It’s not every day you get to play an American football game in London.

But that’s exactly what De La Salle got to experience on Tuesday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Spartans traveled thousands of miles to compete in a once-in-a-lifetime environment against NFL Academy, the nascent developmental program sponsored by the NFL.

The Academy is based in Loughborough, England, and is in its third year of competition. De La Salle is one of the most storied high school football programs in the United States and currently ranks No. 1 in the Bay Area News Group Top 25.

The difference was obvious. The Spartans showcased why they are a legendary football brand, easily handling NFL Academy 31-9.

“Almost all of our families were there,” DLS coach Justin Alumbaugh said postgame on the NFL’s live stream. “Everybody got to see their family and go up in the stands a little bit. I got everybody in the game. Every single solitary person that was healthy was able to play, which was a neat moment for us as a coaching staff. It was nice.”

De La Salle (6-0) had been taking in the sights around London in the days leading up to the game and attended the Vikings-Jets game at Tottenham on Sunday. But on Tuesday, the Spartans ensured that the trip, which started off as one of pleasure, ended with De La Salle taking care of business.

“It was really, really neat to have our kids play as hard as they did,” Alumbaugh later told this news organization by phone. “It wouldn’t have been a very fun 10-hour flight home if we didn’t win, and it would have put a sour note on what has been a really great trip. I can’t deny that.

“I told the kids that they were going to remember this trip for the rest of their lives, and they were going to remember this game for the rest of their lives. They were going to want to give it their best effort.”

De La Salle’s whirlwind time in London included trips to Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London. The Spartans also spent time at a charity event and practiced at the training ground of seventh-division English soccer club Cheshunt FC.

But the centerpiece of it all was Tuesday’s showcase game, and De La Salle certainly showed the world that it is a force to be reckoned with on the gridiron.

“It was a lot of work, I’ll be totally honest,” Alumbaugh told the Bay Area News Group. “But we’re incredibly grateful for the opportunity we were given. It was incredible.”

Several players starred for De La Salle on the English pitch. Dominic Kelley and Derrick Blanche Jr. each rushed for two touchdowns, and kicker Justin Uribarri nailed a 38-yard field goal.

Splitting time with backup Brayden Knight, senior starting quarterback Toa Faavae commanded De La Salle’s rushing attack and completed a deep pass to Jayden Nicholas, setting up a rushing TD by Blanche.

Sophomore Duece Jones-Drew got into the game and compiled several carries in the same city where his father, Maurice Jones-Drew, once played an NFL international series game with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

“It’s been great. I remember coming here when I was younger and watching my dad play the Niners,” Duece Jones-Drew said postgame on the live stream. “I always wanted to come back and play, and having an opportunity to play high school here is a great experience.”

In October 2013, the 49ers defeated the Jaguars 42-10 at Wembley Stadium in London. Eleven years later, De La Salle took a page out of San Francisco’s book on Tuesday in North London.

“I’ve never won here, so he has one up on me,” Maurice Jones-Drew quipped on the stream.