Cub Football - Big Blue crescendo in Loyola’s decisive 24-7 victory over Serra in league opener
LOYOLA ROLLS SERRA 24-7 IN MISSION LEAGUE OPENER
The outcome of Friday night’s Mission League opener which pitted Loyola against Gardena Serra, the 13th ranked team in the Golden State, was not an upset. The Cubs’ resounding 24-7 triumph over the Cavaliers at Smith Field signaled that Loyola will be a factor in the race for the title of what is widely considered the second most powerful football conference in California.
Detractors may may point to the fact that Serra’s top quarterback and linebacker were sidelined by injury as contributing factors in the Cavaliers’ defeat. That argument bears little weight, as their replacements on a loaded Serra roster were more than capable.
What resonated most of all in the impressive Cub victory is that the Big Blue completely flipped the script from its head-scratching setback at the hands of Vista Murrieta in its final non-league tilt a week ago. There can be little argument that Loyola’s players made a decision that they would take the fight to the opponent henceforth. And they did just that early on in Friday’s battle.
On a great play call on the Cubs’ first drive following the opening kickoff, junior quarterback BRAYDEN ZERMENO carried the ball 56 yards untouched down the visitors’ sideline for a Cub touchdown less than two minutes into the fray. DIEGO BURGOS’s PAT kick put Loyola up 7-0. It was a lead the Big Blue would never relinquish.
Loyola played fast and physically on both sides of the ball all night long. The inspired effort of the Cub ‘Wolfpack’ defense set an emphatic tone, which, if it can be replicated as league competition moves forward, will keep Loyola firmly in the Mission League title hunt.
Cub senior safety EVAN THOMAS intercepted a Cavalier pass at the Loyola five yard line on Serra’s second offensive possession to thwart a Serra scoring threat.
Zermeno threw a perfect 21-yard touchdown pass to streaking sophomore wide receiver PETE VANIS at the 10:57 mark of the second quarter to cap a well executed 62-yard drive. Cub sophomore running back HARRISON ALLEN sprinted 19 yards for a first down just before the TD toss on a third-and-long play.
One of three sacks on the night by senior Loyola nose guard MARIANO UY forced a Serra punt, and Loyola quickly drove 55 yards for its third unanswered touchdown with Allen hauling in a 14-yard Zermeno pass for a first down before the precocious sophomore burst five yards into the end zone with 2:48 remaining before half time. The Cubs took a dominating 21-0 lead into intermission.
Following a 48-yard return of the opening kickoff of the second half, Serra used its powerful ground game to set up a four-yard touchdown run to conclude a 51-yard march with 6:15 left in the third quarter.
A controversial offensive pass interference call after an impressive catch and run by Vanis stalled Loyola’s ensuing possession, forcing a Cub punt. The Cavaliers ran an effective hurry-up offense, driving to the the Cub five-yard line where senior inside linebacker STEVEN ARELLANO, JR., the second leading tackler in the entire CIF Southern Section, threw Serra’s talented running back for a two yard loss on a fourth-down-and-two play. It was a highlight play that put an end to the Cavaliers’ hopes for a comeback and a punctuation mark on a passionate four-quarter effort by the home team.
On the Big Blue’s ensuing possession Zermeno once again raced 56 yards for a first down on a third-and-long play to set up a 34-yard Burgos field goal with 4:19 remaining in the contest to put Loyola up 24-7. Sophomore safety TAHJ OWENS intercepted a fourth down pass in the Cubs’ end zone in the game’s waning seconds to secure the impressive win.
The victory hit a high note for a Loyola team that has not yet come close to playing its best football and for which Big Blue skies appear to be the limit.