Loyola’s Lone Score Turns Back Alemany

Loyola High scored a touchdown against Alemany on Saturday night to finish off a third-quarter drive. And that was it.

One scoring drive, which covered 69 yards, was all the Cubs, ranked No. 15 in the nation by USA Today, could manage against Alemany.

But it turned out to be one more than the Indians could manage. Loyola turned back Alemany twice inside the 10-yard line in the fourth quarter to win, 6-0, in a Del Rey League game at Glendale High.

Loyola is 7-0 overall, 2-0 in league play. Alemany dropped to 3-2-2, 0-1-1.

“The defense basically did it for us,” Loyola Coach Steve Grady said.

Basically?

The Cubs held Alemany to minus-four yards in total offense in the first half. Alemany managed 131 yards in the second half but all the yardage came on the two late drives that ended short of the goal line.

After the teams battled to a scoreless first half, Loyola scored on the opening drive of the third quarter. Loyola quarterback Jason Evans completed four passes for 62 yards and tailback Johann Fuller flipped over a goal-line pile to score from two yards out. Paul Stonehouse’s extra point kick hit the left upright.

Alemany quarterback Joey Rosselli replaced starter Roy Talavera in the third quarter and orchestrated a 76-yard drive that gave the Indians a first and goal from the seven-yard line.

But Rosselli and fullback John Farenbaugh collided on a handoff, fumbled and Loyola tackle Matt Butkus fell on the loose ball with 11 minutes left.

Seven plays later, Loyola punted. Alemany started on its own 47 and Rosselli completed four passes, including a 16-yarder to Chris Lobos on fourth and 4, to move the Indians to the four-yard line with 3:30 left.

Alemany ran up the middle twice but the Loyola defense stopped the Indians cold. On a third-down toss, Rosselli was sacked as he threw, causing the pass to the wide-open Vince Ferry to fall short. Under strong pressure on fourth down, Rosselli again threw incomplete.

“They played a tough goal-line defense and we had to go to the air,” Alemany Coach Enrique Lopez said. “A split second more and we would have had a touchdown.”

In the first half, players plodded along in ankle-deep mud so unsuccessfully that coaches on both sidelines wondered aloud whether either team planned on staying on the field for longer than three plays a series.

For the record, the teams combined for three first downs. Alemany had one on its third drive of the game and Loyola had two first downs in a second-quarter drive.

Rosselli, a 6-foot-1 sophomore, completed 6 of 11 passes for 117 yards. Fuller had 97 yards on 18 carries for Loyola.