Cub Football - Loyola battle against Bishop Amat on Friday critical in earning potential CIF playoff invitation
LOYOLA’S DESTINY IN ITS OWN HANDS AS IT PREPARES FOR CRITICAL GAME AGAINST BISHOP AMAT ON FRIDAY
Loyola came away with a stunning tour de force defensive performance in its 13-10 upset victory over Gardena Serra last Friday at SoFi Stadium. The Mission League triumph propelled the Cubs into possible CIF playoff contention, a proposition which looked to be an improbable long shot back in August when the season kicked off following the departure of many skilled players.
To be where Loyola is now is a true testament to the determination and grit displayed by a team that has willed its way to a 4-3 record and into being a contender for a potential playoff berth.
All the marbles will not be on the table this Friday at Smith Field, but indeed a win against long time arch rival Bishop Amat would definitely put the Cubs firmly in the mix for an at-Large CIF playoff berth.
Sierra Canyon (7-0) has been a dominant force this season and is a prohibitive favorite to run the Mission League table with ease, but there are four teams (Loyola, Bishop Amat, Chaminade and Notre Dame) with 1-1 conference records heading into week three of Mission League competition.
Bishop Amat will be an exceptionally tough out, but if Loyola wins the turnover battle and plays with the same intensity it displayed against Serra, the Cubs could pull off another stunning upset victory on Friday night.
The first three squads in the Mission League will earn guaranteed entry into the CIF playoffs which get underway on November 7, but teams with at least a .500 record are eligible for at-large consideration. A win this Friday would guarantee Loyola no worse than a 5-5 record.
A LOOK AT THE BISHOP AMAT LANCERS
Under new head coach Kory Minor, who was an All-CIF linebacker for the Lancers in the mid-1990s before embarking on a career at the University of Notre Dame and in the NFL, Bishop Amat is coming off an impressive comeback-from-behind, 36-29, victory over Sherman Oaks Notre Dame last Friday in La Puente. The week before, the Lancers suffered a humbling, 35-0, blowout defeat, in which they mustered only 88 yards of total offense at the hands of Chaminade in West Hills.
Prior to its first two Mission League tilts, Bishop Amat trounced St.Paul, 42-14; fell to Oak Hills of Hesperia, 38-10; won a shoot out with Valencia, 42-38; was beaten by Vista Murrieta, 29-10; and blew out Upland 33-3.
The Lancers (4-3 overall, and 1-1 in league) have played an overall tougher schedule than the Cubs and have experienced some big highs and a few disappointing lows. Their three losses to good teams have been by an average score of 34-7. Their best wins have been against Valencia, 42-38, and Notre Dame, 36-29.
Bishop Amat’s marquee player is senior running back Ryan Salcedo (5-11, 200) who combines impressive power with top end speed. In last Friday’s victory over Notre Dame, Salcedo rushed for a jaw dropping 371 yards. He averages 163 rushing yards per outing, has amassed 1,141 yards, boasts a robust 7.7 yards per carry and has scored 17 touchdowns.
Junior QB Brayden Wann has completed 52% of his passes for 830 yards (12.6 yds. per completion) and two touchdowns, and has been intercepted three times.
The Lancers’ top receiver is Junior Raymond Castro who is averaging 18.3 yards per catch. Junior Jaiden Combal is second on the receiving list with a 10.6 yards per catch average.
Senior linebacker Gabriel Hernandez leads the stop unit with 41 tackles. Senior middle linebacker Joseph Manfree is second on the tackle list with 41.
Senior DB Mac Naughtin (6-3, 205) is the team’s sack leader with five, and athletic junior Brandon Billups has intercepted three passes.
GAME OUTLOOK
It is highly doubtful the Cubs can win with only 10 points as they tallied in each of their last two games. Somehow, some way Loyola will need to find significantly more successful offensive production.
On the flip side, the Cub ‘Wolfpack’ defense will need to find a way to slow down Salcedo, who is the centerpiece of Bishop Amat’s offense. In the Lancers’ loss to Chaminade, their rushing attack was held to a paltry 32 yards. The Eagles provided the template for stopping Bishop Amat’s run game.
Loyola kicker/punter JACOB KREINBRING is having a fantastic senior campaign and should continue to play a big role this Friday.
Comparative scores portend poorly for the home team this Friday, as Loyola lost to Notre Dame 35-10 in a game that was not as close as the final score, whereas Bishop Amat beat ND with a dominating offensive performance, 36-29.
Winning the turnover battle will be important for the Cubs. If Loyola is to pull off a victory it will need to play an unrelenting, physically violent brand of football for a full 48 minutes.
THE LOYOLA-BISHOP AMAT SERIES
Bishop Amat has had Loyola’s number since the inaugural game in the series between the arch rivals commenced in 1968, with the famed QB-wide receiver duo of Pat Haden and J.K. McKay led the Lancers to a 29-13 victory over the Cubs.
In 2003, Loyola’s CIF Division I champion squad beat Bishop Amat twice, once in league and again in the CIF division I playoffs.
There have been many close, hard fought battles between the rivals, but the Lancers have a commanding 30-12-1 advantage in the win-loss ledger.
Perhaps the most memorable Cub win came in 1997 when one of Loyola’s all time best squads stopped a late game, fourth-and one running play deep in its own territory to notch a 3-0 victory.
HOW THE REMAINING CUB OPPONENTS (IN ORDER, ALL CAPS) FARED LAST WEEKEND
BISHOP AMAT 36, Notre Dame 29
After trailing at half time, Bishop Amat came from behind to secure the win while rolling up a staggering 477 yards of total offense.
Sierra Canyon 45, CHAMINADE 14
The Eagles scored the most points against the Trailblazers of any team Sierra Canyon has played this season. The Cubs will have more than their hands full in their final Mission League contest against the Trailblazers on Halloween.
MISSION LEAGUE BATTLES FOR SECOND AND THIRD PLACE WILL BE INTENSE
Sierra Canyon (7-0, 2-0) sits atop the Mission League standings and is unlikely to be challenged in its three remaining conference games.
Four Mission League squads (Loyola, Bishop Amat, Chaminade, and Notre Dame) have 1-1 league records. Serra is 0-2 in the conference and might have to win its last three conference contests to secure a playoff invitation.
Here is the list of Mission League teams with their current overall and conference records and remaining opponents in parentheses:
Sierra Canyon (7-0, 2-2, Notre Dame, Bishop Amat, Loyola)
LOYOLA (4-3, 1-1, Bishop Amat, Chaminade, Sierra Canyon)
Bishop Amat (4-3, 1-1, Loyola, Sierra Canyon, Serra)
Chaminade (3-4, 1-1, Serra, Loyola, Notre Dame)
Notre Dame (4-3, 1-1, Sierra Canyon, Serra, Chaminade)
Serra (3-4, 0-2, Chaminade, Notre Dame, Bishop Amat)
Suffice to say, the battles for guaranteed playoff invitations will be intense. The first through third place league squads are guaranteed playoff berths, while the other teams need to finish with a .500 record or better to be given at-large consideration.
Loyola is ranked below every Mission League squad by Max Preps, so the Cubs have their work cut out for them.
Here are the current Max Preps state rankings for Mission League squads:
Sierra Canyon 3rd
Chaminade 38th
Serra 46th
Bishop Amat 51st
Notre Dame 55th
LOYOLA 113th
CUBS IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Below is the list of Loyola graduates on college football teams in 2025 according to published collegiate rosters:
JAKE ARELLANO '24, DB, Bentley University
CHAD BAILEY ‘20, DB, Bentley University
BROCK BOJORQUEZ ‘25, DB, Johns Hopkins
COLIN CRUCE ‘22, OL, Bowdoin
KHALIL CUEVA ‘24, WR, University of San Diego
JEFFREY JOHNSON ‘21, TE, Cal
LUKE HARRISON ‘24, OL, University of San Diego
CONNOR KLEIN ‘25, LB, Cornell
SHAWN LIN '22, DL, Columbia
LEIGHTON LINE ‘23, DL, Cal Lutheran
JOSHUA LONG ‘21, TE, Eastern Michigan
TAHJ OWENS '22, DB, Princeton
JACK PARIS '23, DL, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
RYAN QUINTANAR '20, LB, USC
XAVIER RICE ‘23, QB, Duquesne
ISAIAH SANDERS, ‘24, LB, UC Davis
PATRICK SODL ‘22, LB, Columbia
ZAKHARI SPEARS ‘21, DB, Idaho
HENRY STICKLER ‘22, WR, SMU
JACK SUSNJAR ‘23, OL, USC
JOE TATUM ‘22, QB, Texas
SCOTT TAYLOR '25, LB, UCLA
RYAN TURK ‘24, OL, Dartmouth
DESI VALDES ‘25, DB, Pasadena City College
CHAMP WESTBROOKS ‘24, OL, Arizona State
ALEX WHITMAN ‘22, WR, Notre Dame
CEYAIR WRIGHT ‘21, DB, Nebraska
SAM YOON ‘22, OL, UCLA
2025 LOYOLA VARSITY FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
8-22 Cathedral (L 36-14)
8-29 @ Millikan (Long Beach) (W 35-25)
9-5 Mount Miguel (L 21-0)
9-12 @ Hamilton (Los Angeles) (W 42-21)
9-19 St. Francis (W 9-3)
10-3 @ Notre Dame* (L 35-10)
10-9 @Serra* at SoFi Stadium (W 13-10)
10-17 Bishop Amat*
10-24 @ Chaminade*
10-31 Sierra Canyon*
*Denotes Mission League game