Fall Sports Playoff Roundup
The fall sports season is coming to an end, but not before Loyola competes in the CIF postseason. All three fall sports—football, water polo and cross country—are currently making a deep run in the playoffs and all three have great chances to bring home CIF championships before the year is over. Take a look at what’s ahead for our Cubs:
FOOTBALL: Loyola Makes First CIF Semifinal Appearance Since 2005
First-year head coach and former 1990 CIF Division I Player of the Year Drew Casani ’91 has the Loyola football team peaking at the right time, as the Cubs withstood a tough Mission League schedule to earn an at-large bid into the playoffs. After two straight victories, Loyola is now two wins away from another CIF Football title.
The Cubs put on a defensive clinic in their opening round matchup against the No. 3 seed Palos Verdes Sea Kings, pulling the upset over the home team by a score of 7-0 back on Nov. 8th down in the South Bay. Loyola then hosted its CIF Quarterfinal game last Friday (Nov. 15th) against the No. 6 seed Villa Park Spartans at Smith Field. This time, it was a dominant offensive display that saw the Cubs emerge with a 45-28 victory, punching their ticket into the Final Four.
The Cubs look to continue their surge heading into the CIF Semifinals tonight (Nov. 22nd) against No. 2 seed Camarillo at Moorpark College at 7 p.m. (purchase tickets here). It marks Loyola’s 20th semifinal appearance overall. Should the Cubs win, Loyola will be playing for its 7th CIF football championship—and its first since 2005—next weekend.
WATER POLO: Cubs Take No. 3 Seed into CIF SoCal Regional Championships
After completing the regular season with a 23-5 record, the Cubs took third place at the 2019 CIF Division I Championships last weekend in Irvine. As part of the newly formed “Elite 8” playoff format established last season, only the top eight teams in Division I are selected to the bracket. Loyola has made the Elite 8 in both years under head coach Erik Healy.
Now suited up for regional competition, the Cubs earned the No. 3 overall seed heading into tonight’s matchup with No. 6 seed Cathedral Catholic at Segerstrom HS in Santa Ana (purchase your tickets here). A win would put Loyola into the Regional Semifinals tomorrow (Nov. 23rd) against either No. 2 seed Newport Harbor or No. 7 seed Foothill. The Cubs are on the hunt for their first-ever SoCal Regional title.
CROSS COUNTRY: Loyola Prepares for CIF Finals
Winners of now 22-straight Mission League championships, head coach Dr. Lalo Diaz and his young Cub XC squad are ready for another run at a CIF title this Saturday (Nov. 23rd) in Riverside. Loyola is currently ranked No. 10 overall in the state with a handful of underclassmen making up a majority of the Varsity squad.
The Cubs are also looking to make their 15th State Championship meet appearance in the last 16 years. This year’s CIF Division II State meet will take place on Saturday (Nov. 30th) at Woodward Park in Fresno.
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