De La Salle Sets Date With Long Beach Poly

Long Beach Poly High, the two-time defending Division I football champion, will play host to Concord De La Salle on Oct. 6 at a site to be determined, Poly Athletic Director Joe Carlson said Wednesday.

De La Salle has won a national-record 113 consecutive games. The Spartans also play Santa Ana Mater Dei at home next season before traveling to play Poly.

“There are still a lot of details to be worked out,” Carlson said. “But I think both schools thought it would be obvious that it would be an exciting contest.”

The game is scheduled for the fifth week of the season. Poly had an open date, and Carlson said De La Salle “was not assured of their Game 5 either.” De La Salle was scheduled to play at La Puente Bishop Amat, which lost to the Spartans, 56-6, at De La Salle this past season.

Poly will play at De La Salle in 2002.

“We’re looking forward to playing a team of their caliber,” Poly Coach Jerry Jaso said. “It’s a great measuring stick.

“They are very talented physically, very well-coached and block very well, so you have to really be on top of your game to beat a team like that.”

De La Salle defeated Mater Dei in close games at Edison Field in 1998 and this past season. Mater Dei was blown out at De La Salle in 1999.

“I think it’s going to be a game that’s going to draw the attention of people in Southern California the way high school games did here about 30 years ago,” Jaso said. “People are going to be talking about this one.”

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The Five Counties wrestling tournament, perhaps the toughest tournament in the state, begins Friday at Fountain Valley High.

The two-day event features 64 teams, including top-ranked and defending champion Santa Ana Calvary Chapel, which won a tournament at Reno in late December; Poway; Bakersfield; and Chino Hills Ayala.

Wrestling starts at 3 p.m. Friday and concludes Saturday, with finals scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.