September 12, 2023

Cub Football - Chaminade next up for Big Blue - UCLA and Loyola connection - Pre-game

LOYOLA FACES FORMIDABLE SLATE FOR REMAINDER OF SEASON
The  CalPreps computer rankings for California have the Cubs slotted in the 116th spot. Following the final regular season contests CalPrep's rankings are used by the CIF Southern Section for divisional playoff placement under the competitive equity system.

All but one (Crespi) of
Loyola's future opponents are currently ranked ahead of the Cubs: Chaminade (45th), Oaks Christian (11th), St. Francis (61st), St. Paul (75th), Paraclete (115th) and Cathedral (103rd).

It is way too early to talk about the coming Angelus League battles, but in order to qualify for the CIF playoffs the Cubs will need to prove the current computer rankings wrong.

Last week's drubbing by Leuzinger was not exactly a harbinger of future success, but the defeat did have some positives. Loyola steadied the boat after a disastrous first half to outscore the Olympians 14-6 and out gain them 261 total yards to 163 following intermission. Leuzinger will likely turn out to be one of the best teams the Cubs will have faced when the regular season concludes.

If Loyola plays like it did in the second half against the Olympians for four quarters in each of its remaining games, there is no question that the Big Blue will rise in the state rankings.

A LOOK AT CHAMINADE
Coach David Machuca welcomed back only six starters from Chaminade's 2022 CIF Southern Section Division 2 semifinalist team which finished 10-3. In addition to graduation attrition the squad lost some outstanding players who transferred out; however, the Eagles benefited from some quality incoming transfers.

Chaminade is 2-2, having faced top notch competition. The Eagles lost to powerful Oaks Christian, 55-28; defeated perennial San Diego Section contender Cathedral Catholic, 40-30; lost to the state's tenth-ranked squad JSerra, 41-7; and beat Cathedral of the Angelus League, 31-14 last Friday. 

Junior quarterback Seth Shigg (5-11, 175) is the centerpiece of Chaminade's offense. A true dual threat signal caller, Shigg has competed 65% of his passes for 541 yards and is the Eagles leading rusher (280 yards, 9.0 yards per carry). One of the top sprinters in the state, Shigg is a threat to take the ball to the house every time he tucks it.

Sophomore WR standout Devin Olmande (6-1, 180) is another burner who averages 22.6 yards per catch. Junior running back Jackson Tyler (5-10, 180) averages 6.6 yards per carry. Chaminade's offense operates behind a powerful offensive line led by senior offensive tackle David Abajian (6-5, 280).

The Eagles' defensive standouts include senior outside linebacker Cody Franck (6-1, 205), transfer middle linebacker Ian Howard (6-3, 215), senior OLB Chris Champion (6-3, 225, 29 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 14 hurries), and senior DB Dylan McIntosh (5-11, 180, one interception and team-leading 35 tackles). Senior kicker Ryon Sayeri is one of the elite prep kicker/punters in the nation.

GAME OUTLOOK Chaminade is similar to Leuzinger from a talent standpoint. The squad is big, fast and strong. Shigg, like the Olympians' QB, is a nightmare for opposing defenses.

The Eagles' killer schedule has them well seasoned heading into Friday's game on their home field. Chaminade puts in a lot of quality weigh room work, and that could factor into the outcome. The Eagles were behind 7-3 at halftime in their game against Cathedral last Friday before wearing down and outscoring the Phantoms, 28-7, after intermission.

The best case scenario for Loyola will be to replicate the Cubs' second half effort and output against Leuzinger for all four quarters Friday night. One of the keys for Loyola will be whether it can effectively contain Shigg. If it cannot, it will be difficult for the Cubs to notch a win.

THE SERIES
Chaminade leads the series 6-3. Last season's 48-10 Eagles' triumph was among the worst losses in Cub Football history. The teams first played in 2007 with Loyola prevailing 17-7. The last Cub win (31-13) came in 2015, a season in which Loyola finished as the 17th ranked team in the state.

CHAMINADE PRE-GAME
Loyola parents, alumni and supporters will be meeting before Friday's game in West Hills at 4:30 p.m. at Eureka (back patio), 6250 Topanga Canyon Boulevard, Woodland Hills.

Chaminade is providing shuttle buses from the parking lot adjacent to West Hills Hospital because of restricted parking in the neighborhood surrounding the school.

UCLA-LOYOLA CONNECTION STRONG AS EVER
More Loyola football alumni have played football for UCLA than any other college or university.

Among the Cub luminaries who starred for the Bruins are 2000 All-American/CIF Southern Section Division I Player-of-the-Year, safety MATT WARE '01 (seven year NFL DB) and All-American linebacker ANTHONY BARR '10  (Lott Award winner, two-time All-American and four-time All-Pro NFL linebacker).

There are currently six former Loyola football players, four players and two coaches, who are Bruin contributors. Senior nickel back ALEX JOHNSON '18 had two interceptions in UCLA's 35-10 victory over San Diego State on Saturday. Johnson started as a walk-on for the Bruins and ended up earning a scholarship. The other Cub alumni competing for UCLA are DB EVAN THOMAS '20, center SAM YOON '22, and DB JORDAN HEWITT '23. The Bruins' wide receiver coach JERRY NEUHEISEL '11 was a Loyola QB, and UCLA 's DB coach KODI WHITFIELD '12 was an All-CIF WR/S for the Cubs and later starred in the secondary at Stanford.

2023 LOYOLA FOOTBALL SCHEDULE/RESULTS

August 25          @ Damien (L 35-14)
September 1      Culver City (W 24-6)
September 8      Leuzinger (L, 35-14)
September 15    @ Chaminade
September 22    Oaks Christian
September 29    @ St. Francis*
October 6           St. Paul*
October 13         @ Crespi*
October 20         Paraclete*
October 29         @ Cathedral* 
(* denotes Angelus League game)
 

CUBS IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Thirty-four Loyola grads are competing on college football teams this fall at schools from Storrs, Connecticut to Los Angeles; Northfield, Minnesota to New York City; Fort Worth, Texas to Princeton, New Jersey; Grinnel, Iowa to Berkeley; and Austin, Texas to Chicago.

Here is the current list of Cubs participating in college football (in alphabetical order):
NICK ANDERSON ‘20, OL (Denison)
SINJUN ASTANI ‘17, DL (USC)
CHAD BAILEY ‘20, DB (Tulane)
JP BAUTISTA (Pasadena College)
NICHOLAS BARR-MIRA ‘19, K (Mississippi State)
GEORGE CARATAN '18 , P (Connecticut)
JAC CASASANTE ‘18, LS (USC)
COLIN CRUCE ‘22, OL (Bowdoin)
JORDAN HEWITT '23 (UCLA)
ALEX JOHNSON '18, DB (UCLA)
JEFFREY JOHNSON '21, TE (Cal)
JACOBY KELLY ‘22, WR (Cerritos College)
ANDREW KOZHAYA ‘21, DL (Grinnel)
LEIGHTON LINE '23, DL (Cal Lutheran)
CARTER LINK ‘20, LB (SMU)
SHAWN LIN ‘22, DL (Columbia)
CONNOR McDOWELL ‘21, DB (Angelo State)
JUSTIN MURRAY '22, LB (Santa Monica College)
BLAKE NEITHART ‘20 DB (Carleton)
TAHJ OWENS ‘22, DB (Princeton)
JACK PARIS '23, OL (MIT)
RYAN QUINTANAR ‘20, LB (TCU)
XAVIER RICE '23, QB (Duquesne)
DAKOTA SMITH '18, LB (Minnesota State)
PATRICK SODL ‘22, LB (Columbia)
ZAKHARI SPEARS ‘21, DB (Connecticut)
HENRY STICKLER '21, WR (SMU)
JACK SUSNJAR '23, OL (USC)
JOE TATUM ‘22, QB (Texas)
EVAN THOMAS ‘20, DB (UCLA)
WILKE WILES '23, WR (University of Chicago) 
HOLMES WORMALD '23, TE (Merchant Marine Academy)
CEYAIR WRIGHT ‘21, DB ( USC)
SAM YOON ‘22