Concord De La Salle beats Cathedral Catholic in showdown between 2 of state’s best

by Kevin J. Farmer

Things didn’t go as well Friday night as Cathedral Catholic quarterback Brady Palmer planned.

The senior quarterback envisioned an upset of highly-ranked Northern California power Concord De La Salle in front of his future coaches.

Instead, the host Spartans moved to 5-0 on the season, beating Palmer and his Cathedral 35-14 on Friday night in Concord.

Rather than showing his wares to his future coaches from Cal, who made the 20-mile trip from Berkeley, Palmer watched most of the game on the sideline after injuring his shoulder early in the second quarter.

“A lot of the coaches could come to the game,” said Palmer prior to leaving for the game in Northern California. “I look forward to perform for them. I won’t be able to attend their game Saturday (vs. Duke), I have to travel home with my team, but I’ll go back in a couple of weeks.”

Before Palmer and the Dons even got their feet under them, they found themselves trailing 21-0.

De La Salle (5-0), ranked No. 6 in California and No. 19 in the country, took the opening kickoff and drove 70 yards in 11 plays to grab the 7-0 lead with 6:59 left in the opening quarter. Senior Greg Jones took it in from the 7 for the score.

The Spartans’ defense quickly got a three-and-out, taking over the ball at their own 36. Five plays later, De La Salle found the end zone again, this time on a 40-yard keeper by senior quarterback Braydon Knight with 3:20 left in the quarter.

They would make it three TDs on three possessions to increase the lead to 21-0 on the fourth play of the second quarter. Jamal Johnson-Lucas scored his first of two TDs on the night taking it in from the 2.

The Dons (4-1) finally got things going on the ensuing possession. Palmer’s 37-yard pass to Honor Fa’alave-Johnson brought the ball into Spartans territory at the 27. Palmer called his own number, picking up 10 yards, but was injured on the run and left the game.

Seven plays later, the Dons got on the scoreboard when Willie Flores scored on a 9-yard run with 4:14 left in the half.

De La Salle opened up a 28-7 lead after halftime after Knight scored on a four-yard keeper with 8:02 left in the third quarter.

Cathedral closed the lead to 28-14 with 3:03 left in the quarter on a nine-yard TD run by Fa’alave-Johnson.

Johnson-Lucas ended the scoring with his second TD of the night on a 14-yard inside handoff early in the fourth quarter.

The Spartans inspire books and movies. From 2006-2021, they played in 14 straight CIF state title games, winning seven of them. The Spartans have won 25 state titles and six national crowns in their history.