Cub Football - Chase of excellence is elusive for Loyola - Cubs need to win out of final three league games to secure playoff berths
LOYOLA WAS ABLE TO AVERT DISASTER LAST FRIDAY, BUT CUBS WILL NEED TO PLAY FOUR PRODUCTIVE QUARTERS AGAINST DANGEROUS CHAMINADE THIS WEEK TO KEEP PLAYOFF HOPES ALIVE
In Loyola's last two games, the Cubs were outscored 45-0 after taking 35-14 and 24-0 leads against Serra and Bishop Amat, respectively.
The Cavaliers scored 28 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to pull out a 42-35 win at Smith Field on October 4, and last Friday in La Puente the Lancers scored 17 unanswered points before coming up short after a late fourth down desperation pass was broken up by Loyola's secondary to allow the Cubs to escape with a 24-17 must-win Mission League victory.
Three of Loyola's four losses this season have been of the come-from-ahead variety.
What exactly is causing a less than positive reaction to prosperity and an apparent affinity to adversity is unclear, but one thing is certain: the Cubs cannot afford any more meltdowns going forward with the stakes being as high as they are.
To assure a berth in the CIF Southern Section playoffs, Loyola has to win two out of its three remaining league battles. Two of the Cubs' upcoming opponents (Sierra Canyon (9th in Southern Section) and Notre Dame (34th in Southern Section)) are ranked higher than Loyola, and this week's foe, Chaminade, is ranked just eight spots behind Loyola in CalPreps' state rankings.
Somehow, some way the Cubs have to find a way to take advantage of-and extend-leads in the next three games.
A LOOK AT CHAMINADE
Coach David Machuca's Chaminade squad has a dismal 1-6 record, but only uniformed opponents would be foolish enough to expect the Eagles to be an easy out just based on their record.
Despite its losing slate Chaminade is ranked 43rd in the Southern Section by CalPreps, while Loyola is ranked 38th.
So why are the 1-6 Eagles ranked so high? It's simple, their strength of schedule, rated 48.1 by CalPreps, is one of the toughest in the state. By comparison, the Cubs' strength of schedule is rated 33.5.
Chaminade's record through seven contests is as follows: lost to Oaks Christian (ranked 14th in the Southern Section), 24-17; lost to Cathedral Catholic of San Diego (ranked 24th in the state), 34-13; lost to Servite (6th in the Southern Section), 14-0; lost to Cathedral of Los Angeles (32nd in Southern Section), 35-14; defeated Saguaro of Scottsdale, Arizona), 37-14; lost to Sierra Canyon (9th in Southern Section), 42-3; lost to Serra (11th in Southern Section), 35-21.
The Eagles are a pass-first offense, led behind center by sophomore Cameron Pooley (6-2, 190). The young QB has completed 51% of his passes for 1,303 yards and 10 TDs with 7 interceptions.
Pooley's top target is junior wide receiver Devin Olmande (6-2, 180). The speedster has caught 26 passes for 442 yards (17.0 yards per reception) and 4 TDs.
Chaminade's rushing attack is paced by swift junior running back Niles Davis (5-11, 170), who has carried the ball 50 times for 280 yards (5.6 ypc), but the offense has amassed just 662 rushing yards in seven outings and eclipsed the 100-yard mark only twice.
The Eagles' defensive front is rock solid. It is paced by game-wrecking 6-3, 285 lb. sophomore tackle Kingston Williams, who has 4.5 sacks and 8 hurries to his credit.
Senior middle linebacker Peter Attallah (6-2, 210) is tough as nails. He leads the team in tackles, has 2.5 sacks and 7 hurries. Senior athlete Logan Carpenter (6-1, 190) is second on the tackle list with 53.
Senior outside linebacker Miles Wilson (5-10, 185) has tallied 47 stops, and junior middle linebacker Ronnell Hewitt (6-1, 210) has recorded 46 tackles. Senior corner Ishmael Gibbs (5-11, 160) leads Chaminade's secondary with three interceptions.
The Eagles' average score is 15-28.
GAME OUTLOOK
It is expected that Chaminade will try to pound the rock against Loyola to open up the passing game.
The outcome of the contest will likely come down to the Cubs' ability to defend the pass and run the ball on offense.
Loyola will have to play four quarters of good, complementary football. It cannot afford to be penalized as it was against Bishop Amat (16 penalties for 140 yards).
Cathedral Catholic rushed for 321 yards against the Eagles. Cathedral (Los Angeles) gained 327 yards through the air against Chaminade. Those are two blueprints for Cub offensive success.
It could be that the 14-0 loss to Servite was the Eagles' most impressive performance of the season, as Servite is an outstanding football team. Loyola needs to emulate the Friars' defensive effort.
The Cubs' average score is 30-28. The prediction here is that Loyola will need to score at least four TDs to vanquish Chaminade. Both teams feature good special teams, which could play a role in the outcome.
The Cubs must win the second half, something that they have had trouble doing throughout the season.
THE LOYOLA - CHAMINADE SERIES
The series began in 2006 with a 14-10 Cub victory, followed by a Loyola wins in 2007 (17-7) and 2009 (42-3). Since then the Eagles have won seven straight and lead the series 7-3. Last season the Cubs took it down to the wire in West Hills before losing 42-35.
EXTRA POINTS
Loyola junior wide receiver MARKUS KIER was recognized by the Los Angeles Times as a top performer in the Southland for his effort against Bishop Amat in which he caught nine passes for 131 yards (14.6 ypc) and two touchdowns. KEIR was named Player-of-the-Game by MaxPreps . . . against the Lancers junior All-American corner BRANDON LOCKHART had his third interception in four games . . . The Cubs rolled up 251 yards in the first half against the Lancers before a punchless second half effort.
CHAMINADE CANCELLED GAME AGAINST LOYOLA UNDEFEATED SOPH TEAM
For unknown reasons Chaminade's JV team opted not to play Loyola's undefeated sophomore team this week.
LOYOLA FRESHMAN SQUAD HOSTS CHAMINADE ON THURSDAY
Loyola's freshman team (6-1), coming off an impressive 41-9 demolition of Bishop Amat in La Puente last Thursday, will host Chaminade at Smith Field at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. There is speculation that the Eagles may bring down their JV team to the battle.
2024 LOYOLA VARSITY FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
8-23 @ Cathedral (L, 16-13, 2OT)
8-30 Damien (L, 30-29)
9-13 @ Leuzinger (L, 40-30)
9-20 @ St. Francis (W, 35-7)
9-27 @ Mount Miguel (Spring Valley, San Diego) (W, 46-38)
10-4 Serra (Home)* (L, 42-35)
10-11 @ Bishop Amat* (W, 24-17)
10-18 Chaminade (Home)*
10-25 @ Sierra Canyon*
11-1 Notre Dame (Home)*
All games on Fridays @ 7:00 p.m. * Denotes Mission League game
CUBS IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Below is the list of Loyola graduates playing college football in 2024 according to published collegiate rosters:
CHAD BAILEY ‘20, DB, Bentley University
NICHOLAS BARR-MIRA ‘19, K, Mississippi State
COLIN CRUCE ‘22, OL, Bowdoin
JEFFREY JOHNSON ‘21, TE, Cal
LUKE HARRISON ‘24, OL, University of San Diego
ANDREW KOZHAYA ‘21, OL, Grinnel
SHAWN LIN '22, DL, Columbia
LEIGHTON LINE ‘23, DL, Cal Lutheran
CONNOR McDOWELL ‘21, DB, Angelo State
BLAKE NEITHART ‘20, DB, Carleton
TAHJ OWENS '22, DB, Princeton
JACK PARIS '23, DL, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
RYAN QUINTANAR '20, LB, USC
ISAIAH SANDERS, ‘24, LB, UC Davis
PATRICK SODL ‘22, LB, Columbia
HENRY STICKLER ‘22, WR, SMU
JACK SUSNJAR ‘23, OL, USC
JOE TATUM ‘22, QB, Texas
EVAN THOMAS ‘20, DB, UCLA
RYAN TURK ‘24, OL, Dartmouth
ALEX WHITMAN ‘22, WR, Notre Dame
CHAMP WESTBROOKS ‘24, OL, Arizona State
CEYAIR WRIGHT ‘21, DB, Nebraska
SAM YOON ‘22, OL, UCLA
LOYOLA GRADS IN THE NFL
MYLES BRYANT '16, corner, Houston Texans
ALEX JOHNSON '19, corner, New York Giants (practice squad)
DAVID LONG, JR., corner, Indianapolis Colts (practice squad)
COLEMAN SHELTON '13, center, Chicago Bears