.
Where will De La Salle train?
The NorCal powerhouse will use Cheshunt FC's (pronounced Chez–unt) training ground. They are eight miles north of Tottenham Stadium.
Cheshunt FC belongs to the Isthmian League Premier Division, which is taken into account the seventh tier of the English football pyramid.
“Our working hours are strict because in Europe football is obviously No. 1. … They don't have sleds or a lot of the football items that are readily available here,” said Lopoz, who stressed that he was grateful to Cheshunt for allowing them to go there practice.
Here's the best way to watch within the Bay Area
Good news for Bay Area highschool football fans. You don't need to spend hundreds on a plane ticket to see the sport. The official NFL UK and Ireland YouTube channel will stream the sport live. Link here.
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