Is this the team?
Freedom (11-0) could end De La Salle’s 25year reign atop NCS
Everything about this season tells you that Freedom has a realistic chance. The Falcons have a statistically superior running back, a stronger passing quarterback and more impressive victories than the tradition-rich opponent they will face Friday night for the first North Coast Section Open Division championship.
But this game is more than about this season.
Freedom (11-0) might have a slightly better resume than De La Salle this fall, but the Spartans (10-1) have history on their side as they aim for their 25th consecutive section championship and another trip to the state Open Division title game when they play the undefeated Oakley school at Dublin High.
De La Salle has faced the best the NCS has had to offer in its long reign atop the section and almost always swallowed its opponent in one bite.
Only one of De La Salle’s 24 previous section title games since Pittsburg’s championship-game win over the Spartans in 1991 has been decided by fewer than 20 points. San Leandro, as Freedom will do Friday, brought an undefeated record to the 2005 final against De La Salle. The Pirates allowed a touchdown in the first quarter and did not allow another point until the fourth. But they returned home with a 14-0 defeat.
Last year and in 2006, Foothill had a perfect record when it played De La Salle for an NCS title but lost 33-7 in ’06 and 35-0 last season.
So what will it take for Freedom to be different, for the Falcons to become the first California team north of Fresno to beat De La Salle since 1991, a stretch of 280 games?
Herc Pardi, the last coach to lead a Bay Area team to victory over the Spartans, said figuring out De La Salle’s option is one priority. Giving yourself a chance in the fourth quarter is another.
Pardi’s Pittsburg team, which included future NFL defensive lineman Regan Upshaw, beat De La Salle 35-27 in 1991, and his Clayton Valley team tied the Spartans 17-17 during the regular season in 2004.
“It’s a great challenge,” Pardi said. “I don’t believe anybody else runs an option like De La Salle. So they’ve got to teach their defensive players who has the dive, the quarterback and the pitch.”
CalPreps.com’s computer projects a Freedom victory, 28-27.
Freedom has done everything right to this point, a magical ride that included a 43-13 nonleague rout of Bishop O’Dowd (now 12-1), an explosive performance against star running back Najee Harris and Antioch (65-28) and two wins against a Pittsburg team that was having one of its finest seasons.
Ronnie Rivers, the son of former Fresno State star and NFL player Ron Rivers, has rushed for 2,134 yards and 32 touchdowns. The Bay Valley Athletic League’s most valuable player scored seven touchdowns against Antioch, had two momentum-shifting touchdowns in a 41-38 comeback win against Pittsburg that lifted Freedom to the league crown and 299 rushing yards and six touchdowns in a 55-35 win over Pittsburg to advance to play De La Salle.
But Freedom is more than just Rivers. Jonathan Pierce has thrown for 2,212 yards and 33 touchdowns. Baylei Coston has caught 50 passes for 1,091 yards and 13 TDs. The Falcons also have the BVAL’s defensive player of the year, linebacker Kyle Harmon, a college prospect.
“I think it’s going to be a great game,” said a Pac-12 assistant coach. “Freedom has a diverse offense, so De La Salle will have to grind the clock. Freedom will be the most balanced attack De La Salle has seen since San Ramon Valley, whom they struggled with.”
Since edging San Ramon Valley 28-27 — the last of four one-score games De La Salle has had this season — the Spartans have looked more like themselves, allowing 26 points in their past five games. They rolled past then-unbeaten Monte Vista 45-17 to close the regular season and shut down Clayton Valley Charter 280 to reach the Open final.
De La Salle’s defense, said the Pac-12 coach, is “going to be a lot better than any Freedom has played.”
On offense, De La Salle has Kairee Robinson, who has rushed for 1,670 yards and 22 touchdowns. Quarterback Abel Ordaz has a combined 1,090 yards passing and running.
This isn’t De La Salle’s most dominant team, but it’s still very good.
“The 13 or 14 times I’ve coached against De La Salle, you’ve got to get into the fourth quarter,” said Pardi, who stepped down at Clayton Valley after the 2011 season. “You’ve got to make it a ballgame. The Clayton Valley team that I had in 2004 that tied them, the whole thing was staying close, getting into the fourth quarter and then anything can happen.”
Freedom’s opportunity to make history happen comes Friday.