Cub Football - Loyola hopes to improve as it prepares to host San Diego Section team on Friday
LOYOLA TO HOST MOUNT MIGUEL ON FRIDAY
The Cubs evened their early season record at 1-1 with their 35-25 upset road victory over Millikan last Friday in Long Beach, but notwithstanding the impressive triumph a number of areas which continue to need improvement were exposed.
This Friday Loyola will host Spring Valley Mount Miguel (1-1) of the CIF San Diego Section. The Matadors do not appear to have the overall talent level they had in 2024, but they still will present a challenge to the Cubs with their team speed.
THE GLASS HALF FULL
Loyola’s offensive line is a team strength, allowing the Cubs’ rushing attack to average 6.8 yards per carry over the course of the first two games of the season.
Leading the way on the ground is junior tailback XAVIER WIMBLEY, who has carried the ball 33 times for 152 yards (4.6 ypc) and three TDS. The Big Blue ground game has amassed 378 yards in two contests.
On the defensive side of the ball, Loyola’s front seven completely shut down Millikan’s ground game, holding the Rams to 46 yards in 22 carries (2.1 ypc).
Junior inside linebacker KANE CASANI leads the ‘Wolfpack’ defense with 31 tackles, including six solo stops. He also has forced four hurries, and has one interception that he returned for 41 yards. Adding to his impressive resume, CASANI has carried the ball five times for 90 yards (18 ypc).
Senior Edge MAX MEIER is the second leading tackler on the defensive unit with 17 tackles, and he has a team-leading 12 hurries.
Senior linebacker HOLDEN SMYSER has 15 tackles to his credit, junior linebacker MERRICK DOTTS has recorded 14 stops, and sophomore comer JAYDEN ROGERS has made 10 tackles. Senior Edge ZACHARY HARRISON has forced seven hurries.
IMPROVEMENT NEEDED
For the Cubs to have any chance to be competitive in the Mission League it will need to shore up its pass defense which has allowed a staggering 694 yards in just two games with a 67% completion rate. The average reception is an abysmal 14.1 yards.
Indeed, those numbers were against highly prolific passing attacks, but those stats cannot continue if Loyola expects to post many victories.
The Cubs’ passing game needs to get untracked. Against Millikan Loyola was only able to muster 30 yards through the air with four completions in nine attempts. In two games the Cubs’ aerial arsenal is only averaging 4.9 yards per attempt.
Junior receiver TOBY THUSS has four receptions for 43 yards (10.8 yards per reception) and sophomore BRANDON ALEXANDER has four catches for 42 yards (10.5 yards per catch).
A LOOK AT THE MOUNT MIGUEL MATADORS
Veteran head coach Verlain Betofe has led the Mount Miguel Matadors to multiple CIF San Diego Section championships, and the Matadors were expected to be a major threat again in 2025 until quarterback AJ Stowers left the Spring Valley school, and took with him 3,317 passing yards from the 2024 campaign in which Mount Miguel finished 9-3. Stowers is now slinging the ball for Farrington High School in Honolulu Hawai’i.
Unfortunately for the Matadors, Stowers’ replacement, junior Jeremiah Lopez (6-0, 165), has put up an average of just under 60 passing yards per game in the first two contests of the season, a 28-27 win in Mount Miguel’s opener, and a one-sided 45-13 loss at the hands of La Costa Canyon last Friday.
Compounding the Matadors’ aerial struggles, against La Costa Canyon Mount Miguel rushed for a paltry five yards on eight carries.
The Matadors do have excellent team speed and some highly gifted athletes, including junior wide receiver Delontay Williams (6-1, 190, 3 receptions for 57 yards, 19 yd. avg.) and the top track sprinter in California, senior receiver Brandon Arrington (6-3, 188), who has run a blazing 10.22 in the 100m and 20.44 in the 200m sprint. Williams has 29 scholarship offers, and Arrington is also a major college recruit. Both can take it to the house on any given play.
Williams is ball-hawking safety on Mount Miguel’s defensive unit and has one interception. Junior linebacker Dominic Lopez (5-10, 195) is as tough as they come. He leads the Matadors with 15 tackles. Senior DB Malachi Jackson (6-0, 161) is a speedster with 14 tackles in two games. Senior defensive end Chance Bailey (6-2, 210) is a menace on the perimeter.
GAME OUTLOOK
Despite its early season offensive struggles, Mount Miguel has fast weapons and should not be underestimated. The Matadors’ opening win over a good San Marcos squad showed they are a team with which to be reckoned.
Loyola will need to keep a watchful eye on Mount Miguel’s speedy athletes in every phase of the game to have a chance for a win. The Cubs must continue to dominate in the running attack while limiting the Matadors’ ground game.
If Loyola can take a step up in its aerial assault it should be in good shape.
THE MOUNT MIGUEL - LOYOLA SERIES
The schools first met on the gridiron in Spring Valley in 1980 with the Matadors posting a 9-0 win over the Cubs. 1980 marked Loyola’s lone losing season (2-7-1) during the 32-year period from 1974-2005.
Last fall the Cubs won a shootout in Spring Valley, 46-38. Friday marks the rubber match as each team has one victory over the other.
SUPPORT LOYOLA’S FOOTBALL PLAYERS BY JOINING THE LOYOLA GRIDIRON VANGUARD
By joining the Loyola Gridiron Vanguard your donations will help support Cub football players at every level. The program needs support for a variety of items that are not covered by the athletic budget. Please see the link below:
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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
TAHJ OWENS '22, DB, Princeton
JACK PARIS '23, DL, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
RYAN QUINTANAR '20, LB, USC
XAVIER RICE ‘24, 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
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