On Oct. 9th, the Cubs had the privilege to play at SoFi Stadium. An opportunity of this prestige is rare, and as such, it was a surreal experience for most players. Upon arriving, players went down five levels to the field level. The Cubs were allowed to dress in the Rams’ locker room, which thrilled the team. Jacob Cappetta ‘26 exclaimed, “I was able to dress where Aaron Donald dressed! It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
The turf was by far the best the Cubs had ever played on. Some players even began to reenact some famous plays that occurred on the turf, including Cooper Kupp’s game-winning catch in Super Bowl LVI. Impressively, the crowd reached almost a thousand people. Of course, most were Cub fans who came to support the football team and demonstrate their school pride. When the long-awaited game against the Serra Cavaliers began, Loyola’s defense dominated the line of scrimmage, making an impressive 15 tackles for a loss. The Cub’s middle linebackers, Holden Smyser ‘26 and Kane Casani ‘27, combined for a total of 31 tackles. Loyola ended up holding Serra to 10 points, half of their season average.
However, the most electrifying play was made on special teams. Serra’s only attempted field goal quickly turned out disastrous. As soon as the ball was snapped, Casani rushed through the blockers, swatting down the ball. Malique Pollard ‘28 then flew in and scooped up the ball, taking it 59 yards to the house.
On offense, the Cubs’ leading receiver, Tobias Thuss ‘27, proved effective. He caught 4 balls for 53 yards, adding to his totals as the Cubs’ leading receiver. Nonetheless, the most effective player was senior kicker Jacob Kreinbring ‘26. Kicking at SoFi Stadium is much more difficult than at any high school stadium, as NFL goalposts are three-quarters the size of high school goalposts. Despite that, Kreinbring hit a season-high 44-yard field goal, a 34-yard raucous field goal, and an extra point.
Kreinbring commented, “The week before the game, I practiced kicking at poles instead of kicking it in between the goalposts, again prioritizing precision.”
Defensive Coordinator Mike Gilhooly ‘88 added, “It was a huge opportunity for our team to get a big-time win in a big-time stadium, and the boys played exceptionally well. We were playing on a short week, which meant minimal time to repair, yet the boys more than lived up to the moment.”
Looking forward, the Cubs are currently 4-4 and need one more win to reach a playoff berth. Their season finale is against Sierra Canyon at Loyola on Halloween.
