Cub Football - Trip to the CIF Division 3 Championship game on the line this Friday
LOYOLA HOSTS NUMBER ONE SEED SIMI VALLEY ON FRIDAY IN CIF DIVISION 3 SEMIFINALS, WITH TRIP TO A POTENTIAL 14th CIF SOUTHERN SECTION TITLE GAME AT STAKE
Loyola won an overtime nail biter, 23-20, against Crean Lutheran at Smith Field last Friday, enabling the Cubs (6-6) to advance to the CIF Southern Section Division 3 playoff semifinals against the high scoring Simi Valley Pioneers, who are the top seeded squad in the bracket.
The winner of the semifinal battle at Loyola's Smith Field this Friday will advance to the Division 3 championship game the following week. For the Cubs, the possibility of advancing to a Southern Section title for a 14th time in its storied football history has the Loyola community abuzz with unbridled excitement and feverish anticipation.
A coin toss determined the site of the semifinal bout, and good luck prevailed for the Cubs, just as the flip did to determine the third place finisher in the rugged Mission League which provided Loyola a guaranteed trip to the Southern Section playoffs for a 50th time in its illustrious gridiron annals.
Of course, it will take more than luck for the Cubs to defeat the Pioneers on Friday, but playing at home rather than traveling to Ventura County certainly doesn't hurt the chances of Loyola emerging from the contest with a victory. A capacity crowd is expected.
Tickets are only available on line at GoFan.co.
QUARTERFINAL REWIND - MORRIS RUSHED FOR 241 YARDS - VALDES' VALUE TO TEAM SHINES THROUGH ONCE AGAIN
With the score knotted, 17-17, at the end of regulation in the quarterfinal round of the CIF Division 3 playoffs last Friday, to say the level of angst among Cub partisans, as the teams prepared to compete in overtime, was through the roof, would be an understatement.
Loyola's 'Wolfpack' defense stepped up on the first possession of the overtime session, limiting the Saints to a field goal.
The Cubs turned to their outstanding junior running back SEAN MORRIS II on their ensuing offensive possession, and the 5'10", 195 pound speedster carried the ball for 10, seven and eight yards to cover the 25-yard distance it took to score the game-winning six points.
According to statistics published by MaxPreps, MORRIS gained 241 yards on 35 carries and averaged 6.9 yards per tote, which earned him MaxPreps' Player of the Game accolades.
Loyola's offense rolled up 411 yards of total offense against a very good Crean Lutheran defense.
Sophomore quarterback MATT SMITH averaged 17.6 yards per completion in his first varsity start for the Cubs, after leading Loyola's sophomore squad to its first undefeated (10-0) campaign since 2003. He also showed off very good rushing skills.
Senior do-it-all defensive back/running back/kick returner DESI VALDES's contributions to the team cannot be overstated. For the second consecutive week, the standout athlete had a pick-six interception which heavily factored into the quarterfinal victory last Friday. In addition, VALDES caused a fumble which thwarted a Saints' scoring threat. All season long his long distance kick returns, including one 99-yard sprint for a TD, have given the Cubs great field position. He also serves as a team captain who leads by stellar example.
A LOOK AT THE SIMI VALLEY PIONEERS
Veteran Ventura County Hall of Fame head coach Jim Benkert took over the head coach reins at Simi Valley in 2018, and immediately went to work in building a program that had been moribund for quite some time before his arrival from Oaks Christian, where he led the Lions to a CIF Southern Section Division 2 championship in 2017.
During his 26-year tenure as the head coach at Westlake of Westlake Village, from 1989 through 2014 he coached the Warriors to six CIF championships and four state titles.
Benkert was the steward of Oaks Christian for three seasons before taking on the challenging task of turning around the Pioneers' football fortunes. In the three seasons before his arrival, Simi Valley finished 3-8, 4-6 and 2-7, respectively. He immediately changed the Pioneers course, finishing 9-4 (playoff semifinals), 10-4 (CIF finals), 4-1 (COVID shortened season), and 10-1 in his first four seasons. Last fall Simi Valley won the CIF Southern Section Division 6 championship.
Suffice to say, the talented Benkert and his loyal, veteran staff have the coaching chops, and more than impressive resumes, to vie for yet another CIF title.
The Pioneers' 12-game results are as follows:
SIMI VALLEY 33 Spanish Springs (Nev.) 13
SIMI VALLEY 49, Valencia 41
SIMI VALLEY 62, Royal 10
SIMI VALLEY 49, Saugus 0
SIMI VALLEY 42, Thousand Oaks 28
SIMI VALLEY 42, St. Bonaventure 28
SIMI VALLEY 56, Camarillo 7
SIMI VALLEY 35, Bishop Diego 28
Pacifica (Oxnard) 28, SIMI VALLEY 0
SIMI VALLEY 28, Oaks Christian 23
CIF Southern Section Division 3 Playoffs
SIMI VALLEY 49, Notre Dame 47 (First Round)
SIMI VALLEY 41, La Habra 35 (Quarterfinals)
Simi Valley, the Marmonte League champion, is ranked 20th in the Southern Section by CalPreps. Its strength of schedule is rated 28.6.
Loyola is ranked 27th in the Southern Section with a 40.7 strength of schedule rating.
The Pioneers are absolutely loaded on offense. They possess impressive speed and athleticism in every position group. Simi Valley has generated 2,625 yards through the air (219 passing yards per game) and 2,418 yards on the ground (202 rushing yards per game).
Senior quarterback Tagg Harrison (6-0, 175) has completed 66% of his passes for 2,425 yards (15.3 yards per completion) and has thrown for 20 touchdowns with eight interceptions.
Harrison has a slew of capable receivers at his disposal. The leading trio is fast and dynamic. Junior game-breaker Jayden Clarke (5-10, 150) is a blazer who has 30 receptions for 635 yards (21.2 yards per reception) and has scored seven TDs. He also has 449 yards on kick returns.
Junior wideout Quentin McGahan (5-8, 140) has caught 43 passes for 689 yards (16.0 yards per reception), and junior Evan Rodriguez (5-10, 160) has 32 receptions for 449 yards (14,0 yds. per catch)
Simi Valley's rushing attack is just as lethal as its aerial assault. Senior running back Brice Hawkins (5-10, 170) is a speed merchant who has gained 1,482 yards on 203 carries (7.3 avg.) and scored 28 rushing touchdowns. He also has caught 35 passes out of the backfield for 382 yards (10.9 avg.) and hauled in five TD receptions.
While the Pioneers have averaged 41 points per game on offense, their defensive platoon (24 points per game) is often overlooked. It possesses similar speed and talent to the offensive platoon.
Ball hawking, hard hitting senior strong safety Jayden Graham (6-1, 185) leads the stop unit with 123 tackles, including 69 solos, and is the leader in interceptions with three picks.
Junior defensive lineman Izak Simpson (6-2, 255) is a big time disruptor. He has made 93 tackles, including a team-leading 18 tackles for loss and 14 sacks.
Junior defensive end Michael Gage (6-3, 200) has made 10 tackles for loss and five sacks out of his 78 stops. Senior DB Seth Knight (6-1, 175) has recorded 74 tackles, seven tackles for loss and has one interception to his credit.
ANALYSIS OF THE SIMI VALLEY - LOYOLA SEMIFINAL CONTEST
One thing is certain about the Pioneers, they score points . . .lots of them. In their first two playoff contests they have scored a combined 90 points against two quality teams.
Loyola's 'Wolfpack' defense will be tasked with holding at bay what may be the second most prolific offense it has faced this season. Hawkins has amassed over 1,800 yards of total offense. The Cubs will need to stop him from making big plays.
Meanwhile, Loyola's defensive front must make Harrison uncomfortable, while the Cub secondary needs to consistently reroute the fleet Simi Valley receivers.
If Loyola has success running the ball, it will have a good chance of coming away with a win that would catapult it to the title contest. The Cub offensive line has to be the tip of the spear all night long.
There is only one comparative score between the teams. Notre Dame lost to Simi Valley, 49-47, in the first round of the playoffs, while Loyola was upset by the Knights 35-34 in a Mission League game three weeks ago.
Notre Dame rolled up 580 yards of total offense against the Pioneers, showing that good offenses can have success against Simi Valley's defense.
The Pioneers' best win (28-23) of the season came in a Marmonte League contest against Oaks Christian, the 12th ranked team in the Southern Section, which is a semifinalist in Division 2.
Simi Valley's only loss was to Pacifica of Oxnard by a score of 28-0. The Pioneers only managed to gain 292 yards of total offense against the Tritons, while Pacifica amassed 337 yards.
The Cubs would be well served to study the game film from that contest assiduously.
Loyola was again hampered by multiple penalties for big yardage against Crean Lutheran. If it wants to win on Friday that cannot be repeated.
Friday's semifinal prize fight at Smith Field has all the makings of a classic.
The two schools have never met on the gridiron before.
FRIDAY'S PRE-GAME AT EL CHOLO Loyola families, alumni and supporters will gather at El Cholo on Western Avenue this Friday at 4:30 p.m. before the semifinal blockbuster against Simi Valley at Smith Field.
LOYOLA GRAD CEYAIR WRIGHT ADDS TO HIS IMPRESSIVE RESUME AT NEBRASKA
The Cal-Hi Sports' 2020 Defensive Back of the Year was Loyola's CEYAIR WRIGHT '21. The Cub All-American corner started his collegiate football career at USC, but decided to transfer to Nebraska this year.
The redshirt junior corner is having a monster campaign for the Cornhuskers. At USC last Saturday, WRIGHT had a 45-yard pick-six against his old team and blocked a Trojan field goal attempt.
2024 LOYOLA VARSITY FOOTBALL SCHEDULE/RECORD
8-23 @ Cathedral (L, 16-13, 2OT)
8-30 Damien (L, 30-29)
9-13 @ Leuzinger (L, 40-30)
9-20 @ St. Francis (W, 35-7)
9-27 @ Mount Miguel (Spring Valley, San Diego) (W, 46-38)
10-4 Serra (Home)* (L, 42-35)
10-11 @ Bishop Amat* (W, 24-17)
10-18 Chaminade (Home)* (W, 44-10)
10-25 @ Sierra Canyon* (L, 45-0)
11-1 Notre Dame (Home)* (L, 35-34)
CIF SOUTHERN SECTION DIVISION 3 PLAYOFFS
11-8 @ Tustin (CIF Division-3 Playoffs first round) (W, 30-13)
11-15 Crean Lutheran (CIF Division 3 quarterfinals) (W, 23-20 (OT))
11-22 Simi Valley (CIF Division 3 Playoffs semifinals)
CUBS IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Below is the list of Loyola graduates playing college football in 2024 according to published collegiate rosters:
CHAD BAILEY ‘20, DB, Bentley University
NICHOLAS BARR-MIRA ‘19, K, Mississippi State
COLIN CRUCE ‘22, OL, Bowdoin
JEFFREY JOHNSON ‘21, TE, Cal
LUKE HARRISON ‘24, OL, University of San Diego
ANDREW KOZHAYA ‘21, OL, Grinnel
SHAWN LIN '22, DL, Columbia
LEIGHTON LINE ‘23, DL, Cal Lutheran
CONNOR McDOWELL ‘21, DB, Angelo State
BLAKE NEITHART ‘20, DB, Carleton
TAHJ OWENS '22, DB, Princeton
JACK PARIS '23, DL, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
RYAN QUINTANAR '20, LB, USC
ISAIAH SANDERS, ‘24, LB, UC Davis
PATRICK SODL ‘22, LB, Columbia
HENRY STICKLER ‘22, WR, SMU
JACK SUSNJAR ‘23, OL, USC
JOE TATUM ‘22, QB, Texas
EVAN THOMAS ‘20, DB, UCLA
RYAN TURK ‘24, OL, Dartmouth
ALEX WHITMAN ‘22, WR, Notre Dame
CHAMP WESTBROOKS ‘24, OL, Arizona State
CEYAIR WRIGHT ‘21, DB, Nebraska
SAM YOON ‘22, OL, UCLA
LOYOLA GRADS IN THE NFL
MYLES BRYANT '16, corner, Houston Texans
ALEX JOHNSON '19, corner, Indianapolis Colts (practice squad)
DAVID LONG, JR., corner, Indianapolis Colts
COLEMAN SHELTON '13, center, Chicago Bears