October 29, 2023

Cub Football - Loyola awarded number one seed in Division 4 - Will host 9-1 Norte Vista on Friday - Playoff history - Loyola moves up to Mission League in 2024

LOYOLA SEEDED NUMBER ONE IN DIVISION 4, WILL HOST RIVER LEAGUE CHAMPION NORTE VISTA AT SMITH FIELD FRIDAY
Loyola's regular season ending momentum carried the Cubs to the number one seed in the CIF Southern Section Division 4 playoffs which get underway Friday. To view the fusions and brackets go to CIFSS.org.

Angelus League co-champion Loyola (5-5, 4-1) will host talentedNorte Vista of the River Valley League champion Norte Vista (9-1) of Riverside on Friday at Smith Field in the first round.

LOYOLA'S HISTORY IN THE CIF SOUTHERN SECTION PLAYOFFS After the Southern Section of the California Interscholastic Federation began allowing private schools to participate in the post season playoffs in the 1940s, Loyola has been a preeminent participant in the Southern Section playoffs.

Since the Cubs' first invitation to the playoffs in 1945, Loyola has played in 12 Large Schools/AAAA/Division I championship games. The Cubs have won six CIF Southern Section titles (1962, 1963, 1975, 1990, 2003 and 2005) in the section's largest playoff division and were runners-up at the highest level six times (1946, 1964, 1992, 1995, 1996, 2000). In 2019, the Big Blue were CIF Division 4 runners-up. 

In 1975 Loyola was acclaimed the National High School Champion by the National Sports News Service.

Ten Cubs have been named CIF Large Schools/AAAA/Division I Players-of-the-Year, and an eleventh earned Division 4 Player-of-the-Year honors.

Loyola's 35-game victory streak from 1962-1964 is still a Southern Section Large Schools record. During that three year span the Cubs played in three CIF AAAA title games, winning two back-to-back (1962 and 1963) and finishing as a runner-up in 1964. The 1962 squad ended the season as the second-ranked team in the United States.

The best playoff run in Loyola history was from 1988-2005. During that 18-year period, the Cubs won three CIF Division I championships (1990, 2003, 2005) and were finalists four times (1992, 1995, 1996, 2000). During that 18-year span Loyola advanced to at least the semifinal round of the Southern Section's largest playoff division twelve times and won 40 Division I playoff contests.

The Cubs' overall CIF playoff record to date is 77-42 (65%).

1964 All-CIF AAAA tackle GEORGE KUNZ '65 went on to earn All-American honors under the legendary Ara Parseghian at Notre Dame and was the second player selected in the 1968 NFL Draft before embarking on a 12-year, seven-time All-Pro career with the Atlanta Falcons and Baltimore Colts.

1962 CIF AAAA Player-of-the-Year, single wing tailback STEVE GRADY '63, is the only man in California history to be honored as both a CalHi Sports' State Player-of-the-Year (1962) and State Coach-of-the-Year (2003). GRADY was Loyola's head coach from 1976 through 2004. He amassed a 269-77-6 (78%) record and led the Cubs to six CIF Division I title games.

MIKE BERGDAHL '65 was a two-time All-CIF AAAA tailback who rushed for  a school record 4,231 yards in his junior and senior seasons and played in two CIF AAAA championship contests.

The 2000 CIF Division I Player-of-the-Year, All-American MATT WARE '01, earned freshman All-American honors at UCLA, after which he played seven years in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals.

The 2023 Cubs, the school's 48th group to embark on a CIF playoff championship quest, are part of a prestigious tradition and grand history. 

EXTRA POINTS
The 2023 Cubs have won/shared four consecutive Angelus League championships. With St. Paul's, 37-32, upset win over St. Francis last Friday, and Loyola's 27-6 win over Cathedral, the Cubs are co-champions of the Angelus League.

• Junior safety DESI VALDES had a long-distance return of a blocked punt by JAKE ARELLANO for a TD against Crespi, and his block against Cathedral last Friday was returned 41 yards for a TD by sophomore corner BRANDON LOCKHART. VALDES is not only a difference maker in the secondary but also on special teams.

• Loyola's 'Wolfpack' defense held Paraclete (7-3) to its lowest points (7) scored on the season, and did the same against Cathedral (6). The 'Wolfpack' held St. Paul to 88 yards of total offense, and its second lowest point total of the 2023 campaign. The Cub defense held Angelus League co-champion St. Francis (8-2) to its lowest rushing output (84 yards, 2.2 yards per carry) of the season. Loyola's defense held Culver City (7-3) to its lowest point total (6) of the year.

• The average score of the Cubs' five Angelus League games was 31-15.

• Loyola's freshman squad lost its final Angelus League contest to Cathedral's Frosh-Soph squad, 21-14, but had a very good season, finishing 7-3. No less than ten players for Cathedral were wearing varsity helmets last Thursday. 

• The Cub sophomore team ended the season with a 28-12 win against Inglewood. The sophomores played mostly JV teams this season, but the experience gained against older, bigger and stronger players will hold them in good stead going forward. 

Sophomore head coach ANTHONY HOLLY '86 provided the following information on his squad's impressive win over Inglewood:

Defense:
2nd half defensive shutout.
3 interceptions ( Safeties Bin Rohmer and Evan Santos, Linebacker Jacob Cappetta (75 yd. INT return)

Standouts:
Linebackers-Deacon Dymtrow, Vaughn Schroeder, Holden Smyser, Jacob Cappetta
Corners-Pablo Ixcoypablo, Tyler Mead, Aiden Von Woelfel

Offense
226 total rushing yards

Standouts
Cadin Fetters - 6 carries, 54 yds, TD rush. (8 yds. per carry avg.) 
Holden Smyser - 21 carries, 128 yds (6 yds. per carry avg.)
QB Bin Rohmer - 3 touchdowns (1 rushing TD, 2 passing TDs)
Touchdown receptions - WR Evan Santos, TE Al Sanford

LOYOLA WILL MOVE UP TO MISSION LEAGUE IN 2024
The Catholic Athletic Assiciation in conjunction with the CIF Southern Section goes through a re-leaguing process every two years. Based on Loyola's performance over the last two seasons it was announced on Friday that the Cubs would be moving up to the powerful Mission League next season. The 2024 Mission League will be comprised of LOYOLA, Sierra Canyon, Serra, Bishop Amat, Chaminade and Notre Dame. Alemany will be moved down to the Angelus League.

It will be fair to anticipate that the Cubs' off season strength and conditioning effort will ratchet up to prepare for a much more physical conference schedule next fall. 

The Los Angeles Times reported that Loyola would move up to the Mission League instead of co-champ St. Francis because of its larger enrollment. 

FINAL ANGELUS LEAGUE STANDINGS
LOYOLA      4-1  5-5 overall
St. Francis  4-1  8-2 overall
St. Paul       3-2  5-5 overall
Paraclete    2-3  7-3 overall
Cathedral   2-3  4-6 overall
Crespi         0-5  2-8 overall

2023 LOYOLA SCHEDULE - RESULTS

August 25             @ Damien (L 35-14)
September 1        Culver City (W 24-6)
September 8         Leuzinger (L 35-14)
September 15      @ Chaminade (L 42-35)
September 22      Oaks Christian (L 31-14)
September 29      @ St. Francis* (L 26-21)
October 6              St. Paul* (W 25-11)
October 13           @ Crespi* (W 45-28)
October 20           Paraclete* (W 36-7)
October 29           @ Cathedral* (W 27-6)
(* 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; South Bend, Indiana to Starkville, Mississippi; and Austin, Texas to Chicago.

Here is the current list of Cubs on college football rosters (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)
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)
ALEX WHITMAN '22, WR (Notre Dame)
WILKE WILES '23, WR (University of Chicago) 
HOLMES WORMALD '23, TE (Merchant Marine Academy)
CEYAIR WRIGHT ‘21, DB ( USC)
SAM YOON ‘22, OL ( UCLA)