No. 8 Trojans set to face nation’s No. 1, De La Salle

Out-of-state opponents have become the norm for the Trinity football team, and Saturday night is no different as the Trojans take on powerhouse De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) 8 p.m. at Newsom Stadium in Mansfield.

The game is the second of an ESPN doubleheader, after Arlington Martin and DeSoto.

The Trojans are 6-2 against non-Texas teams since 2008, including a 41-32 victory over Eastern Christian Academy (Md.) to begin 2014.

“It’s great that we get to play out-of-state teams, especially the number one team in the nation,” tight end Caleb Cumbie said. “We get to experience tougher opponents and we feel very blessed to have the opportunities we get offered. We get to show people out of Texas what we’re all about.”

Ranked No. 8 in the Associated Press Preseason Class 6A poll, Trinity finished last season 12-2 before being eliminated in the state quarterfinals to eventual state champion Allen by a late field goal.

Just 10 days later, Steve Lineweaver announced his retirement, and two months after that, longtime assistant Chris Jensen took over.

Lineweaver spent 15 seasons in Euless where he won three Class 5A state titles and finished second in 2010. His teams went 175-29 (85.8 win percentage) during his tenure.

Jensen, who has been with Lineweaver for all 15 years, was also with him in Commerce prior to arriving in Euless in 2000.

Senior quarterback Tyler Natee (935 yards passing, 1,400 rush) and running back Ja’Ron Wilson (1,791 yards) are a lethal one-two punch in the backfield.

“In order to beat De La Salle, timing is everything, we have to be on top of things and stay together as a unit and just play football,” Natee said. “Playing an out-of-state team like them really helps us prepare for our district – they are a great team with prestigious coaches, and it’s a great opportunity.”

The offense gets a boost with the return of De’Jaun Garrett, who missed past of last season with a broken ankle.

“He was on crutches for a while and all I think about now is how awesome it is to have De’Jaun back,” Cumbie said.

Cumbie will add size for the Trojans and on the defensive front, Chris Daniels, who’s getting interest from more than 20 colleges, will headline alongside Ben Kautai and Leland Brown.

Trinity had one of the better defenses in the state last year, allowing 15.8 points in 14 games, 6.7 in six district games. The Trojans allowed single-digits points five times in the regular season, four coming in District 7-6A play.

As for De La Salle, the Spartans have a long history of football glory. Former coach Bob Ladouceur first arrived at the school in 1979 when he was 25 and was there until his retirement in January 2013.

Ladouceur, who was inducted into the National High School Hall of Fame in 2001, was 399-25-3 and his 93.4 winning percentage is a record among coaches with 200 or more wins.

The Spartans set a national record 151-game winning streak from 1992-2004 and have won 18 state titles, including five since 2007. They’ve been ranked the No. 1 team in the nation by MaxPreps on multiple occasions and have been named national champion 11 times, including from 2009-2012, and once in 1994 by ESPN. The Spartans are now coached by De La Salle alum Justin Alumbaugh, who played during that 151-game win streak.

“De La Salle, it goes without saying, is a great program. We kind of have the mindset of let’s do what we do better than them,” Jensen said. “If we play our best game, look at the scoreboard when it’s over and it’s not enough, hats off to them – we just want to know that we played our very best.”

“We need to go into this week with a mindset like no other, we’ll be getting after it – giving 110 percent every time,” Daniels said. “We don’t give up and we like that we play a team out of state [that] is ranked high as them because it gives us more competition.”

This story was originally published August 24, 2015 at 3:06 PM with the headline "No. 8 Trojans set to face nation’s No. 1, De La Salle."