Cub Football - Loyola uses bye week to prepare for brutal league slate
LOYOLA HAS ITS WORK CUT OUT FOR IT AS CUBS PREPARE FOR MONSTROUS MISSION LEAGUE GUANTLET
Loyola is at the halfway point of the 2025 regular season which kicked off following a massive exodus of returning starters and projected starters, including a number of highly talented skill players who accounted for more than 3,500 yards of offensive production in the 2024 campaign which saw the Cubs advance to the semifinal round of the CIF Southern Section Division 3 playoffs.
A team, which absent the large scale defections, projected as a divisional CIF championship contender, was decimated by the unprecedented departures, the causes of which still raise serious, lingering questions.
The remaining members of the squad had no choice but to close ranks and soldier forward. To their great credit they did so despite losing a large number of All-State/All-CIF/All League performers as well as stars from last season’s freshman team who were expected to be major contributors this fall.
Loyola completed its non-league schedule with a 3-2 record, which some observers did not believe would be possible with the exit of so much superior talent.
Certainly, ending the non-league slate with three wins is a testament to the Cubs’ determination and perseverance through adverse circumstances.
So, the question now is where does Loyola go from here as it will commence its arduous trek through the formidable Mission League guantlet without many of the weapons it was confident it would have on hand this season following the conclusion of 2024 campaign.
A deep dive into the Cubs’ prospects for an ascension up the mountainous climb to secure a coveted CIF playoff berth does not offer positive projections. That being said, each of the five league contests starting with a road trip to Sherman Oaks Notre Dame on October 3, will be decided on the field and not on current statistics, rankings, comparative scores or respective strengths of schedule.
The objective data, though, compels the conclusion that Loyola will probably need some unexpected good fortune or plain good luck to notch any Mission League triumphs in the coming weeks.
The Cubs’ strength of schedule as determined by MaxPreps is rated at 15.1. The lowest strength of schedule (SOS) of its five Mission League foes is that of Notre Dame at 29.3. Serra’s SOS is rated at 35.3, Bishop Amat 34.1, Chaminade 39.4, and Sierra Canyon 44.2.
Loyola has the lowest average offensive yards gained (254) per game and lowest average offensive yards per play (5.5) of the six Mission League squads entering this weekend. The numbers for the other conference teams are as follows: Notre Dame (2-2) 322 yards per game, 8.9 yards per play; Serra (3-2) 349 ypg, 7.7 ypp; Bishop Amat (3-2) 353 ypg, 6.6 ypp; Chaminade (2-3) 265 ypg, 5.7 ypp; and Sierra Canyon (5-0) 442 ypg, 9.3 ypp.
Against comparatively weak non-league opponents, the Cubs’ average score through five contests is 22-20. That average is not likely to hold up, or provide a path to wins, against its five higher rated Mission League opponents. Elevated play on both sides of the ball will be needed to pull off any upset victories.
Loyola hopefully used the bye week to upgrade deficiencies, study its tendencies and annalyze its league opponents. One thing has proved certain, the Cubs will play to win in their five league battles.
LOYOLA STAT LEADERS
OFFENSE
PASSING
JOHN-CARL RISING (soph.) 93 attempts,43 completions 534 yards 46% 12.4 avg. 2TDs 4 int.
RUSHING
XAVIER WIMBLEY (jr.) 60 carries 284 yards 4.7 yards per carry 5 TDs
KANE CASANI (jr.) 22 195 8.9 3 TDs
JAYDEN ROGERS (soph.) 20 121 6.1 2 TDs
HOLDEN SMYSER (sr.) 5 64 12.8 1 TD
RECEIVING
TOBY THUSS (jr.) 10 receptions 172 yards 17.2 avg. 2 TDs
BRANDON ALEXANDER (soph.) 9 132 14.7
SAM FRIEND ( jr.) 9 77 8.6
JAYDEN ROGERS (soph.) 6 63 10.5
DEFENSE
TACKLES
KANE CASANI (jr.) 64 total/23 solo
HOLDEN SMYSER (sr.) 43/11
MAX MEIER (sr.) 40/10
MERRICK DOTTS (jr.) 27/4
GAGE SANTOS (jr.) 25/8
JAYDEN ROGERS (soph.) 24/11
TACKLES FOR LOSS
KANE CASANI 10.0
MAX MEIER 10.0
JAYDEN ROGERS (soph.) 1.0
HOLDEN SMYSER (sr.) 1.0
SACKS
MAX MEIER 7.0
ZACH HARRISON 1.0
KANE CASANI (jr.) 1.0
HURRIES
MAX MEIER 21
KANE CASANI 9
ZACH HARRISIN 9
MERRICK DOTTS 6
INTERCEPTIONS
HOLDEN SMYSER (sr.) 2
KANE CASANI (jr.) 1
WILL MACK (soph.) 1
MALIQUE POLLARD (soph.) 1
JAYDEN ROGERS (soph.) 1
GAGE SANTOS (jr.) 1
PASSES DEFENDED
MALIQUE POLLARD (soph.) 6
ZION PHELPS (jr.) 4
BRANDON ALEXANDER 3
KANE CASANI (jr.) 3
JAYDEN ROGERS (soph.) 1
PETER SCIARRINO (sr.) 2
LOYOLA TO PLAY AT SoFi STADIUM ON OCTOBER 9
It was announced this week that Loyola will play its Mission League game against Gardena Serra at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, the home of the Rams and Chargers, on Thursday, October 9 at 5:00 p.m.
CUBS IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Below is the list of Loyola graduates on college football teams in 2025 according to published collegiate 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, Cornell
SHAWN LIN '22, DL, Columbia
LEIGHTON LINE ‘23, DL, Cal Lutheran
JOSHUA LONG ‘21, TE, Eastern Michigan
TAHJ OWENS '22, DB, Princeton
JACK PARIS '23, DL, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
RYAN QUINTANAR '20, LB, USC
XAVIER RICE ‘23, 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 (L 21-0)
9-12 @ Hamilton (Los Angeles) (W 42-21)
9-19 St. Francis (W 9-3)
10-3 @ Notre Dame*
10-9 @Serra* at SoFi Stadium
10-17 Bishop Amat*
10-24 @ Chaminade*
10-31 Sierra Canyon*
*Denotes Mission League game