Cub Football - Rugged schedule awaits Loyola in 2024
LOYOLA TO FACE CHALLENGING SLATE THIS FALL
After a successful four-year run as a member of the Angelus League, Loyola was elevated by the Catholic Athletic Association in December to the much tougher Mission League for at least the next two seasons.
The Cubs won or shared the Angelus League crown in every season of their four year tenure in the conference, but the challenges that await in the Mission League are exponentially more difficult.
Unrelenting off-season work in the weight room will be critical for Loyola to chart a successful course in the rough waters of what ranks as probably the second most competitive league in California, and one of the top ten interscholastic conferences in the nation.
Every one of the Cubs' Mission League opponents was ranked ahead of Loyola in CalPreps' final 2023 rankings, and it is not unlikely that each will be positioned higher than the Cubs when the 2024 preseason rankings are released.
In order of highest to lowest state rankings of Mission League squads at the conclusion of the 2023 campaign, Sierra Canyon was ranked fourth (11-1; Mission League champions; lost to Mater Dei, 42-14, in CIF Div. 1 playoff quarterfinals), Serra of Gardena was ranked 11th (9-4; second in the Mission League, lost to Servite, 35-14, in the CIF Div. 2 semifinals), Chaminade was slotted at the 47th spot (7-6; fourth in the Mission League; lost to Warren of Downey, 36-35, in the CIF Div. 3 semifinals; defeated Loyola in a non-league game, 42-35), Bishop Amat was ranked 53rd (4-7; third in the Mission League; lost 31-20 to Rancho Cucamonga in the first round of the CIF Div. 2 playoffs), and Sherman Oaks Notre Dame came in at number 57 (5-5; fifth in the Mission League, did not make the playoffs).
Loyola came in at 84th in the final CalPreps' state rankings (6-6, Angelus League co-champs; lost in the quarterfinals of the CIF Division 4 playoffs to Yorba Linda, 17-10).
The Cubs' non-league schedule is formidable as well. Damien finished last season ranked 33rd (8-3; Baseline League third place; lost to Murrieta Valley, 43-40, in the first round of the CIF Div. 2 playoffs; routed Loyola, 35-14, in a non-league battle).
Culver City finished the 2023 season ranked 66th in the state (9-4, second in the Bay League, lost to CIF Division 4 champion La Serna, 52-31, in the semifinals; lost to Loyola, 24-6, in the second non-league contest of the 2023 campaign).
Leuzinger, which outmuscled the Cubs in a non-league contest came in as the state's 88th-ranked squad (6-5; second place in the Ocean League; lost to Citrus Valley, 17-14, in the CIF Div. 3 playoffs; defeated Loyola, 35-14, in a non-league game).
St. Francis was ranked 92nd in the state (8-3; Angelus League co-champ; lost to San Juan Hills, 37-18, in the first round of the CIF Div. 3 playoffs; defeated Loyola, 26-21, in an Angelus League contest).
Cathedral was the lone program on the Cubs' 2024 schedule to not finish in the top 100. The Phantoms crossed the finish line at the 139th spot (4-6; fifth place in the Angelus League; did not make the playoffs; lost to Loyola, 27-6).
Loyola's 2023 record against the teams it will face this season was 2-4 (wins over Culver City and Cathedral and losses to Damien, Chaminade, Leuzinger and St. Francis).
Based on 2023 season-ending rankings of its 2024 opponents, the Cubs will not be projected to fare well this fall, especially with its step up to the powerful Mission League.
The "glass half full" view must take into consideration the fact that 20 Loyola players who started at least one game and/or logged substantial playing time last fall return, including five squad members who garnered All-State recognition. The outcome of the 2024 campaign will be largely determined by the level of work and leadership that is going on in the weight room now and in the next five months.
NUMBER OF CUB PLAYERS WITH COLLEGIATE OFFERS INCREASES
Rising junior offensive lineman NATHAN TURK (6-3, 271), who started at right guard as a sophomore just received his first collegiate offer from Dartmouth. TURK's Dartmouth offer brings the current number of Loyola players with offers to play collegiate football to six.
The other Cubs with offers are rising senior wide receiver DUKE GIARRAPUTO, and rising juniors BRANDON LOCKHART (DB), SEAN MORRIS II (RB), ASHTON PANNELL (QB) and SCOTT TAYLOR (OLB/Edge).
LOYOLA COACHES REACH UNBELIEVABLE MILESTONES
Loyola's varsity head volleyball coach MICHAEL BOEHLE'84 notched his 600th career coaching victory when his defending National Champion squad swept Edison in a home match on February 22. BOEHLE's overall record now stands at 601-84 (88%). The masterful head mentor was named national Coach of the Year for the 2023 season. Ironically, BOEHLE gave credit to legendary former head football coach STEVE GRADY '63 in modeling how to build a rock solid winning culture.
Long time varsity soccer head coach CHRIS WALTER '93 recorded his 500th win during the course of the 2023-24 Loyola soccer campaign.
BOEHLE's and WALTER's accomplishments are in a word extraordinary.
CUBS IN THE NFL NEWS
Take a look at former Loyola MVP MYLES BRYANT's New England Patriots 2023 highlight tape below.
COLEMAN SHELTON '13, the outstanding center for the Los Angeles Rams, is a free agent, but many expect him to stay at the pivot for the Rams.