August 26, 2022

Cub Football - Damien dominates Loyola in opener - Cub freshman team looks strong

DAMIEN BLASTS LOYOLA 34-7 IN HOME OPENER

A large crowd turned out for Loyola’s season opener against La Verne Damien on Friday night at Smith Field, but it turned out to be a depressing outing for the Cub fans in attendance as the Spartans drove 80 yards for a touchdown on their opening series which set the stage for a 34-7 romp. It was the third worst opening game setback in Big Blue annals.

Coming into the game Damien had an interscholastic scrimmage and a zero week game (a 28-19 loss to Yorba Linda) under its belt, whereas Loyola had not lined up against any opponent in the weeks leading up to the season opener, and that certainly factored into the loss.

The Cubs were also seriously short handed at receiver due to injuries, and were challenged by injuries at other positions. And more than a few players were getting their first varsity starts. But even if Loyola were at full strength, it probably would not have made much difference as the stronger, more physical Spartans won at the point of attack on both sides of the ball for much of the evening. The visitors rushed for 270 yards and effectively stopped the run which are keys to winning football games.

After Damien’s opening scoring march, capped by a short quarterback sneak at the 6:57 mark of the first quarter, the Cub offense went three and out on its first possession. A beautiful 49-yard punt by junior MARK HYAN pinned the Spartans back at their nine yard line, and Loyola’s ‘Wolfpack’ defense went to work, forcing a Damien punt.

The Cubs had favorable field position at the Spartans’ 48-yard line, but could not move the stout Damien defense off the ball, which forced another punt by the home squad. Again, Loyola’s defense forced a Damien punt, and the Cubs took over at their 23 yard line. They began having success on the ground with senior running back JP BAUTISTA flashing speed on a couple of carries for first downs and sophomore ball carrier DESI VALDES displaying toughness.

On what was stacking up as Loyola’s best drive of the night, the building Big Blue momentum was quashed by a Spartan interception at the Damien 17 yard line. The Spartans promptly drove 83 yards, scoring on a 28-yard run by its rugged sophomore tailback with 3:37 left before intermission. A missed extra point made the score 13-0.

The Cubs’ ensuing offensive possession began at their 20 yard line. With just 17 second remaining before half time, senior quarterback XAVIER RICE found freshman speedster KYLE ROBERTSON sprinting down the home sideline for a 51-yard TD reception


. HYAN’s extra point made the score 13-7 in favor of the Spartans. Optimism was in the air as Loyola entered the locker room.

Unfortunately, the momentum boost with which the first half ended for the Cubs was short lived. Loyola returned the second half kickoff to its 25 yard line, following which the tenacious Damien defense forced another punt.

From that point forward, it was all Spartans. Damien drove 45 yards, scoring on a six-yard pass with 6:14 left in the third quarter to make the score 20-7. The Spartans tacked on another seven points on a short drive to go up 27-6 at the 9:56 mark of the final stanza and scored on a 32-yard aerial with 5:18 left in the contest to put the finishing touches on a dominant 34-7 victory.

There were some positives for the home team. A late goal line stand by the defense was a positive, and the new running backs showed some promise.

They say football teams make the most improvement between their first and second games. Suffice to say, Loyola needs to make a quantum leap in the improvement category before next Friday’s road game against Culver City.

CUB FRESHMEN IMPRESS - HAVE MAKINGS OF PROMISING TEAM

The future of Cub Football is annually forecast by the talent of the program’s freshman team. By the looks and performance of a big, athletic and physical 125-man squad in Thursday’s home opener, the prospects for success down the line were on impressive display in a 27-0 demolition of Damien in a contest which was not as close as the final score.

The 2022 freshmen not only provided a glimpse into the future, but also showcased an uncanny similarity to the days of yore when Loyola routinely put quality yearling teams on the field. As Lou Holtz, the iconic former head coach at the University of Notre Dame, once said, “For those who know Notre Dame, no explanation is necessary. For those who don’t, no explanation will suffice.” When it comes to Loyola football this fall’s ninth grade squad is the paradigm of what defined the program for decades.

You will have to sneak away on a Thursday afternoon to watch a game to understand the ineffable quality of this group. For those who watched Cub Football dating back to the sixties, a “Now, that’s LOYOLA football”, was common reaction of those alumni who attended Thursday’s game.. No explanation of what that meant is necessary.

Yes, it was only the first game, and, yes, Damien was not a particularly stalwart foe, but win or lose going forward, this freshman club COMPETES and has more than a few tough, quality players.

A hellacious defense is the strength of the squad. The first string stop unit dominated the Spartans. The most impressive  defender on a very physical stop unit is inside linebacker RONEN ZAMORANO (6-1, 205). ZAMORANO is violent tackling machine. He is the point of the spear, but an outstanding cadre of play makers add to the effectiveness of a violent group.

Two-way starting down linemen, tackles NATHAN TURK (6-4, 265) and PATRICK PELLIGRENI (6-4, 266) and 279-pound nose guard DAMIEN UTUONE (pronounced U-two-oh-nay) are monsters who have the look of varsity players. 

Among many other defensive personnel who suffocated the Damien offense were linemen ALBERT SANFORD, ALEC MARTINEZ, ZACHARY HARRISON and NELSON PYE.

Defensive backs EVAN SANTOS, PETER SCIARRINO, JOSH GALLAGHER, WYATT CLOUGHERTY, FINN HAZLETON and CADIN FETTERS made plays, as did linebackers JACKSON NELSON, LUCA MARUCCI and CHASE HELLIE.

JOSH GALLAGHER opened the scoring fest by the Cubs with a 30-yard punt return. GALLAGHER also scored Loyola’s second TD on a 32-yard pass from QB JACK THOMAS. PETER SCIARRINO caught a three-yard pass from THOMAS to put Loyola up 20-0 at the half. Running back CASH GINSBERG’s 10-yard run to pay dirt made it 27-0. Loyola’s first unit defense allowed less than 40 total yards.

SONNY VILLEGAS showed plenty of power running the ball for the Cubs and CASH GINSBERG is also a dangerous back.&

The offense is not as far along as the defense, but once it gets fully untracked, this Loyola freshman team will have a chance for a special season. Two of the class’s most talented players, corner BRANDON LOCKHART and wide receiver KYLE ROBERTSON are on the varsity squad.

The freshman team hosts Culver City on Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
 

CUBS OPPONENT REVIEW

Seven of Loyola’s nine future opponents won their Week One games. The results, in order of opponent, are as follows:

CULVER CITY 35, West Torrance 13
Centaurs start strong.

PASADENA 35, Glendora 10
Bulldogs’ transfers become eligible against decent opponent..

CHAMINADE 24, JSerra 21
Eagles will rocket up rankings with statement win over Trinity League foe. 

OAKS CHRISTIAN 38, Sierra Canyon 21 
Oaks pulls off decisive shocker against highly ranked team.

ST. PAUL 37, Huntington Park 0
Swordsmen dispatch City Section team with ease.

Westlake 50, CRESPI 7
Celts have been outscored 92-14 in first two games.

Garces Memorial 41, PARACLETE 7 New Angelus team member gets worked by Bakersfield program.

CATHEDRAL 39, Millikan 38
Phantoms win a squeaker against Rams.

ST. FRANCIS 52, Mira Costa 48
Golden Knights have had 109 points scored against them in first two games, but offense is averaging 46 points per outing. Shoot out central.