Cub Football - Loyola drops opener against Cathedral in double overtime - Sophs and freshmen impress in openers
Before an overflow crowd in the tight confines of Cathedral’s home stadium in Chinatown on Friday night, Loyola put forth an achingly lackluster, mistake-prone performance in its first contest of a schedule that only ratchets up from here in terms of looming quality opponents.
There were few positives for Loyola in its 16-13 double overtime loss to the Phantoms on an evening celebrating the host school’s 100th anniversary.
Among the many negatives for the Cubs were the 11 penalties assessed against them totaling 135 yards, only nine first downs achieved by the Big Blue offense, and the 292 yards (197 yards passing (70%) and 95 rushing yards (6.8 ypc)) of total offense amassed by Cathedral’s electric sophomore quarterback Jaden Jefferson against the Cubs’ ‘Wolfpack’ defense. To win the game, Loyola needed to corral Jefferson. He killed the Cubs with his arm and feet.
Pretty much the lone positive for Loyola was the tremendous rushing performance by junior CalHi Sports All-State Underclass running back SEAN MORRIS II, who churned out 168 hard earned yards on 24 carries (7.0 ypc),much of which were gained with great effort after contact.
The Cub passing game was out of synch all night until overtime. The lack of aerial success hurt the Cubs in a contest that saw them fail to score a touchdown in four quarters.
The game against the Phantoms, whom Loyola competed against for the first time in 1927, started on a positive note for the Cubs.
Cathedral was assessed with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty before the battle even kicked off when Phantom players started a near brawl as the two teams were entering the locker room for final pre-game preparations.
With the penalty assessed before the opening kickoff, Loyola executed a successful onsides kick, giving the Cubs the ball at the Cathedral 30 yard line. A snap over the head of QB ASHTON PANNELL for a 16-yard loss on the second play from scrimmage set the tone for a forgettable night.
Junior Loyola kicker JACOB KREINBRING drilled a 51-yard field goal to give the Cubs a 3-0 lead. KREINBRING had a great night as a punter with a 44-yard average and a long of 57 yards.
Loyola senior safety DESI VALDES intercepted a pass on the Phantoms’ first offensive play, setting Loyola up at the Cathedral 24-yard line. A beautifully executed pass play from PANNELL to senior tight end SCOTT TAYLOR looked to give the Cubs a first-and-goal at the two yard line, but a Cub receiver, who pancaked a defender, was assessed with a highly questionable holding penalty, followed by an unsportsmanlike conduct infraction, putting Loyola back at the 20 yard line. Thereafter a 40-yard field goal attempt, preceded by a delay of game penalty against the Cubs, was wide left. That disastrous series established the script for Loyola for the remainder of the game.
After forcing Cathedral to punt on its ensuing possession, the Cub offense drove 46 yards to the Phantoms’ 25 yard line. A mishandled snap on what would have been a 42-yard field goal attempt again cost Loyola points. It could have been ahead by as much as 17-0 but for costly penalties and miscues.
The first half ended with the Cubs holding a precarious 3-0 lead.
On its second offensive possession after intermission, Loyola drove just under 56 yards, highlighted by a 35-yard MORRIS sprint, to within inches of Cathedral’s goal line. Instead of going under center and handing the ball off to workhorse ball carrier MORRIS or running a QB sneak, the Cubs lined up in the shotgun, and a fourth down pass was the play call. It fell incomplete.
That play was without question the definitive turning point in the contest, as the Phantoms then drove 99 yards, aided by two pass interference penalties called against Loyola, scoring on a four-yard pass at the 11:53 mark of the fourth quarter. After a failed PAT attempt, Cathedral held a 6-3 lead.
With 6:52 remaining KREINBRING split the uprights on 39-yard field goal try to tie the score, 6-6.
Thereafter the Phantoms mounted a long drive from their own 12 yard line to the Cubs’ 24 yard line. Cathedral failed on what would have been a game-winning 41-yard field goal attempt with 41 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
The Phantoms’ quarterback raced 21 yards on the second play of the first overtime period to give Cathedral a 13-6 lead.
PANNELL then threw an 18-yard TD pass to junior wide receiver BRYCE COLEMAN. KREINBRING’s PAT kick knotted the score at 13-13.
Loyola had the ball first in the second overtime period. On the first play, the Cubs were called for illegal procedure, and on the next play a holding penalty was assessed against Loyola, putting it into a 1st-and 25 hole at the 40 yard line. A 44-yard field goal attempt hit the cross bar.
The Phantoms thereafter converted on a 31-yard field goal attempt to win the game 16-13.
The outcome and overall effort by the Cubs was beyond disappointing.
The road gets a lot tougher starting with Friday’s home game against powerful Damien. Loyola will need to perform exponentially better to have any shot at upsetting the Spartans.
LOYOLA SOPHS IMPRESS IN WIN OVER CATHEDRAL
Last Thursday, the Cub sophomore team traveled to Cathedral and came away with an impressive 33-0 shutout victory.
Loyola’s defensive platoon suffocated the Phantoms’ Frosh-Soph squad, holding it to minus-15 total yards for the game.
Among the players mentioned by the coaches for their outstanding play on defense were lineman GREGORSON LAW, WES SCHELLINGER and BRANDON VANIS; linebackers MERRICK DOTTS, CAIN CASANI and GAVIN MILLER; and DBs CONOR SULLIVAN and GAVIN GRABE.
Offensive standouts included MATT SMITH (8/14, 165 yards, 2 TDs); running back MATT FINE (99 TD kickoff return, 1 rushing TD); wide receivers LONDON GRAY, SAMUEL FRIEND, TYLER HARPER and TOBY THUSS (2 TD receptions); and linemen MICHAEL VOLMERT, ANTHONY RIOS, ANDREW LOPEZ, NICHOLAS LAU and BEN TORRES.
The Cubs will travel to Damien in La Verne on Thursday. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
LOYOLA FROSH SHOW TOUGHNESS IN SHUTOUT VICTORY OVER PIUS X JVs
In their opening game of the 2024 campaign, Loyola’s freshman squad traveled to Downey on Saturday to take on the St. Pius X - St. Margaret Academy JV squad. The Cubs posted a 14-0 shutout of Pius X in a showing of great grit and toughness.
The standout player for Loyola was WR/DB QUENTIN WASHINGTON who had a TD reception, made multiple tackles and pressured the opposing QB with frequency.
Cub QB JOE BOSKOVICH threw two TD passes. DB MALIQUE POLLARD played well with several pass breakups, and wide receiver/DB BRANDON ARMSTRONG made a key interception and caught a TD pass. Linemen LONDON DIVENS and GRAHAM TURK asserted their will on the offensive line.
The freshmen host Damien on Thursday at 4:00 p.m.
HOW FUTURE CUB OPPONENTS FARED
In order, here is how Loyola’s future opponents fared in their opening games:
DAMIEN 42, LA SERNA 21
LEUZINGER 62, Kaiser 0
St. Bonaventure 38, ST. FRANCIS 7
MOUNT MIGUEL 47, St. Anthony 15
Orange Lutheran 21, SERRA 13
BISHOP AMAT 49, West Covina 6
Oaks Christian 24, CHAMINADE 17
SIERRA CANYON 30, Punahou (HI) 7
JSerra 35, SIERRA CANYON 7
Downey 42, NOTRE DAME 21
2024 LOYOLA VARSITY FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
8-15 @ Carson (scrimmage)
8-23 @ Cathedral (L 16-13)
8-30 Damien (Home)
9-13 @ Leuzinger
9-20 @ St. Francis
9-27 @ Mount Miguel (Spring Valley
10-4 Serra (Home)*
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