October 8, 2023

Cub Football - Loyola still alive in quest for playoff berth - A look at Crespi Carmelite

ST. PAUL WIN KEEPS LOYOLA'S PLAYOFF HOPES ALIVE
The opponent was not as good as expected and the contest was marred with a continued maddening number of penalties and turnovers, but in the end, Loyola's victory over St. Paul on Friday, that was not as close as the 25-11 final score, was the most important win of the 2023 campaign thus far as it kept the Cubs in competition for a coveted CIF Southern Section playoff berth.

The top three teams in the six-school Angelus League are guaranteed spots in the CIF playoffs which get underway on November 3. As it stands after two weeks of conference play, St. Francis sits alone in first place with a 2-0 League record. Tied for second place are Loyola, Paraclete, Cathedral and St. Paul, each with 1-1 records. Crespi (0-2) currently is sixth in the league standings.

The Cubs travel to Crespi on Friday, then host surprisingly strong Paraclete (6-1) on October 20 and travel across downtown to Cathedral for their final conference battle on October 27.

To secure a playoff berth Loyola will probably need to notch victories in at least two out of its three remaining regular season games. Paraclete is ranked 88th in the state by CalPreps, Loyola is slotted 90th, Cathedral is ranked 104th and Crespi is the 466th-ranked squad in California.

Last season, the Cubs shared the Angelus League title with St. Francis and Cathedral. A co-championship or three way tie for the loop title is a possibility this season as well. The bottom line is that if Loyola wins out, it will be guaranteed a spot in the playoffs.

There are two deficiencies the Cubs must urgently rectify going forward, reducing penalties and turnovers, both of which have played a role in at least two losses. Eight penalties for 75 yards and two turnovers in the St. Paul game did not prevent Loyola from winning, but such metics against the likes of Paraclete and Cathedral could.

A LOOK AT CRESPI CARMELITE
New Celtics head coach Brad Vonnahme, who last served as a defensive quality control coach under Jeff Tedford at Fresno State, is in the process of reconstructing a Crespi program which went 0-10 last year.

Vonnahme's Celts squad is manned by a large number of underclassmen who, ready or not, have been thrown into the varsity fires, but the experience the young team is gaining will pay dividends down the road. Crespi is 2-5 on the season and 0-2 in Angelus League competition.

The Celts won a double overtime contest, 55-49 in the season opener against Grace Brethren of Simi Valley; lost to Garfield, one of the L.A. City Section's best teams, 41-0; was beaten 42-0 by arch rival Sherman Oaks Notre Dame; fell to North Torrance, 35-13; romped over Venice of the L. A. City Section, 38-7; was blasted by St. Paul, 48-7; and was routed, 56-0, by Cathedral last Friday.

The Celts score an average of only 16 points per game while relinquishing an average of 40 points per contest. Crespi features a run-first offense, averaging a respectable 183.4 yards per game on the ground.

Sophomore running back Demaine Bell (5-9, 175), has carried the ball 123 times for 797 yards, has scored seven touchdowns and sports an impressive average of 6.5 yards per tote. Sophomore quarterback Masyn Harvey (6-2, 160) possesses sprinter's speed and has a 6.4 yards per carry average.

Senior quarterback Tristan Fauria  (6-0, 160) is a member of the Fauria family that has produced numerous football stars at the Encino school. He only has a 43% completion percentage, but does have two burners at wide receiver, sophomore Elijah Pendleton (5-9, 160 (8 receptions for 191 yards, 23.9 yards per catch)) and senior Adugna Harte (5-9, 160 (8 catches for 168 yards, 21.0 ypc)).

Crespi has been vulnerable on defense. The squad is led by aggressive senior linebacker Austin Wisdom (6-0, 210), who has 50 tackles, including 22 solo stops, and sophomore defensive end Somto Nwude (6-3, 190), who has 48 tackles to his credit.

Elijah Pendleton, the team's best and most explosive athlete has made 45 tackles, including 23 solos, from his corner position. The talented two-way player also has one of the Celts' four interceptions and has gained 483 yards on kickoff returns.

GAME OUTLOOK Despite the bumpy road Crespi has travelled, the Celts will come to play. Loyola better not take its young opponent likely. If the Cubs come in with a similar mindset as they did last Friday against St. Paul, they will have a much better than even chance to post their second consecutive conference win.

Loyola needs to continue running the ball effectively, pass with greater efficiency than it did in its last game, and play fast and furiously on defense as was the case against St. Paul on Friday,  to secure a victory.

Few give the Celts much of a chance, but if the Cubs fall prey to paper predictions, they could find themselves in a dog fight on the road.

THE SERIES
The schools first met on the gridiron 50 years ago.  Loyola has a commanding 30-9-1 (76%) advantage in the series' win-loss ledger dating back to 1973. The Cubs won their last three games against Crespi by scores of 54-6, 45-20, and 49-0, respectively.

The greatest contest in the series was in 1987, when both schools were ranked in the national top five. The game was played before an overflow crowd of thousands at Birmingham High School in the San Fernando Valley. Hundreds of fans were turned away from the stadium more than an hour before kickoff.

Loyola emerged with a dramatic 15-8 triumph under legendary head coach STEVE GRADY (268-76-6). The Cub 'Wolfpack' defense held star Celts running back Russell White to 19 rushing yards in one of the most dominating defensive performances in Loyola football history.

SYMPATHIES TO THE FAMILY OF THE GREAT DICK BUTKUS
Football fans of all generations mourn the passing last week of DICK BUTKUS, one of the best NFL players of all time and widely considered the best linebacker to ever play the game.

DICK and his wife, Helen, never missed a Loyola football game during their son MATT's four years as a Cub student-athlete. MATT '89 was an All-CIF defensive lineman on the 1987 and 1988 Loyola Del Rey League championship teams, both of which advanced to the CIF Southern Section Division I semifinals with a combined record of 23-2.

Prayers go out to the entire Butkus family.

FRIDAY'S PRE-GAME FESTIVITIES
Loyola parents, alumni and supporters will be meeting before the Crespi game Friday at 5:00 p.m. at The Surly Goat, 17337, number 100A, Encino, CA 91316.

TWO FORMER FOOTBALL STARS TO BE HONORED AT LOYOLA ALUMNI DINNER - REGISTER NOW
Former Loyola high school All-American quarterback BRENDAN McCRACKEN '84, who continued his football career at UCLA, and All-Del Rey League linebacker CHRIS RISING '87, who was a starting linebacker at Duke University following his graduation from The High, are two of the three Cub alumni, along with J. Howard Johnson '54, who are being honored at Loyola's annual Alumni Dinner on November 24.

The deadline to register is October 27. Be sure to register now!!

Go to www.Loyolahs.edu/alumnidinner for more information and to register.

FORMER CUB MYLES BRYANT '16 LEADS  CUB CURRENT NFL FOOTBALL HIGHLIGHTS
Loyola is nicknamed "DB High" for good reason. MATT WARE '01 was the CIF Division I Player-of-the-Year in 2000, was a first team prep All-American safety and enjoyed a long NFL career as a defensive back following his impressive UCLA career which included a Freshman All-American campaign.

CHRIS CONTE '07 was an All-CIF defensive back and a key member of the Cubs' last CIF Division I championship team in 2005. CONTE went on to have a stellar career at Cal and was a multi-year starting safety for the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

LEE HIGHTOWER '11 was an All-League safety at Loyola in 2010. He was on the practice squas of the Indianapolis Colts and Washington in 2016 and 2017 after a standout career as a starting safety at Houston University. Hightower won the CIF Division II championship in the long jump in 2011.

All-State DB MYLES BRYANT '16 and his teammate, first team All-American corner DAVID LONG, Jr. '16 were stars on the 2015 Cub squad, which finished as CalHiSports' 17th-ranked team in California and was best squad Loyola has fielded since 2005, were All-Pac-12 and All-Big-10, corners at Washington and Michigan, respectively. BRYANT is currently the third leading tackler for the New England Patriots with 31 stops, including a team-leading 24 solos. BRYANT also leads New England in caused fumbles. DAVID LONG, JR. is now playing for the Las Vegas Raiders, after starting at corner for the Los Angeles Rams' 2022 Super Bowl Championship team.

CEYAIR WRIGHT, the CalHiSports' 2020 State Defensive Back of the Year was an All-American at Loyola and is now a starting corner for the USC Trojans. WRIGHT's Cub teammate, All-League corner ZAKHARI SPEARS is a DB at the University of Connecticut.

Current Loyola sophomore corner BRANDON LOCKHART earned Freshman All-American honors in his first varsity season as a Cub. He has 12 FBS scholarship offers, and is a safe bet to follow in the footsteps of his predecessors at "DB High." He already has a 90-yard pick six to his credit this season.

Former All-League DB ALEX JOHNSON '19 snagged his third interception of the season as UCLA's starting nickel in the Bruins' win over Washington State at the Rose Bowl on Saturday. Multiple experts project him as a future NFL player.

It is amazing that of the seven former Loyola athletes who have started for NFL teams in the last 20 four have been defensive backs. Quite an impressive group, to be sure.

2023 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE/ RESULTS