You’ve probably seen the movie When the Game Stands Tall. Or maybe you just remember the headlines from back in 2004 when the 151-game winning streak finally snapped. Honestly, it’s easy to look at De La Salle Concord CA football and think of it as a museum piece—a relic of a bygone era when Bob Ladouceur was the undisputed king of the sidelines.
But if you think they’ve faded into the background of Northern California sports, you’re dead wrong.
Walking onto Owen Owens Field today feels different than it did in the 90s, sure. The "Streak" is long gone. The mythical aura of invincibility took a hit when Saint Francis finally beat them in 2021, ending a 318-game unbeaten run against NorCal opponents. Yet, here we are in 2026, and the Spartans are still the team everyone loves to hate—and the team everyone still fails to beat when the stakes are highest.
The Alumbaugh Era: More Than Just a Hand-Off
Justin Alumbaugh took over for Ladouceur in 2013. That's a lifetime ago in high school coaching years. Most guys would have crumbled under the weight of those expectations. Imagine following a guy who won 399 games. Basically, it's like trying to sing lead for Queen after Freddie Mercury.
Alumbaugh hasn't just kept the lights on; he’s kept the engine purring. The 2025 season just wrapped up with De La Salle once again clutching the North Coast Section (NCS) Open Division trophy after a gritty 24-17 win over Pittsburg. That makes 32 straight section titles. Think about that. Thirty-two. Most players on the current roster weren't even born when the streak of section titles started.
The Spartans finished 2025 with a 13-1 record. Their only blemish? A loss in the CIF State Open Division championship to Santa Margarita Catholic. It’s a familiar story lately. They dominate the North, then run into the Southern California buzzsaw.
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What the Critics Get Wrong About De La Salle Concord CA Football
People love to say the "gap has closed." They point to the 2021 loss to Saint Francis or the occasional close call against San Ramon Valley. And yeah, the gap has closed, but not because De La Salle got worse. It’s because the rest of the Bay Area finally started pouring resources into their programs to try and survive the Spartan gauntlet.
De La Salle doesn't recruit in the way people think. There are no shady handshakes in parking lots. It’s a culture thing. You walk into that weight room and you see the "Commitment" signs, and it feels like a cult of work. They run the Veer. In an age of 7-on-7 drills and spread offenses where everyone wants to be the next Patrick Mahomes, De La Salle Concord CA football is still out here running the ball down your throat with precision.
It's boring. It's repetitive. And it's devastatingly effective.
The 2026 Talent Pipeline
If you’re looking at the roster for the upcoming season, the names might not all be five-star recruits on 247Sports, but the college coaches are still hovering around Concord like hawks.
- Jaden Jefferson: This kid is a problem for opposing offensive coordinators. He’s already committed to North Carolina and plays with a chip on his shoulder that defines the Spartan secondary.
- Landon Cook: Heading to Oregon State, Cook is that classic De La Salle tight end who blocks like a tackle but has hands like a receiver.
- Nemyah Telona: A beast on the defensive line who recently signed with UC Berkeley.
The 2025 class saw 16 Spartans commit to college programs. That's not a rebuilding phase. That’s a factory.
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The Modern Reality: Travel and National Schedules
De La Salle isn't just playing local schools anymore. To stay relevant in the national rankings, they have to travel. In recent seasons, they’ve played games in London against the NFL Academy and flown across the country to face Florida powerhouses.
This creates a weird dynamic. They are a "local" school in Concord, but they operate like a mid-major college program. The logistics alone are insane. Yet, the players still go to class, they still do their "Spartan Goal" cards, and they still have to maintain a standard of conduct that would make a drill sergeant blush.
Is the "Veer" Outdated?
I hear this every Friday night at the local diners. "Why don't they spread it out?" "The Veer is dead."
Is it?
When you have a line that executes blocks with the synchronization of a Swiss watch, the Veer is impossible to stop. It wears you down. By the fourth quarter, opposing defensive ends are gassed, and that's when the Spartans break off those 40-yard runs that break your heart. They don't need a 5-star quarterback throwing for 400 yards. They need a kid who can read a defensive tackle and make a split-second decision.
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Honestly, the "outdated" label is their biggest advantage. Teams spend all year defending the spread, then they have one week to learn how to stop a ground game that has been perfected over 40 years. Good luck with that.
Why You Should Still Care
High school football is changing. NIL is creeping in. Transfer portals for teenagers are becoming a real thing. In the middle of all that chaos, De La Salle Concord CA football stands as a weirdly stable pillar.
They don't win every state title anymore. Mater Dei and St. John Bosco have seen to that. But they haven't gone anywhere. They are still the gold standard for how to build a program that outlasts its legendary founder.
If you want to see what's coming next, keep an eye on the 2026 schedule. They open against Lakeland from Florida—a massive test of speed versus discipline. They also have the usual suspects: Serra, Saint Francis, and the ever-improving Pittsburg.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Recruits
- Attend a Home Game: If you haven't been to Owen Owens Field, go. The atmosphere isn't about flashy lights; it's about a quiet, focused intensity that you won't find at other high schools.
- Follow the Trenches: Don't just watch the ball. Watch the De La Salle offensive line. Their footwork is a masterclass in coaching.
- Check DeLaSalleTV: For those outside the Bay Area, the school’s own broadcast network is surprisingly high-quality and the best way to catch live games.
- Watch the Sophomore Class: Names like Landon Miller (LB) and Duece Jones-Drew (RB—yes, that Jones-Drew's relative) are the next wave of stars to watch in 2026 and 2027.
The empire hasn't fallen. It just moved into a new phase of the war. De La Salle remains the most important high school football story in Northern California, and as long as they keep winning the NCS, that isn't changing.