California powerhouse De La Salle to play high school football game in London

The high school football program that holds the distinction of winning 151 straight games, from 1992 through 2004, is taking its winning ways to London, England. Northern California’s De La Salle will play NFL Academy at Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium in London on October 8.

While most high school football fans are familiar with De La Salle, many will be learning about the NFL Academy, a United Kingdom-based initiative created by the National Football League. Opened in 2019, the NFL Academy is defined by the NFL as “a major global initiative offering talented student-athletes the opportunity to combine full-time education alongside intensive training in American football under the guidance of a world-class coaching staff.”

“This is a really exciting opportunity for our players,” said Justin Alumbaugh, De La Salle’s Head Football Coach, via a school news release. “Not only is this the first time that our team has traveled outside of the U.S. in the history of De La Salle’s football program, but we will be playing athletes trained by world-class NFL coaching staff. It will be a great experience that will test our players and give them some unforgettable memories.”

Last season, De La Salle captured its 31st consecutive NCS Championship, as well as the CIF Division 1-AA Northern California Championship. The Spartans lost to Mission Viejo in the state championship game, finishing No. 59 in the final 2023 High School Football America 300 national rankings, powered by NFL Play Football.

Below is a video showing how some of the NFL Academy players learned about their American opponent. In addition to De La Salle, NFL Academy will play 2020 HSFA national champ IMG Academy in November. IMG finished No. 4 in the HSFA 300 last year.

In addition to its overseas trip, De La Salle faces a tough schedule that includes three teams that finished in our Top 300 last season. In Week 2 (September 6), the Spartans will face another state runner-up in San Mateo’s Serra High School. The Padres, who lost to national champ Mater Dei in the Open Division championship game, finished No. 52 in our national rankings.

In Week 4 (September 20), DLS travels to Stockton to face St. Mary’s, which finished No. 185 in America in ’23. The week after playing in London, the Spartans host San Ramon Valley. SRV finished No. 279 in the country.

Below is the team’s full schedule:

2024 De La Salle Spartans Schedule