De La Salle maintained its top spot in the high school football rankings after a clutch 35-25 win over #2 Serra on Friday night, and it was senior quarterback Jaxon Loftin, in his first start, who absolutely lit up the field. This dude was supposed to be the “question mark” for the top-ranked Spartans, right? Nah, he was a giant exclamation point.
Loftin’s Breakout Night Was No Fluke
Talk about exceeding expectations! Loftin, stepping in after Brayden Knight graduated, wasn’t just managing the game; he was straight-up dominating it. He completed 12 of 18 passes for 196 yards and three touchdowns, plus he rushed for another 38 yards. And get this: he even had another potential TD pass dropped and a rushing score taken away on a questionable offside call. Can you believe it? Even with that, he was the “most pleasant , and upbeat , surprise” of the game.
He was all smiles after the win, saying, “It was truly a blessing. I’m just so proud of everyone and just how much work we’ve put in since January.” Coach Justin Alumbaugh saw it too, calling Loftin a “love-life type of kid” with “a lot of pizazz.” He “moved the team well and made some big plays.” The confidence started early, with Loftin firing a 47-yard completion to Damari Dean on the second play from scrimmage, eventually leading to a 9-yard touchdown to Dean. He later hit Dylan Scott for a 35-yard TD pass. This kid is for real.
Second Half Surge and Key Players Step Up
The Spartans weren’t exactly cruising from the jump, actually trailing 17-14 at halftime. But they flipped the script big time in the second half. A huge part of that turnaround? Duece Jones-Drew, the UCLA commit and DLS’s #1 threat. Serra’s defense bottled him up with just 25 rushing yards in the first half, but Jones-Drew finished strong with 18 carries for 84 yards and three touchdowns, including a game-clinching score late in the fourth. The dude had a 30-yard catch for a TD, then busted out for 27 and 18-yard TD runs. That’s how you close a game!
Jones-Drew gave a ton of credit to Loftin’s positive vibes, saying, “I love Jaxon… He pushes everybody around him to be better too. … He makes sure we have that chemistry. He’s always happy, even in the huddle. Like after a bad play, he’s all smiles, picking everybody up.” That kind of leadership in a first-time starter is priceless. On defense, Jmo Mitzel and Landon Miller were beasts with eight tackles each, and Prayshawn Harang racked up two of the team’s four sacks. Serra, meanwhile, was battling a bunch of injuries and leg cramping, which definitely didn’t help their cause.
So what’s next for the #1 ranked De La Salle? They’re back at it this Friday against Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa, who are sitting at 0-1. Can Loftin keep this insane momentum rolling? You know everyone’s watching to see if he can repeat that magic.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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