De La Salle’s 33rd straight North Coast Section title championship game win might very well have been it’s toughest.
And those who watching Pittsburg run up and down the field most of the night, would say the Pirates outplayed the Spartans.
No matter.
Though De La Salle got three long touchdown runs from Brady Smith, Jaden Jefferson and Brayden Knight, it was the defense that made a couple of big plays late to help pull out a 24-17 NCS Open Division title win at Diablo Valley College Friday on a clear, crisp night in Pleasant Hill.
Advertisement
Though last year’s title game was closer — De La Salle won 10-7 on a rainy night — this one was well more in Pittsburg’s favor with a 396-338 advantage in yards and a 24-10 edge in first downs. The Pirates, behind a superlative game from sophomore quarterback Javale Jones (32 completions in 47 attempts, 309 yards), also ran off 76 plays to 39 for De La Salle.
But the Spartans improved to 12-0 and all but assuredly will advance to the CIF Open Division California title game to represent Northern California in two weeks to face the Southern California champion.
Wow. De La Salle holds on 4D play. Jones stopped short. 2:44 4Q. De La Salle leads Pittsburgh 24-17. HUGE PLAY. One first down should end it. pic.twitter.com/xFXwRQ50rW
Pittsburg (10-2) will drop down to the Division 1 bracket and face Cardinal Newman in the D1 title game. The Pirates will go for its fifth straight D1 title.
Pittsburg missed two chip shot field goals and missed on two other red zone chances. It never punted the ball.
Advertisement
It’s hard to believe the Pirates scored just two touchdowns, on a 16-yard pass from Jones to Kenneth Ward and a TD run by Siotame Finau. De La Salle scored on runs of 26 yards by Smith, 50 yards by Jefferson and 57 by Knight. The Spartans settled for a 21-yard field goal by Justin Uribarri with 7:11 to play.
The Pirates, like they had all night. rattled off a couple first downs, including a fifth fourth-down conversion. But on 4th-and-1 from its own 44, the Spartans stopped Jones for no gain on a keeper. Then ran out the clock, keyed by a 17-yard run by Duece Jones-Drew on a 3rd-and-15 play.
HUGE PLAY. this should do it. 3rd-and-15, Duece Jones-Drew goes for 17. 2:00 left. De La Salle 24, Pittsburg 17. De La Salle can run it out. To win 33rd straight NCS title. pic.twitter.com/0WPanK7tpg
It’s been since 1991 since De La Salle’s juggernaut football team lost to North Coast Section team, a span heading into Friday’s game at Diablo Valley College of 283 games (282-0-1), 32 have been championship games.
The Spartans go for numbers 284 and 33 in Friday’s Open Division title game at Diablo Valley College as the Spartans (11-0), the state’s No. 4 team according to High School On SI, takes on No. 17 Pittsburg (10-1).
Advertisement
The loser of this game advances to the Division I championship game next week against the winner of Cardinal Newman versus Acalanes.
Pittsburg gave De La Salle all it could handle in last year’s title game under pouring rain, also at DVC. De La Salle won the game 10-7, its 32nd straight NCS crown, but then lost two weeks later to Mater Dei in the state Open Division title game.
Pittsburg advanced to the Division I title game last season and won its fourth straight championship.
FIRST QUARTER
* Pittsburg misses short field goal. After a De La Salle three and out, the Pirates missed a 32-yard field goal.
Touchdown De La Salle. A 49-yard scamper from Jaden Jefferson set up a 26-yard touchdown burst by Brady Smith giving De La Salle a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter.
Advertisement
Brady Smith 26-yard TD run after Jaden Jefferson 49-yard scamper. De La Salle 7, Pittsburg 0. Middle 1Q. Pitt missed chip shot FG on first possession. pic.twitter.com/GnpwaOOzoX
Pittsburg turns ball over on downs. Pirates motor right down field again, only on 4th-and-goal from the 5, a 4-yard pass from Jones to Mosley is one yard short of touchdown. De La Salle takes over on downs.
SECOND QUARTER
Touchdown run. The Pirates drive right down field, capped by a touchdown run by Siotame Finau tying the game at 7-7 with 8:15 left in second quarter.
De La Salle touchdown. Brayden Knight with spectacular 57-yard touchdown scamper after an inside handoff fake. Knight was caught at the 10-yard-line but held off the defender and was tackle halfway into the end zone. De La Salle 14, Pittsburg 7.
Brayden Knight with determined spectacular 47-yard TD run gives De La Salle a 14-7 lead 7:34 2Q. pic.twitter.com/67MTREX5VE
Pittsburg touchdown: Javale Jones with beautiful 16-yard touchdown pass to Kenneth Ward. 4:55 2Q. Great drive keyed by 22-yard completion from Jones to Mosley on fourth down. De La Salle 14, Pittsburg 14.
Wow! This Jones is putting ball just where he should be pinpoint passing. 16-yard touchdown to Ward ties game at 14-14 for Pirates with De La Salle. 4:55 2Q. Pittsburg has reached red zone 4 straight times. Probably should be leading. pic.twitter.com/OKl5nEKsxg
De La Salle touchdown. Takes two plays, Jaden Jefferson 50-yard touchdown sprint, Spartans back up by a touchdown. De La Salle 21, Pittsburg 14.
Officially a shootout – athletically speaking. Jaden Jefferson 50-yard TD run gives De La Salle 21-14 4:06 2Q. Great game thus far. pic.twitter.com/c7bhtrwGiZ
Halftime score/stats: According to Damin Esper of DeLaSalleSportsTV, Pittsburg with 295 yards of offense compared to 253 for De La Salle. No one has moved the ball like this against the Spartans. Jones is 17 of 27 for 217 yards and one TD. Jefferson has six carried for 116 yards and Smith 7 carries for 69 yards for De La Salle. Mosley, the Arizona State bound receiver, has 5 catches for 64 yards, Ward 4 for 58. Great half. De La Salle 21, Pittsburg 14.
Advertisement
THIRD QUARTER
Pittsburg FG: The Pirates pick up where they left off in first half, drive 74 yards, but have to settle for a FG, a 24-yarder by Luis Rodriguez. More importantly they chew up half the quarter time wise. De La Salle 21, Pittsburg 17. 5:15 3Q.
Pittsburg, which piled up 295 yards in first half against the vaunted are La Salle defense, March 74 yards to open second half but have to settle for a FG. De Pa Salle 21, Pittsburg 17. 5:06 3Q. pic.twitter.com/wBW6XZgI0J
DE LA SALLE FG: Justin Uribarri 22-yard FG. 7:11 left. Big catch by Jefferson for 41 yards and 20-yard run by Knight sets up FG. De La Salle 24, Pittsburg 17 7:11 4Q
DE LA SALLE STOP: On 4th-and-1 from own 44, Pittsburg stopped short on Jones keeper. De La Salle takes over at 44. 2:44 remaining. De La Salle 24, Pittsburg 17 2:44
JONES-DREW FIRST DOWN: On 3rd-and-15, Duece Jones-Drew goes for 17 yards to clinch win. Three knees and De La Salle will win 33rd straight title.
During an emergency meeting on Saturday night, Masontown borough council voted 6-0 to reinstate its police department after council initially voted on Monday to lay off the entire department, citing budgetary reasons as the leading factor for the decision.
The Pittsburgh Pirates could use some bats, and the A’s are still looking to add some pitching this winter, so how likely is it that these clubs come together on a deal?
According to Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates are still on the lookout for some help on the left side of the infield. Over at Roster Resource, their starters at short and third as listed as Nick Gonzales (82 wRC+ in 2025) and Jared Triolo (86).
While the A’s are having a little showdown of their own at third base this spring, they have a number of players in the mix. Perhaps they could move one of them in a deal with Pittsburgh in order to land a relief pitcher with some upside.
Advertisement
The proposed deal that we have in mind is the A’s sending third baseman Brett Harris, who may be starting as the third option at the hot corner this spring. Harris has a tremendous glove at third, and statistically it appears to be at least on par with the glove what Triolo provided last season.
Advertisement
In just 183 2/3 innings with the A’s in 2025, Harris put up a +5 DRS, and +2 in both OAA and FRV. Triolo, in roughly 80 extra innings finished with a +7 DRS and +4 in both OAA and FRV. Both players are solid defensively.
Triolo has had more experience in the big leagues, which does account for something, but if you’re the Pirates, do you consider making a change and taking a chance on a similar defender with more upside in the bat? Their current option hit .227 with a .311 OBP and an 86 wRC+ last season in 376 plate appearances. Harris could put together a double-digit home run season at the very least.
Harris played in just 32 games (84 plate appearances) and hit .274 with a .349 OBP and a 96 wRC+. While he certainly looked like an improved player over his initial stint in the big leagues with the A’s in 2024, there was also some luck involved in his improvement—mainly his .377 BABIP. The risk for the Pirates would be taking the chance on that bat being for real.
In exchange, the proposed piece that the Pirates would send back in 30-year-old Yohan Ramírez. The right-hander ranks in the 94th percentile in extension on top of sitting at 96.4 miles per hour with his heater, which is quite appealing. He also held a 5.40 ERA (3.80 FIP) last season, so he’s far from a finished product, and given his age, he’s a flier himself.
Advertisement
This is the type of pitcher that the A’s have had success with in recent seasons—guys that can collect strikeouts but also tend to issue free passes. In 2025 with the Pirates, he struck out 29% of the batters he faced and walked 10.3%.
Advertisement
There are two interesting tidbits in his profile that could cause a little worry. The first is that he’s bounced around quite a bit in recent seasons, including spending time with the Dodgers, Mets, Orioles and Red Sox in 2024. Those are all teams that love to pull extra value from guys, and if they all gave up on him, then that’s not the greatest track record.
All of those teams seemed to view him as a guy that could provide a few innings when their bullpens were gassed, which led to him having short stints with each club, totaling a 6.20 ERA (4.26 FIP) across 45 innings.
The other interesting piece here is that when he has been with the Pirates, in both 2025 and back in 2022, his velocity has ticked up considerably. In 2022, he also spent time with the Mariners, and he was sitting 94.2. But with Pittsburgh, that went up to 96.5. In 2024, he topped out at 95.3 mph with the O’s and Mets.
This past season he was back to 96.2 mph. Is there something special for him about pitching in Pittsburgh? Do their radar guns run a little hot? Is this more of a time of year situation that gets hammered out over longer stints (like with the Pirates)? It’s unclear.
Advertisement
But if he’s truly a 96-mile-per-hour reliever that the A’s could add to their ‘pen, then this trade may be worth some heavy consideration.
Advertisement
Of course, Ramírez is out of options which would make this a little tricky, and Harris has roughly double the amount of team control, so the value may have to be squared away by adding another piece or two to the ledger. But these two players, Harris and Ramírez, could do a lot of good for the opposite clubs.
Days after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officer fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis, Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor reaffirmed that he will not cooperate with ICE.
Former Mayor Ed Gainey had taken the same position.
“My stance never changed,” O’Connor told TribLive on Friday. “We’re not going to cooperate.”
O’Connor said the same thing on the campaign trail, promising his administration would not partner with ICE.
Advertisement
“My priority is to turn the city around and help it grow,” O’Connor said. “For us, it’s got to be focusing on public safety in the city of Pittsburgh.”
President Donald Trump has sent a surge of federal officers into Minneapolis, where tensions have escalated sharply.
O’Connor said he had spoken this week with Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, who heads the Democratic Mayors Association. The group has condemned ICE’s actions in the wake of Wednesday’s fatal encounter in Minneapolis, where an ICE officer shot and killed 37-year-old Nicole Macklin Good, a U.S. citizen described as a poet and mother.
“Mayors are on the ground every day working to keep our communities safe,” the association said in a statement Thursday. “If Trump were serious about public safety, he would work with our cities, not against them. If he were serious, he would stop spreading propaganda and lies, and end the fear, the force, and the federal overreach.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has come out strongly against the Trump administration and ICE, penning an op-ed piece for the New York Times with the headline, “I’m the Mayor of Minneapolis. Trump Is Lying to You.”
Advertisement
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said an ICE officer shot Good in self-defense. Noem described the incident as “domestic terrorism” carried out against ICE officers and claimed Good tried to “run them over and rammed them with her vehicle.”
The circumstances of the incident are in dispute.
In December, ICE agents were involved in a scuffle in Pittsburgh’s Mount Washington neighborhood as they arrested a Latino man.
According to neighbors, two unmarked vehicles sandwiched a white Tacoma in the 400 block of Norton Street, broke the driver’s side window, pulled a man from the vehicle and got into a physical altercation. Pepper spray was deployed and seemed to get in the eyes of both the man being detained and at least one immigration agent.
At least some of the officers on the scene in that incident belong to ICE.
Advertisement
They targeted the man, Darwin Alexander Davila-Perez, a Nicaraguan national, for claiming to be a U.S. citizen while trying to buy a gun, according to court papers.