Football: Loyola pulls off a remarkable comeback

It’s becoming pretty clear that no matter how bleak things look and no matter how much adversity must be overcome, Loyola’s football team won’t quit until there’s no time left on the clock.

A week ago, down 18 points to unbeaten Cathedral, Loyola fought and clawed and rallied, only to lose, 21-19, when a 47-yard field-goal attempt by Diego Cacho-Sousa with no time left fell well short.

Fast forward to Friday night. The Cubs were playing Bishop Amat in their Mission League opener. Few gave them a chance to win. Then they faced a 23-14 deficit with less than a minute left.

There was a fumble by Bishop Amat. Loyola recovered. Quarterback Sean O’Malley would soon hit Jack Webster with a three-yard touchdown pass with 17 seconds left.

Then the Cubs recovered an onside kick. And Cacho-Sousa got his chance for redemption, making a 49-yard field goal as time expired to give Loyola a 24-23 victory.

“Last week I wasn’t nervous and this week I wasn’t nervous,” Cacho-Sousa said. “I had to trust myself.”

Trusting Loyola Coach Marvin Sanders is what the players have done. This was supposed to be a talented team. But Loyola lost All-CIF linebacker Jackson Sirmon when his father, Peter, became defensive coordinator at Mississippi State. Then All-CIF running back Drake Beasley left the team just as fall practice was beginning, transferring to La Canada.

There was no help coming, because Loyola rarely takes transfers. So the Cubs’ players were on their own, having to develop and improve with the help of their coaches. And they have. They’re 2-3 and getting better.

And most importantly, they’re sticking together. When their kicker showed up last Saturday, his teammates weren’t about to let him feel unappreciated.

“They are there for me no matter what happens,” he said.

And after his game-winning kick on Friday night, those same teammates celebrated with him.

“It seemed like everyone was jumping on me,” he said.

As for Sanders, he was a college assistant coach at Nebraska, where more than 90,000 fans would show up. He was an assistant at USC, where the Coliseum would be packed. But Friday’s game will go down as one of his favorite moments.

“It’s right up there with some of the best things I’ve experienced because of the resiliency of the kids,” he said.

It was a memorable moment in a season that’s getting very memorable for the Cubs.

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