Live score update recap: De La Salle hangs on to beat determined Stockton St. Mary's

California's No. 5 team takes double-digit lead three times but Rams fight back only to lose tough, entertaining home game, 38-35

Jaden Jefferson, who finished fourth in the state 100-meter dash (10.40 seconds), scored on a 43-touchdown run in the third quarter during De La Salle's 39-10 win over Serra on Sept. 6, 2024 at Owen Owens Field. / Photo: Dennis Lee

De La Salle's fourth win of the 2024 high school football season didn't come as easy as the first three.

The Spartans, who had outscored three state-ranked teams 123-29 the first three games, got two touchdown runs from Toa Faavae and a 93-yard opening kickoff return for score by Jaden Jefferson to key a wild 38-35 win at St. Mary's-Stockton.

De La Salle (4-0), ranked fifth in the state according to SBLive, will gladly take the win considering it lost the previous time it played in Stockton, another wise game, 43-35 in 2022.

On Friday, the Spartans took double digit leads three times and each time the Rams cut the lead to three. They needed to recover an onside kick inside a minute to clinch the win. St. Mary's dropped to 2-2.

HS FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD | CALIFORNIA HIGH SCHOOL SCOREBOARD

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4TH QUARTER

FINAL SCORE: De La Salle 38, St. Mary's 35

DE LA SALLE RECOVERS ONSIDE KICK! Finally, that should clinch it.

ST. MARY'S TOUCHDOWN! How many times have we said it tonight: the Rams will not go away. Kenneth Moore, one of the top juniors in Northern California with 3-yard TD, cuts De La Salle lead to 38-35.

DE LA SALLE TOUCHDOWN! Toa Faavae with his second TD, 5-yard run. De La Salle 38, St. Mary's 28. 3:00 4Q.

* De La Salle is inside the 10 inside 2 minutes left, leading 31-28.

TOUCHDOWN ST. MARY'S! Rams are NOT going away. Jaden Galvan with 15-yard touchdown pass to Ivan Huerta. De La Salle 31, St. Mary's 28. 6:00 4Q.

DE LA SALLE TOUCHDOWN! Derrick Blanche with 22-yard touchdown run. De La Salle opens up another 10-point lead. De La Salle 31, St. Mary's 21.

DE LA SALLE TOUCHDOWN! Toa Faavae 10-yard touchdown run, De La Salle 24, St. Mary's 21. 10:00 4Q.

3RD QUARTER

ST. MARY'S TOUCHDOWN! St. Mary's goes 93 yards to start second half. Ahmyri McGee-Hall recovers teammates fumble in end zone. St. Mary's 21, De La Salle 17. 7:39 3Q.

2ND QUARTER

TOUCHDOWN ST. MARY'S. Rams are not going away. Jaden Galvan 13-yard touchdown run. De La Salle 17, St. Mary's 14. 1:00 2Q.

FIELD GOAL DE LA SALLE. Justin Uribarri 27-yarder. Late 2Q. De La Salle 17, St. Mary's 3

1ST QUARTER

DE LA SALLE TOUCHDOWN! Derrick Blanche Jr. 6-yard TD run. 2:04. De La Salle 14, St. Mary's 7.

ST. MARY'S ANSWERS! Landon McClendon Jr. 1-yard run TD. St. Mary's 7, De La Salle 7.

DE LA SALLE TOUCHDOWN! Opening kickoff. Lightning bolt Jaden Jefferson with 93-yard touchdown. De La Salle 7, St. Mary's 0.

One play one score - 93 yard Kick return Jefferson ⁦@dlsfootball17⁩ ⁦@nikefootball⁩ ⁦@nikeusfootball⁩ ⁦@MaxPreps⁩ ⁦@THE_EBAL_SPORTS⁩ pic.twitter.com/JWZPWNIfPL

— De La Salle Athletics (@dlsathletics) September 21, 2024

PREGAME

De La Salle High School's football team has taken a page from yesteryear in the early going of the 2024 season and hope to rewrite some history on Friday night.

The Spartans, the No. 5 team in the SBLive California Top 25 rankings, travel to upstart Stockton St. Mary's (2-1) in one of the bigger matchups in Northern California.

De La Salle has outscored three quality opponents in the early going, 123-29, and now face a Rams team that beat the Spartans 43-35 the last time they faced in Stockton in 2022.

• De La Salle at St. Mary's at a glance

While De La Salle offers plenty of game breakers in quarterback Toa Faavae and a host of running backs, including Dominic Kelley, Derrick Blanche Jr., Jaden Jefferson and Duece Jones-Drew, will try to contend with one of the top pass-catching duos in Northern California, in top prospects junior Kenneth Moore II and sophomore Osante Gayles.

Since 2010, the teams have met nine times with De La Salle winning eight, including last season's 24-10 game in Concord.

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