During the 2025-2026 football season, the Loyola Football Team faced many challenges, from key players being injured to weakened morale due to lost games. However, after the last whistle of the Sierra Canyon game, the band of brothers knew that they had to scrap all of the negativity that came with these challenges, and move on as playoffs were looming among them. On Sunday, Nov. 2,, the team were eagerly waiting for the playoff bracket announcement, as they weren’t sure if they had made the playoffs. In the words of Gage Santos ‘27, “After Sierra Canyon nobody really knew if we would make the playoffs or not.”
Then suddenly, the CIF Southern Section website updated, and magically, the cubs were placed as the fourth seed in division five. At this point, there was only one thing on each player and coach’s mind…BEAT NEWBURY PARK! According to Kane Casani ‘27, “…honestly it was the least nervous I had felt before any game this season.”
That Friday, the Cubs faced off against Newbury Park at home on Smith Field. The first half was a scrappy dog fight, full of communal pride and desire showcased by both teams. At halftime, the score was 17-14, Loyola.
The Loyola defense allowed zero points in the second half of the game. In the end, the cubs won by the same margin as they had been leading in the first half, 17-14. This win, to the cubs, was proof that no matter what their record was during the regular season, the Cubs had left their regular-season record in the dust and moved on, only focusing on their desire to win a championship.
Going into week two of playoffs, both stakes and morale was high for the Cubs, but preparation seemed a little bit different. Coming into their game versus Bonita, the Cubs knew that there was going to be serious rain during their game, and because of this, tweaks were made to the routine afternoon practices, such as wetting the footballs before they were snapped, in order to simulate the game conditions.
Following kickoff, the cubs started out slowly on both fronts, as the offense was stopped and forced to punt and the defense gave up an early touchdown. However, the cubs persevered and ended up scoring three touchdowns in the first half, while the defense only allowed two. The cubs came out of the game with a win in the pouring rain 21-14, a sight out of a movie. This win, like the one a week prior, further proved not only to the players themselves but also to those observing that the cubs had a fighting chance to win a CIF Championship.
As the Cubs head into round three of the CIF Southern Section playoffs, morale and belief in each other seems to be peaking at an all time high among the football team, as preparation to defeat Redondo Union on Friday the 21st materializes. The first half of the game on Smith Field versus Redondo Union was predominantly a defensive game, as the scoreboard read ‘7-7’ as the players ran into their respective locker rooms. Unfortunately, the outcome of the game was not as the Loyola athletes had hoped, as Redondo won 21-7. Undeniably, the 2025-2026 Loyola Football season was one to remember in the history books.
Senior football team captain, starting center and student body president Nelson Pye remembers this Loyola season as one defined by perseverance and unity, saying, “Two words… resilient and the brotherhood… It was also the most fun I’ve had playing football with my brothers for life.”
