PREP FOOTBALL : In a Battle of Attrition, Loyola Defeats Marina on Paton’s Score, 7-0

Marina High School came into Friday night’s Big Five Conference playoff opener against Loyola held together by adhesive tape and Ace bandages. Loyola left much the same way.

But, in the end, it was Loyola that limped into the second round with a 7-0 victory before 3,200 spectators at Westminster High. The Cubs took advantage of a Marina fumble in the first quarter for a one-touchdown lead, then made it hold up by recording their fifth shutout of the season.

Anthony Holly recovered Marina running back Kevin Magula’s fumble at the Viking 29 to set up a 3-yard scoring run by Loyola quarterback George Paton with 1:02 left in the first quarter. The teams spent the remainder of the game bruising each other until the final seconds expired and Loyola ended Marina’s winning streak at five games, thereby eliminating the champions of the Sunset League.

Marina fullback Sean Magula was injured in the first game of the season, and the Vikings proceeded to lose five straight games without him. He returned in time for Marina’s league opener and helped the Vikings go 5-0 and win their first outright league title ever.

But he reinjured the ankle in last week’s regular-season finale and was used only sparingly against Loyola. Then Marina quarterback Rick Vanderriet suffered a knee injury near the end of the first half, all but crippling the Vikings’ offense.

Both Magula and Vanderriet were able to tape and play, but their presence wasn’t enough against a Loyola team that doesn’t seem to require many points to win.

The Cubs lost starting running back Marco Jones to a knee injury late in the first half and saw Paton get shaken up in the third quarter but return in the fourth. The senior quarterback passed for 90 yards and rushed for 16 yards.

Loyola Coach Steve Grady is facing a serious attrition problem on offense and admitted that most of Loyola’s playoff hopes rest on its defense. “How long they can keep it up, I don’t know,” Grady said. “But I’m just happy to be going to the second week.”