Cub Football - Lost opportunity created no room for error
LOYOLA'S LOSS TO SERRA CREATES NO MARGIN FOR ERROR DOWN THE STRETCH
Last Friday at Smith Field Loyola led Serra of Gardena, 35-14, heading into the fourth quarter. It appeared that a stunning upset of the state's 12th ranked team was in the works, but a gut wrenching reversal of fortune in the final 12 minutes saw the Cavaliers score 28 unanswered points, allowing them to post an incredible come from behind, 42-35, victory in the Mission League opener for both teams.
Two Cub turnovers and injuries suffered by two starting defensive backs in the fateful fourth stanza conspired to derail what could have been not only a statement-making win over one of the two Mission League title favorites, but also the creation of a less treacherous pathway to securing a coveted CIF Southern Section playoff berth.
With the loss, Loyola must win three of its last four Mission League contests, starting this Friday in La Puente against longtime arch rival Bishop Amat, to secure no worse than a third place finish in the rugged Mission League. The Cubs need to perform at their highest level over the next four weeks. If they don't, an invitation to the playoffs will not be in the cards.
The formula for success is simple. Three of Loyola's four losses have been come-from-ahead set backs. The Cubs need to find a way to finish. Offensively, balanced production will be of paramount importance. The defensive platoon needs to play with its ears pinned back for a full 48 minutes, and penalties must be kept to a minimum.
This Loyola team has proven it can score, which is a big reason why it has competed with some very good teams. The Cubs have scored an average of 33 points per game. The challenge now is to stack up points in the fourth quarter to close out games. Loyola's 'Wolfpack' defense has played outstanding football, but only in prolonged spurts. Its effort in the first three quarters against Serra was its best of the campaign thus far. It needs to create havoc for a full 48 minutes down the final regular season four-game stretch.
CUBS MOVE UP IN STATE AND SOUTHERN SECTION RANKINGS DESPITE LOSS
The Cubs' close loss to Serra ended up seeing Loyola move up in the CalPreps state and CIF Southern Section rankings to 64th and 40th, respectively.
A LOOK AT BISHOP AMAT Coach Steve Hagerty's Bishop Amat Lancers are 2-4. Do not let their record fool you. Bishop Amat barely lost, 21-19, to Rancho Cucamonga, the 25th ranked team in the CIF Southern Section, and the Lancers beat a very good Vista Murrieta team, 47-42.
Bishop Amat's game results to date: West Covina 49-6, Win; St.Paul 21-12, Loss; Vista Murrieta 47-42, Win; Rancho Cucamonga 21-19, Loss; St. Mary's (Stockton) 56-21, Loss; Notre Dame 28-21, Loss.
The Lancers are a pass first squad. They average 224 yards per contest through the air, while averaging 121 rushing yards per game.
Senior quarterback Frankie Villabazo (6-2, 205) has completed 61% of his passes for 1,120 yards and 13 TDs. His top receivers are junior Cam Vasquez (6-3, 180) and junior tight end Jerry Rojo.
Junior running back Ryan Salcedo (5-11,190) is a talented runner. He averages over 100 rushing yards per game. Last Friday against Notre Dame, he carried the ball 14 times for 94 yards (6.7 ypc) and two touchdowns.
Bishop Amat averages a robust 34 points per outing.
Defensively, the Lancers relinquish an average of 35 points per contest. Thus far the stop squad has not been a team strength.
Junior corner Christian Alarcon (5-11, 165) is averaging 9.2 tackles per game and has two interceptions. Soph corner Jacob Gallardo (5-7, 150) is averaging 8.5 tackles, and junior strong safety Isaac Pichardo (6-1, 185) averages 8.2 stops. Junior defensive lineman Jadis Aulaumea (6-3,220) has to two sacks to his credit as does defensive lineman Estevan De La Rosa (6-2, 250).
GAME OUTLOOK Historically, the battles between Bishop Amat and Loyola are physical dogfights. There is no reason to expect anything other than a slugfest this Friday in La Puente.
The Cubs will be playing in a charged up atmosphere against another squad that will desperately be striving to keep its playoff hopes alive.
Loyola should use St. Paul's defensive game plan as a blue print, and St. Mary's of Stockton's offensive approach as the path to take offensively.
A fast start by the Cubs would help the cause, as would taking away the Lancers running game.
The reality is that this game may come down to the wire. And to win, Loyola will have to finish.
THE LANCER - CUB SERIES No team in the annals of Cub Football has Loyola's number as does Bishop Amat. The Lancers have a dominant 30-11-1 all time record against the Cubs.
Loyola downed the Lancers twice in 2003, 28-5 and 10-9 (playoff game) en route to its fifth CIF Southern Section Division I championship. Arguably, the Cubs' biggest win was in 1997. Loyola won 3-0, stopping a fourth-and-one play to seal an epic victory at the Lancers home lot. The Cubs' nationally ranked 1997 squad (12-1) was one of the program's all time best.
The arch rivals first played in 1968 at Sentinel Field in Inglewood, which was Loyola's home stadium at the time. Behind the legendary pass-catch duo of Pat Haden and J.K. McKay the Lancers beat the Cubs 29-12.
EXTRA POINTS Loyola 6' 4" junior wide receiver BRYCE COLEMAN had a breakout performance against what might be the best secondary in the state last Friday against Serra. The talented pass catcher hauled in four passes for 137 yards (an incredible 34.3 yards per catch) and two touchdowns. Coleman and fellow junior wide receiver MARKUS KIER are a big part of the reason the offense is averaging 33 points per game . . . Former Loyola All-American corner CEYAIR WRIGHT continues to excel for Nebraska. In the Cornhuskers' victory over Rutgers on Saturday, WRIGHT allowed one pass completion in 11 targets, snagged an interception, broke up two pass attempts and allowed. 0.0 passer rating . . . Former All-CIF Cub lineman SAM YOON '22 started and played well in his first start at center for UCLA last Saturday at Penn State.
LOYOLA'S 1975 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM PLACED 44th ON LIST OF CAL-HI SPORTS' TOP 70 All-TIME CALIFORNIA PREP FOOTBALL TEAMS
Cal-Hi Sports came out with its list of the 70 best all-time California football teams this week.
Loyola's 13-0 CIF Southern Section AAAA championship team that was crowned National Champions by the National Sports News Service Was 44th on the list.
Among the many great players on that team were QB KEVIN MUNO (Notre Dame), RB GORDON BANKS (Stanford/ New Orleans Saints/ Dallas Cowboys), OL ROD BUTLER (Colorado), WR KAZELL PUGH (Colorado), LB BOB WOOLWAY (Harvard), and DE MELVIN SANDERS (Washington State).
It was surprising that the Cubs' 1962 and 1963 CIF Southern Section AAAA championship squads did not make the list.
The 12-0 1962 team, led by CIF AAAA Player-of-the-Year, Hall of Fame single wing tailback STEVE GRADY (USC), outscored its opponents 387-88.
The 1963 12-0 squad, paced by ALL-CIF single wing tailback MIKE BERGDAHL, and CIF AAAA Player-of-the-Year lineman DON SWARTZ (Stanford), outscored the opposition 350-53 and finished ranked second in the nation behind Mt. Carmel of Chicago.
There can be little question that those Loyola teams deserved to be on the list.
LOYOLA SOPHS AND FROSH Loyola's undefeated sophomore team (6-0) will host Bishop Amat at 4:00 p.m. Thursday at Smith Field.
The Cub Freshman (5-1) will travel to La Puente Thursday to take on the Lancers at 4:00 p.m.
FRIDAY PRE-GAME Tailgate/Pregame Info:
Come out and socialize with Loyola parents, alumni and supporters before the game at the Lazy Dog Cafe starting at 5:00 p.m. on Friday.
Lazy Dog Cafe 1440 Plaza Drive West Covina 91790
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
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*
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
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*
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