Top programs face off in nationally televised game

As the De La Salle Spartans ready themselves for a cross-country trip to play the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders, it is business as usual for the athletic department and Spartans Head Coach Bob Ladouceur’s staff and players.

A ground-breaker in the scope of nationally televised high school football games, De La Salle has enjoyed several opportunities in the last decade to showcase their football team in prime time. This year brings as big a game as they’ve ever played on television, matching them with perennial Florida powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas.

Aquinas has a legendary coach of their own in George Smith, but he stepped down from that position this past February after 34 highly successful seasons. Smith remains the Athletic Director at the school, but has passed the coaching reins to his defensive coordinator for the past 10 years, Rocco Casullo.

The game will be broadcast live on ESPN on Friday, September 23 with kickoff scheduled for 8pm. Aquinas enters the game at 2-0 with an opening season win on the road over Prattville (AL), a consensus top 5 pick in the nation in the preseason polls. De La Salle sports a 2-0 record as well, defeating Bellarmine high school in double-overtime in the first week of the season.

To create a matchup with this much cache took quite a bit of maneuvering. Lopoz mentioned that, “The stars aligned for this game for sure.” He also talked about what a great experience it will be for the De La Salle student-athletes who make the trip.

“We understand the benefits of these trips and we’re blessed to be part of this event,” said Lopoz. “We’ve played teams from Ohio, New Jersey, Las Vegas and Southern California. Playing high-level, national games is something we’ve been fortunate and blessed to compete in.”

Aquinas Athletic Director Georg Smith sees this in a similar fashion and is excited for the challenge that this opportunity represents.

“To have the opportunity to play De La Salle is a great challenge for our program,” Smith said. “It should be an outstanding game for both schools, both states, and fans of high school football nationwide.”

With this type of opportunity comes a scrutiny and attention, and not all of it is positive. But Lopoz and the De La Salle staff state very clearly that the school’s mission is primary, even with the national exposure the football team receives.

Lopoz commented about the game and the effect it may have on De La Salle’s mission: “Has the game changed in terms of opportunity (for De La Salle and its student-athletes)? Yes. Has the mission changed for our school and our coaches? No. Our coaches know that they are teachers first and coaches second. They’re a part of the lives of our student-athletes. We all want to win, to compete well and do the best we can, but we stay rooted and firm on the end-goals of the De La Salle mission. Win or lose, it will be a phenomenal experience for our school and we’re blessed for the opportunity.”

Ranked No. 2 in the CatholicSportsNet.com’s power rankings, Aquinas is also familiar with playing big games on national television. They opened their season on ESPN playing in Alabama against one of the nation’s top ranked teams in Prattville high school. They traveled to Dallas last year and played a game televised by ESPN at the new Texas stadium. They’ve been part of the Kirk Herbstreit football classic and played at Paul Brown stadium in Cincinnati. They have not lost to an out of state opponent in the past four years.

De La Salle is readily recognizable for their national record 151 game winning streak that spanned 13 seasons, earning the Spartans a mythical national championship seven times. They boast a corps of linebackers that most assuredly will attend FBS universities. Not to mention quarterback Bart Houston, a Wisconsin commit, and his passing prowess.

Combined, these storied programs and coaches Ladouceur and the retired Smith have sent more than one thousand student athletes to the next level to play football. Whether Division I, II or III or junior college or NAIA, these schools foster a team-first attitude and a passion for the game that goes beyond their school walls.

In the coming years, be on the lookout for dozens of these current Spartans and Raiders players at a college or university near you.