Cub Football - Loyola cannot take Hamilton lightly
LOYOLA TRAVELS TO HAMILTON ON FRIDAY FOR A GAME THAT CANNOT BE TAKEN LIGHTLY
Loyola (1-2) appeared to have taken Mount Miguel of the CIF San Diego Section lightly last Friday in what turned out to be a forgettable performance in a 21-0 setback.
The Cubs cannot afford to underestimate this week’s non-league opponent, Hamilton (1-1), the Los Angeles City Section’s tenth-ranked team according to the Los Angeles Times, or they could be in for a rude awakening.
Loyola will travel west to Castle Heights to take on the Yankees, who dispatched Crenshaw, 23-6, in a non-league contest last Friday.
Hamilton’s second-year head coach Elijah Asante has a history of rejuvenating dormant programs, and his ambitious non-league schedule was designed in part to forge a building toughness in a program that has seen little success in the recent past.
The Yankees were trounced, 47-0, by Gardena Serra in their season opener two weeks ago, but they put up a good fight before the flood gates opened. That game gave Hamilton a taste of big time football, which should put the Yankees in position to challenge a Cub squad which desperately needs to find its footing after its dismal loss to Mount Miguel.
A LOOK AT THE HAMILTON YANKEES
Head Coach Elijah Asante helped rejuvenate programs at L.A. Jordan, Carson, Compton and St. Paul, and is trying to do the same at Hamilton. It has been a while since the Yankees were a contender in the City Section, but Asante has his squad headed in the right direction.
There are two excellent players who are prominent in the rebuilding process, freshman QB Thaddeus Breaux II (6-5, 215) and junior wide receiver/safety Jacob Riley (6-1, 175). Breaux might be headed for similar stardom as former Hamilton great Warren Moon, who became an NFL Hall of Fame quarterback.
Against Crenshaw Breaux completed 25 of 39 passes for 255 yards and two TDs, both of which were caught by Riley on 13 and 25-yard receptions.
Riley is an outstanding coverage safety who has three interceptions in two games. Middle linebacker Kristian Leslie (5-11, 220) is a thumper.
GAME OUTLOOK
The Cubs (1-2) are relinquishing a staggering average of 439 yards of total offense per game, so if Breaux puts up big numbers against Loyola he could help lead Hamilton to what would be considered an upset win. If the Yankees have success in the ground game, that will enhance their chances for victory.
The Cubs had little punch on offense last Friday. They averaged a paltry 1.3 yards per carry on the ground. If the running game doesn’t get untracked this Friday, Loyola will have a tough time earning its second win of the season.
THE HAMILTON-LOYOLA SERIES
Alexander Hamilton High School opened its doors in 1931.
In the midst of the Great Depression, Loyola played the Yankees in 1935. Under head coach Al Tassi the Cubs came away with a 28-6 win in a non-league contest en route to a 7-1 campaign.
The teams met once again in 1936 with Tassi-coached Loyola shutting out Hamilton 26-0. The Cubs completed the season with an identical 7-1 record.
Friday marks the first gridiron meeting of the schools in 88 years.
FORMER LOYOLA GREAT MYLES BRYANT WAS IN ATTENDANCE AT LAST GAME
MYLES BRYANT ‘16, an All-State DB and team MVP for the Cubs on the Loyola team which finished the 2015 season ranked 17th in the state, attended Friday’s game against Mount Miguel while he was in town for the Houston Texans vs. Rams game on Sunday.
BRYANT had a standout season at nickel for Houston last season, after a distinguished career with the New England Patriots.
He is currently on the Texans’ practice squad but it is just a matter of time until the talented ball player rejoins the active squad.
It was great to see a former Cub grid star supporting Loyola.
CUBS IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Below is the list of Loyola graduates on college football rosters in 2025 according to published collegian 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, Williams
SHAWN LIN '22, DL, Columbia
LEIGHTON LINE ‘23, DL, Cal Lutheran
JOHUA 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
CHAMP WESTBROOKS ‘24, OL, Arizona State
ALEX WHITMAN ‘22, WR, Notre Dame
DESI VALDES ‘25, DB, Pasadena City College
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)
9-19 St. Francis
10-3 @ Notre Dame*
10-10 @ Serra*
10-17 Bishop Amat*
10-24 @ Chaminade*
10-31 Sierra Canyon*
Denotes Mission League game