High School

De La Salle survives San Ramon Valley in OT, extends North Coast Section unbeaten streak to 266

The Spartans take 27-12 lead midway through fourth quarter with three-touchdown flurry only for the host Wolves to force overtime before Derrick Blanche wins it

Damin Esper

DANVILLE, CALIFORNIA —  Derrick Blanche fell into the end zone with the ball, at the end of his 6-yard touchdown run in overtime. With that, De La Salle High School had once again survived with a 33-27 win over host San Ramon Valley Friday night. 

The win extended De La Salle's unbeaten streak to 266 games (265-0-1) against North Coast Section opponents. The Spartans last lost to a NCS team in 1991. This streak looked all but over in the final seconds of regulation. 

“That’s the best feeling in the world,” Blanche said of scoring. “That’s indescribable. It’s just a play that we ran over and over a thousand times. I knew I could make a play, I just had to execute, put the trust in the rest of my team, put the trust in my line and just execute the play that I know how to make.”

It was a flawed diamond of a game, maybe a little imperfect but the best diamond you can afford on a working man’s salary. The Spartans and the Wolves slugged it out in a wild fourth quarter with San Ramon Valley tying the game on a two-point conversion with one minute, 43 seconds left, then seemingly having the game won with Austin Shelton lining up for a 36-yard field goal with 5.1 seconds left only to see the kick carom into the inflatable wolf far to the left of the goal post.

De La Salle had a 15-point lead with 5:08 to go in regulation. San Ramon Valley had a 12-7 lead entering the quarter.

“It was a really gritty, physical game,” Blanche said. “We had to fall back on everything we did during the summer and since the beginning of the season. We couldn’t just give up after going down because that’s not the team we are. It’s part of the tradition, it’s part of the work we put in to pull that win out.”

The defenses ruled most of the night. The Wolves star quarterback Luke Baker was sacked five times and completed just 19 of 48 passes for 202 yards with three interceptions. He threw for two touchdowns as well.

De La Salle junior quarterback Toa Faavae in Friday's 33-27 win.  / Photo: Eric Taylor

But he ran for 194 yards on 20 carries, abusing the De La Salle defense at times.

San Ramon Valley also had a fumble and one might think four turnovers against the Spartans (5-2) would be a death knell. But the Wolves, thanks to Baker’s legs, were able to move the ball part of the time. In the first quarter, they drove to the De La Salle 18, then stalled. Shelton nailed a 35-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.

The Spartans came back on a 15-play, 80-yard drive in the second quarter to get a 1-yard touchdown run from Blanche. The Wolves (6-1) responded by driving to the De La Salle 15. A couple of illegal procedure penalties pushed San Ramon Valley back and it settled for another Shelton field goal, this time from 42.

San Ramon Valley quarterback Luke Baker (2) on the run.  / Photo: Eric Taylor

Baker hit Marco Jones for a pretty 21-yard touchdown in the third quarter. The Wolves failed on the two-point try and it was 12-7.

The Spartans went back up on a 70-yard touchdown pass from Toa Fa’avae to Jonathan Guerrero early in the fourth quarter. On the Wolves ensuing possession, Jayden Nicholas picked off a Baker pass and returned it 19 yards for a touchdown. Just like that, it was 20-12 De La Salle.

Then, after a short punt gave the Spartans the ball at midfield, Fa’avae ran the ball in from 12 yards out to make it 27-12. Blanche helped set up the score with a 36-yard run.

But San Ramon Valley embarked on a nine-play, 80-yard drive. Three of the plays were Baker runs including a 46-yard scamper on a fourth down. Baker connected with Zack Dodson for a 2-yard touchdown.

Then, the Wolves attempted an onside kick. The ball appeared to hit a De La Salle player. A scum followed and the officials huddled to decide what happened. They ruled that Mitch Burno of San Ramon Valley had possession of the ball and that then it was taken away by a Spartan. Ball to the Wolves!

Five plays later (including two more Baker runs) the Wolves got a six-yard Baker to Evan Economos touchdown. After using their final timeout, they converted the two-point conversion on a reverse to Owen Scott.

As if all of that wasn’t enough, Jones stripped Fa’avae on De La Salle’s next possession. San Ramon Valley got the ball at the Spartans 43. A Baker scramble got 11 yards to the 19 and set up the possible game-winning field goal, a chance for the Wolves to get their first win against De La Salle in 24 tries (0-22-1 coming in). Instead, the ball was wide.

In overtime, the Spartans won the toss and went on defense. A pass interference penalty gave the Wolves a first down, but the drive stalled. Shelton tried a 35-yard field goal and missed wide right. That set up De La Salle with a score-and-win drive and Blanche finished it off. He finished with 107 yards on 18 carries.

“It’s just a classic high school game,” Blanche said. “That’s a hell of a team. That’s a really good team.”

(All photos below by Eric Taylor): 

De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320239
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320239 (4)
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320239 (3)
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320239 (2)
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320239 (1)
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320238
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320238 (4)
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320238 (3)
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320238 (2)
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320238 (1)
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320237
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320237 (3)
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320237 (2)
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320237 (1)
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320236
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320236 (3)
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320236 (2)
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320236 (1)
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320235
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320235 (3)
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320235 (2)
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320235 (1)
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320234 (3)
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320234 (2)
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320234 (1)
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320233
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320233 (3)
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320233 (2)
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320233 (1)
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320232
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320232 (3)
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320232 (2)
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320232 (1)
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320231
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320231 (4)
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320231 (3)
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320231 (2)
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320231 (1)
Photo: Eric Taylor
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320230
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320230 (4)
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320230 (3)
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320230 (2)
De La Salle 33, San Ramon Valley 27 by Eric Taylor 10-13-2023101320230 (1)
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Damin Esper
DAMIN ESPER

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