October 15, 2022

Cub Football - Loyola takes care of business against Paraclete - Everything remains on the table

LOYOLA TOOK STEP IT NEEDED AGAINST PARACLETE, CUBS ARE 3-0 IN LEAGUE
The Loyola team that took the field against Lancaster Paraclete on Friday night at Antelope Valley College is a better squad than the one which was handled in its season opener on August 26 against La Verne Damien.

While the Cubs’ performance against the winless, undermanned Spirits was at times exasperatingly uneven, Loyola did what it needed to do to all but assure itself of no worse than a third place finish in the Angelus League and a likely berth in the CIF Southern Section playoffs with a 31-12 victory which ruined plucky Paraclete’s homecoming festivities. The big question that now pervades is whether the Big Blue can push itself to make a quantum leap to reach a new level.

A Loyola fumble at the home team’s one yard line and an interception by the Spirits deep in their own red zone prevented the Cubs from making the final score more one-sided, but Loyola will take its 19-point road win as it now stares down the barrel of the formidable challenge posed by its toughest two conference opponents in its final two regular season battles.

Sophomore outside linebacker SCOTT TAYLOR’s tackle for a five yard loss on Paraclete’s game opening series helped the Cub defense force a three-and-out.

After a poor Spirit punt, Loyola quickly drove 40 yards in five plays, scoring on a 22-yard XAVIER RICE pass to wide receiver WILKE WILES. MARK HYAN’s PAT kick made the score 7-0 at the 7:41 mark of the first quarter.

Paraclete responded with a 14-play, 80-yard drive, capped by a two-yard run three seconds into the second quarter. A missed PAT try kept the Cubs in the lead, 7-6.

On the first play of Loyola’s ensuing drive, RICE hooked up with junior wide receiver KHALIL CUEVA on a beautifully executed 60-yard pass and run which put the Cubs in business deep inside the Spirits’ red zone. The electric play was notable not only because of the massive amount of ground covered, but also because it marked the dynamic CUEVA’s first outing of the season after being sidelined since July by off-season surgery. On the next play, running back JON BAUTISTA bolted for seven yards, and Loyola was pounding at the door. Momentum changed dramatically on the next play, though, when Paraclete picked off a pass to give it possession at its own seven yard line.

The teams exchanged punts on the next three possessions.

Senior Cub corner JORDAN HEWITT picked off a Paraclete pass mid-way through the second quarter and raced 45 yards to the Spirits’ 25 yard line after the theft.

Six plays later, BAUTISTA carried the ball four yards for a TD with 4:37 remaining in the first half to increase Loyola’s lead to 14-6.

On their next series, the Spirits downed their punt at the Cubs’ one yard line. Loyola then courted potential disaster when it fumbled at its one yard line on the first play, and Paraclete recovered at the Cubs’ two-yard line as the clock was ticking down.

The Spirits gained one yard on a run play, but were flagged for illegal procedure on their second play, moving them back to the six yard line. On second down, Paraclete failed on a halfback pass attempt, gained three yards on third down and was held one yard short of the goal line on fourth down.

The goal line stand by Loyola’s ‘Wolfpack’ defense may well have been the key effort of the contest for the Cubs. The Big Blue entered the locker room with a 14-6 halftime advantage.

HYAN kicked a 25-yard field goal on Loyola’s second series of the third quarter at the 4:10 mark to give the Cubs a 17-6 lead.

The feisty, undaunted Spirits came right back, scoring on a 73-yard pass play. A failed two-point conversion made the score 17-12.

Loyola had to answer, and it did, driving 71 yards in eight plays with the money play coming on a seven-yard Bautista race to pay dirt at the 10:42 mark of the final quarter. HYAN’s PAT kick increased the Cubs’ lead to 24-12.

Paraclete went for it on a fourth down play at its own 25 yard line on its next possession, but junior safety/ outside linebacker JAKE ARELLANO punished a Spirit receiver after a short gain, giving Loyola possession at the Paraclete 27 yard line.

Following a 20-yard pass reception by WILES, BAUTISTA muscled into the end zone to seal the deal as the Cubs extended their lead to 31-12.  

Senior captain and inside linebacker ZACH BOWLES intercepted a Spirit pass on Paraclete’s penultimate offensive series, and the “fat lady” was singing.

On offense, RICE, BAUTISTA, WILES and the entire offensive line, which was instrumental in Loyola amassing over 300 yards of total offense, we’re deserving of game balls.

Defensively, HEWITT, BOWLES and ARELLANO were among several candidates deserving special mention.

So where is the current iteration of the Cubs in comparison to that which took the field in August? Without a doubt, the passing game has improved substantially, aided in large measure by the return to full health by WILES and CUEVA.

The quartet of running backs, BAUTISTA, DESI VALDES, JUSTIN SMITH and CLAY WINNEK, who were inexperienced at the commencement of the season, are now battle tested. They all run hard.

The secondary has settled in and is making plays, and the defensive line, while still a work in progress, is making strides.

SPEAKING OF WHAT’S ON THE TABLE
Few prep football pundits would have expected Loyola to be 4-4 and 3-0 in the Angelus League at this point in the campaign following a poor performance in their opening game, but virtually everything is presently on the table for the Cubs.

The question is will Loyola have the determination, discipline, passion and will to go 1-0 in each of the next two weeks against very strong opponents. If the Cubs emphatically answer that question in the affirmative, the 2022 season could end up being one to remember. It is all about, “How bad do you want it?”

Make no mistake, Cathedral, whom the Cubs play on the road next Friday, is exponentially better than the last two teams (Crespi and Paraclete) the Big Blue have faced.

Loyola will have to step up in a big way to end the regular season successfully, but it has improved to the point where it can clean the table if the “want it” factor prevails.

HOW LOYOLA’S REMAINING ANGELUS LEAGUE FOES FARED ON FRIDAY
Cathedral won a dog fight with pesky St. Paul, 22-16, and St. Francis rolled Crespi Carmelite, 48-21.