Krangthebrain

Prep Footballers Seek 145th Straight Win

By RON HARRIS
Associated Press Writer

CONCORD, Calif. (AP) -- De La Salle High School's football team hasn't lost since 1991, a national record winning streak of 144 games.

On Friday, the Spartans have a high-profile stage to try and extend the streak: A nationwide broadcast on ESPN2.

The Spartans (6-0), whose run of success is double the previous consecutive win record of 72, were hosting Evangel Christian Academy of Shreveport, La. (4-2).

When they last lost, bested by league rival Pittsburg High School, many of De La Salle's current team members were first graders.

"It's not so much an image issue of 'Are we going to uphold the streak? Are we going to win again?'" said senior defensive tackle Mike Pittore. "We expect our best, and our best ends up giving us what our results are - a win."

Bob Ladouceur, the team's head coach since 1979, said he pushes the team hard, but the players often demand more of themselves than the coaching staff.

"The only pressure I put on myself is I want to able to help our kids perform at their maximum level," Ladouceur said.

All 6,000 of the home bleacher seats normally sell out, but the excitement usually peters out by halftime, once the Spartans have built a comfortable lead, said principal Christopher Brady.

"In many of our games, for our fans the game is over by halftime. We're so far ahead that it becomes a social experience," Brady said.

__________________
“Somewhere a True Believer is training to kill you. He is training with minimum food or water, in austere conditions, day and night. The only thing clean on him is his weapon. He doesn’t worry about what workout to do—his rucksack weighs what it weighs, and he runs until the enemy stops chasing him. The True Believer doesn’t care ‘how hard it is’; he knows he either wins or he dies. He doesn’t go home at 1700; he is home. He knows only the ‘Cause.’ Now, who wants to quit?”

NCOIC of the Special Forces Assessment and Selection Course in a welcome speech to new SF candidates

On life after football: "I wouldn't mind being a sports commentator. Having my own segment, working for ESPN, my own talk show. Part time trainer. Part time car mechanic. Part time Sprint cell phone salesman. Part time car washman. Grocery store baggage man. Football coach. Model. Actress. Stripper. And I even have dreams of being the next crocodile hunter." - Darnell Dockett

CaptTurbo

Hire that coach. Gotta be better than Mac!

Russ Smith

I used him as an example a few weeks ago when talking about Gerry Faust. Ladoceur is a great HS coach and might even be a good college coach but he's coaching in a private school(Catholic so they can in essence "recruit" players). Private schools dominate in California because there is no "attendance area" they can get players from all over and do, DLS has players from Oakland, SF etc every year.

They run the veer and they execute very well, this years team is one of the more talented during the streak they have several underclassmen who are considered bigtime college recruits. Last year their best player was RB Maurice Drew, a freshman RB at UCLA. DJ Williams from Miami played there and was national POY as a senior.

DLS is an example of what's right, and wrong, in California HS football. Kids work hard, are well coached, graduate etc, but they don't compete on a fair playing field because they basically recruit the best players from nearby areas that would otherwise attend the local public school.

__________________
“Your expectations always exceed outside expectations. I feel like you just can’t stop working, can’t stop getting better, because I’ll be a failure in my eyes before I’m a failure in someone else’s eyes.” -- Arron Afflalo