Even though the windy weather made it a crisp 45 degrees out, the atmosphere underneath the “Friday Night Lights” last week made Smith Field anything but cold. While waiting for kickoff, fans and parents could feel the aura radiating from inside the locker room. The Cubs were ready to take on Crean Lutheran, the 12th seed, in the CIF football quarterfinals.
The quarterfinal game started strong. An early unsportsmanlike conduct call on Lutheran
gave the Cubs the opportunity to score, and they took it. Thomas Knyal ‘25 urged a quick snap because he had a wide-open lane to the endzone. Matthew Smith ‘27 threw the easy 24-yard pass to Knyal for the game’s first points. On the defensive end, Brandon Lockhart ‘26 batted down a 50-yard bomb that had the potential to tie the game for Crean Lutheran. In the closing minutes of the first quarter, Loyola’s defense again came up big, as Desi Valdes ‘25 picked off the Lutheran quarterback and returned the ball for a 20-yard pick 6 to make it 14-0.
Crean Lutheran scored a rushing touchdown in the second quarter to make it 14-7, but both defenses held the offensive game stagnant. In the third, led by a huge catch by Bryce Coleman ‘26, Jacob Kreinbring ‘26 nailed a 34-yard field goal through the uprights to make the score 17-7.
Crean Lutheran crept back into the game, and in the dying minutes of the fourth, scoring a field goal that tied the game up at 17-17 and sending the game to overtime. After yet another coin toss win, the Cu
bs chose to take possession second, and once again, the defense came up huge by forcing a field goal for Lutheran. They made it, so the score was 20-17, and the Cubs had possession. After three rushing attempts, Shawn Morris ‘26 finally found the opening he was looking for. He dove in the endzone for a 15-yard walk-off touchdown that sent the Cubs to tonight’s CIF semifinals.
When asked about his reaction to the game-winning touchdown, head football coach, Drew Casani ‘91 explained, “I had total confidence that we could drive the ball down and put it away. To be honest, when he scored, that feeling was just overwhelming.”
This memorable win captures the theme of this season: fighting until the last whistle.
When asked about the significance of last week’s win, star defensive back Valdes commented, “It’s a great win. We lost in the quarterfinals last year, so we get a chance to get that back.”
Tonight at 7 p.m. on Smith Field, your Loyola Cubs face 1st-seeded Simi Valley High for a chance to advance to the CIF finals. Everyone, show your Loyola pride by coming out tonight, wearing your best Loyola gear, bringing the energy and giving YOUR Loyola Cubs the home field advantage that they deserve!
