Loyola Reduces White Noise to a Whisper : Crespi’s Star Back Held to 28 Yards as Celts Lose Del Rey Showdown, 15-8

Loyola High defensive end Matt Butkus has a bear paw on the left side of his helmet, which is appropriate because his Pa was a Bear.

Butkus, a son of the Chicago Bears’ Hall of Fame linebacker Dick, isn’t the only son of a celebrity on the Cub team. Ryan Lefebvre, the son of former Dodger infielder Jim, returns punts. Free safety Jim Klein is the son of Bob, a former tight end for the Rams in the early 1970s.

So considering there were 11,207 paying fans, three major newspapers, a cable television station that taped the game, ESPN and assorted local TV news crews, maybe it helped that some of the Loyola team members don’t get weak in the knees when somebody’s watching.

Loyola, ranked No. 14 in the nation by USA Today, upset No. 8 Crespi, 15-8, at Birmingham High’s Tom Bradley Field on Saturday night. The victory gives Loyola, 9-0 overall and 4-0 in the league with one game remaining, its second Del Rey League title in three years. Crespi, which hasn’t won a league title since 1973, fell to 7-1-1 and 3-1.

The Cubs, who had allowed just 31 points entering the game, held the explosive Crespi offense scoreless until the fourth quarter. By then, Loyola had taken a 15-0 lead.

Loyola managed to handcuff Crespi running back Russell White--who led the state in rushing last year with 2,339 yards--to just 28 yards in 14 carries.

But chilling White isn’t anything new for the Cubs. Last year, in Crespi’s 21-14 win, Loyola held White to 96 yards, his only sub-100 effort of the season. This was the second-lowest output of White’s career--Redlands held him to 23 yards this year in a season-opening 17-17 tie.

“We had a guy with No. 4 on in practice,” said Butkus, a junior, in reference to White’s uniform number. “We were prepared for him. We had team hustle to get to the ball to stop him.”

Crespi sputtered throughout the game, but it was the Celts’ inability to convert on a big fourth-down play in the fourth quarter that put the game on ice.

With Crespi trailing, 8-0, with 6:30 left, quarterback Ron Redell hit running back J. J. Lasley on a fourth-and-five play from the Crespi 46. Lasley caught the ball in the right flat, but was tackled inches short of the first down.

Loyola broke Crespi’s back two plays later when running back Mike Buckley broke up the middle for a 56-yard score that gave the Cubs a 15-0 lead with 4:38 to play.

“Their defense was awesome, they just stuffed our butt,” Crespi Coach Bill Redell said. “I didn’t think anyone could stop our running game. It really surprised me.”

Crespi tried to make a late rally. Redell hit receiver Eric Kieling for an 11-yard score with 1:20 left and connected with Lasley for the two-point conversion.

Crespi’s attempt at an onside kick failed, however, and Loyola ran out the clock.

White’s second fumble of the first half set up Loyola’s first touchdown. After Crespi’s Joe DeFinney intercepted a Jason Evans pass at the Crespi five to halt a Loyola scoring threat, White fumbled on the first play from scrimmage.

Two plays later, running back Johann Fuller scored on a three-yard dive over the middle to give the Cubs a 6-0 lead. Fuller fumbled on the play, but the officials ruled he already had broken the plane of the goal. Placekicker Paul Stonehouse pulled the extra point to the left after a bad snap.

Crespi, which had five turnovers to Loyola’s two, turned the ball over four times in the half--three times on fumbles and once on an interception.