La Habra Shut Down by Loyola

There is really no other way to describe it.

The La Habra High School football team was blown out by Loyola, 28-0, in a nonleague game played at Glendale High School.

Loyola scored on four of its five possessions in the first half to take a 28-0 lead.

“The thing I liked is that we just didn’t let them up,” Loyola Coach Steve Grady said after winning the 100th game of his career.

La Habra had very little success moving the ball in the first half, with 26 net yards, compared with Loyola’s 253.

Loyola quarterback Brian Dennis, a junior, was 5 of 5 for 143 yards and one touchdown.

He did not play at all the second half, and few of La Habra’s regulars saw action.

It was Dennis’ first start.

“I didn’t feel nervous,” Dennis said. “I felt I had a job to do in keeping the team together.”

Loyola attacked with a host of running backs, led by Joe Hann Fuller, who left the game at half with a game-high 88 yards rushing and two touchdowns.

Fuller carried the ball nine times for 54 yards on Loyola’s opening drive. Loyola drove 77 yards in 14 plays, capped by Fuller’s 2-yard touchdown run at 5:43 in the first quarter.

La Habra advanced to Loyola’s 38 on the next possession, but was forced to punt, and the Highlanders never got any closer.

A 61-yard touchdown pass from Dennis to Kieron Estrada put Loyola ahead 14-0 after just four plays with 20 seconds left in the first quarter. Estrada caught the ball at the 40 yard line and ran it in from there.

La Habra was forced to punt again and Kahlil McAlpin’s 20-yard return set Loyola up at the La Habra 30. It took just three plays before Fuller went in for his second touchdown from two yards out to make the score 14-0 with 8:39 left in the second quarter.

La Habra later threatened, advancing to the Loyola 28. However, quarterback Mark Marino was sacked for a 13-yard loss and La Habra again had to punt. This time, Loyola set up at the La Habra 41 and scored four plays later on an eight-yard run by Mike Buckley with :54 left in the half.