California high school football powerhouse De La Salle released its 2021 schedule on Monday and one out-of-state opponent is standing out as the headliner of the slate.
St. Frances Academy of Baltimore, Maryland will travel to California to take on De La Salle in a nationally televised affair on Oct. 1. St. Frances Academy has established itself as one of the premier high school football programs in the nation recently, going 44-3 since 2016 with multiple Top 10 finishes in the USA Today Super 25 along the way.
“It’s a great challenge with St. Frances,” De La Salle head coach Justin Alumbaugh said. “They are of the caliber of the teams that play for our state title, so we are looking forward to testing ourselves.”
St. Frances boasts seven of the top 16 class of 2022 recruits in the state of Maryland, according to 247Sports, in four-star linebacker Jaishawn Barham, four-star defensive lineman Derrick Moore, four-star defensive lineman Nasir Pearce, four-star cornerback Cam Johnson, three-star cornerback and Boston College commit Jamal Hood, three-star offensive tackle Jacob Sacra and three-star wide receiver and Minnesota commit Ike White. The Panthers also feature an abundance of elite 2023 and 2024 talent.
De La Salle’s other notable 2021 opponent is San Diego catholic school power Cathedral Catholic. De La Salle will have to deal with its usual gauntlet of an East Bay Athletic League schedule, but matchups with St. Frances and Cathedral Catholic will serve as a litmus test for the Spartans this upcoming season.
“Cathedral Catholic is disciplined, physical, athletic and well-coached,” Alumbaugh said. “We’re looking forward to that new matchup with a great program.”
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