Column: De La Salle pits its precision moves against Corona Centennial
Watching the Concord De La Salle offensive line move in unison after the snap is similar to watching synchronized swimming. The timing is precise and the movement flawless.
Besides its 12-year, 151-game national-record winning streak, which ended in 2004, De La Salle’s football program has been known for the unique way its offensive line gets off the ball.
“They’re all together,” said Encino Crespi Coach Troy Thomas, who has been studying and watching De La Salle’s veer offense since 2010. “It’s like a dance.”
De La Salle (13-1) will play Corona Centennial (14-0) on Saturday night at Sacramento State in the CIF state championship Open Division bowl game, and how the Huskies handle the Spartans’ blocking schemes could be decisive. Last season, De La Salle defeated Centennial, 63-42.
For De La Salle, getting linemen to move forward at the identical moment requires years of practice.
Last week, head Coach Justin Alumbaugh, who’s also the line coach, willingly gave away the secret to success.
“We teach guys to get off the ball as quickly as possible,” he said. “Our freshman linemen spend about a week on stances before doing anything else. We spend 95% of the time on drill work, the stances and the first two steps. It’s simple but technically minute. We’re in the 18th week of pads and still working on the first two steps.”
Southern California teams know what’s coming, but seeing the Spartans’ offensive line on video is different than facing it on the field.
“They’re so efficient,” said Anaheim Servite Coach Scott Meyer, whose team lost to De La Salle, 52-15. “They get off the ball quickly and get up to linebackers real fast. They’re in a stance for a second. As soon as that ball is snapped, they get off the ball better than I’ve ever seen. In person, they’re so fast and so physical.”
Thomas has tried to adopt De La Salle’s offensive line strategies at Crespi, but two years later, players are still learning the system.
“It’s very hard to replicate,” he said. “It takes years. The coaching is very tedious and repetitive. De La Salle has a tradition of their kids coaching themselves. Older players are teaching the younger players the tricks of the trade. Their goal is block one on one. A lot of blocking schemes are based on double teams or combination blocks. When their line is real good, they get to the backers fast.”
The rules state that when a lineman drops into a stance, he has to remain there for one second prior to the snap. Alumbaugh insists his linemen follow the rule even though sometimes it doesn’t look that way.
“A lot of people think we’re trying to roll into our stance,” he said. “It couldn’t be further from the truth. First, it’s a penalty. A lot of teams take big first steps. We don’t want that. We want quick first steps. We work ad nauseam on stance.”
Adding to the intrigue is that De La Salle’s line hardly looks intimidating. The Spartans’ center weighs 190 pounds, the right guard 210 and the right tackle 215.
“They want their guys strong and if they happen to be big, that’s fine,” Thomas said. “They spend a lot of time trimming their guys down. A leaner, stronger guy that goes off on a rhythmatic count can get off the ball very quickly.”
Orange Lutheran lost to De La Salle, 41-3, and lost twice to Centennial this season. Coach Chuck Petersen said both offensive lines have rolling starts, but Centennial moves horizontally with big splits between linemen in its spread offense, while De La Salle moves vertically in its run-oriented veer attack.
“It’s two unique ways of doing things, and the way the game is officiated will make a big difference,” he said.
Centennial has played De La Salle four times in bowl games. The Huskies’ only win came in 2008, when officials called several illegal procedure penalties.
“It’s the first question I ask: ‘Are you going to call it?’” Centennial Coach Matt Logan said.
Petersen said De La Salle adjusts to however the officials call the game.
“They’re just going to try to maul them,” Petersen said of De La Salle. “It’s a true dichotomy of systems.”
Twitter: @LATSondheimer
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