November 5, 2023

Cub Football - Loyola continues quest for CIF title - A look at quarterfinal foe Yorba Linda

LOYOLA CONTINUES ON POSITIVE PATH AFTER FIRST ROUND CIF PLAYOFF TRIUMPH
The Angelus League champion Cubs dispatched outmanned Norte Vista, 35-7, last Friday at Smith Field. The game was tied 7-7 at halftime, but Loyola scored 28 unanswered points after intermission to notch the win in the CIF Southern Section Division 4 first round playoff contest.

The Cubs overcame three turnovers and multiple penalties to secure a trip to the quarterfinals against Yorba Linda on Friday. Loyola will need to play a much cleaner game against a talented Mustangs squad in order to advance to the semifinal round on November 17.

A LOOK AT YORBA LINDA
Coach Jeff Bailey's Yorba Linda Mustangs made a dramatic comeback after being down 24-7 at halftime against Moorpark in a first round game played at Yorba Linda on Friday.

The Mustangs outscored the Musketeers, 21-3, in the fourth quarter to pull out a 34-30 victory. Yorba Linda is 8-3 on the season and tied for second place in the Crestview League. The Mustangs were outscored by Damien, 31-21, in their opener; routed La Mirada 40-20; were held back by Tesoro, 12-7; blasted Charter Oak, 48-27; rolled over Simi Valley, 38-21; crushed Anaheim Canyon, 49-20; took care of El Modena, 34-17; annihilated Brea Olinda, 58-7; lost a 34-33 thriller to league champion Villa Park; pummeled Santa Ana Foothill, 45-29; and took down Moorpark, 34-30 in the opening round of the playoffs.

Yorba Linda possesses a balanced, well oiled offensive attack, with an approximate 60/40% run/pass ratio. While Yorba Linda rushed for a season-low 73 yards against Moorpark, the Mustangs amassed a season-high 301 yards through the air, and averaged an impressive 23.2 yards on 13 pass completions.

Coming into the playoffs, junior quarterback Holden Nagin had thrown for 1,602 yards and 22 TDs with just four interceptions. An exceptionally accurate passer (73% completion rate), Nagin has a talented, dangerous corps of receivers at his disposal, the most productive of whom are seniors Dylan Gardner (6-0, 190) and Jake Winners (6-1, 170), who averages 17.5 yards per reception.

Yorba Linda's highly productive ground game is led by fast, powerful senior Chase Jones (5-11, 195) who rushed for 1,092 yards (7.3 ypc) and 18 touchdowns during the regular season. Yorba Linda's offense averages 37 points per game.

The Mustang defense is solid. It relinquishes an average of 23 points per outing. The tackle leaders are senior DL Joshua Grethen (6-1, 235), sophomore middle linebacker Onassis Lim (5-8, 185) and senior safety Jake Ridenour (5-10, 200). The sack masters are Grethen,  senior defensive end Owen Shgoun (5-10, 205) and soph DE Blake Thorp ( 6-0, 195). Yorba Linda's secondary is a ball hawking unit which has double digit interceptions.

GAME OUTLOOK
Loyola needs to win the turnover battle on the road, and the Cub offense must be balanced in order for the Big Blue to corral the Mustangs.

The Cub 'Wolfpack' defense has been playing fast and confidently. In the last three games Loyola has given up just 13 points. The Cub stop squad needs to continue its impactful play against Yorba Linda's potent offense. Loyola's secondary will be challenged by a potent passing attack, and the Mustang run game needs to be held at bay.

Yorba Linda is a much better team than Norte Vista, and the Cubs will have to bring their A-game to come away with the win. Loyola appears to have an advantage on special teams.

The only common opponent for both teams is Damien, to whom the Cubs lost to by a score of 35-14, and by whom the Mustangs were beaten 31-21.

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)RG
October 29           @ Cathedral* (W 27-6)          
November 3            Norte Vista (First Round CIF) (W 35-7)
November 10          @ Yorba Linda (Quarterfinals CIF)

(* denotes Angelus League contest)

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)