Fueled by Defense, Loyola High Powers Its Way to No. 1 Ranking

They attend Mass before each game, have a prayer session, win or lose, and say the rosary while on the bus to the games.

Then the Loyola High School football players go out and play like hellions.

Loyola a boys’ Jesuit high school in central Los Angeles, is undefeated in 8 games. It also is the No. 1 football team in the nation in two polls.

That may be a spurious ranking, considering that there are nearly 29,000 high schools in the country fielding some type of football team and that judging one as better than all the others is highly unscientific. Traditionally, it’s an honor bestowed on a team located in the South or the East, or a team that has a big gun at quarterback or a lightning-quick running back.

Loyola has neither. In fact, the team is known for having virtually no offensive skill but a wagon load of defensive prowess. Loyola Coach Steve Grady’s philosophy, for the most part, is to play his best athletes on defense. The star of the team is a kicker.

The rap on Loyola’s offense, though, may be harsher than is necessary. In their 8 games this season, the Cubs have outscored opponents, 196-24, mostly thanks to the efforts of two solid running backs, Johann Fuller and Mike Buckley.

With two relatively inexperienced quarterbacks, however, Grady’s offense is short on passing, heavy on running and ball control. And if necessary, kicker Paul Stonehouse can bail the offense out. Stonehouse has made 5 of 7 field goal tries and 20 of 21 extra point kicks and is averaging 44 yards a punt.

Defensively, Loyola has shut out 3 opponents and has not allowed any team to score more than 7 points. What’s more, its traditional 5-2 defense has given up an average of only 130 yards a game--61 rushing and 69 passing. Loyola’s defense has allowed just 3 touchdowns and 1 field goal this season.

“Loyola has a tough schedule, week in and week out, and has a pretty good tradition,” said Doug Huff of Wheeling, W. Va., who ranks the teams for the National Prep Poll.

“They are exceptional on defense and have enough balance on offense. . . . They also have defeated 3 teams ranked in the top 10 in California. I’ve had them ranked No. 1 since the preseason and they have earned the ranking.”

Loyola, which traces its history to 1865 and claims to be the oldest high school in Los Angeles, has enjoyed a sound reputation in football since 1924, when it began competing. Since then, it has won a national championship, in 1975; 3 Southern Section titles, and 29 league titles.

Seemingly, it’s that tradition of excellence in athletics and in academics--93% of its graduates register as freshmen at 4-year colleges--that attracts a wide spectrum of students, both Catholic and non-Catholic.

“Father (David) MacDonald (the team’s spiritual adviser) reminds me of my grandfather,” said Sean Doyle, an offensive tackle with a 3.5 grade-point average.

“It’s kind of that rich tradition that you may not get somewhere else. You know, the leather helmets and all.”

Even Grady is a little young to remember leather helmets, but he does have first-hand knowledge of Loyola tradition. He was a star tailback at the school and led Loyola to its first Southern Section championship in 1962. He returned to work in Loyola’s football program in 1973 and was named head coach in 1976.

Grady’s critics point out that in his 12 years as head coach, and despite his record of 106-33-4, 7 Del Rey League championships and 11 Southern Section playoff appearances, he has never won a Southern Section title.

“For the most part, the teams in the playoffs are evenly matched,” Grady said. “Unless you have a dominating team, to go all the way in the playoffs, something lucky has got to happen. You have to get a couple of breaks in the ballgame.

“People ask me why sometimes we haven’t got past the second round. Well, we haven’t had a dominating team all 12 years. There were a few years I really thought we could do it, and last year, I thought we had a shot to take it all. But we played Long Beach Wilson, which ran a Delaware wing offense that we hadn’t played against. Then, we made a couple mistakes and didn’t make up for them.

“It’s not fun to go 10-0 in the season and then lose in the second round of the playoffs.”

Doyle said the loss to Long Beach Wilson last season happened primarily because the team was not used to being behind.

“Our defense usually keeps the other team down, but in that game, they got ahead, and we just didn’t know how to come back,” Doyle said. “I promised myself when the game was over that I would never let it happen again. I want to get past the second round.”

Despite the playoff record, Grady can empathize with and motivate his players, which he says he began understanding by being on both sides of stardom.

“As a sophomore at USC, I played behind Heisman trophy winner Mike Garrett, and one year ahead of future Heisman winner O.J. Simpson,” Grady said.

“When I was a junior I heard rumors that O.J. was going to transfer to USC from a college up in San Francisco, and I knew if he came I wouldn’t play as much.”

That’s exactly what happened, of course.

“I feel for those guys who don’t play, and that’s why we preach a total team effort--we all win or lose,” Grady said. “How the players practice during the week is important. It’s a matter of pride.”

It’s that philosophy and the spiritual side of Loyola’s football program that help satisfy and motivate tackle Jim Hafner.

“A lot of people like me don’t get to play too much, and you say to yourself, ‘What am I doing here?’ ” Hafner said.

“Then you go into the chapel service after each game, and a player or coach will say a prayer thanking God for the victory, or another player will apologize to the team for a personal foul, or maybe they will say a prayer about me. Like, ‘Hafner should be just as happy because he worked just as hard for the victory.’ It makes you feel good and brings a certain team unity.”

The Cubs have a few sons of the famous: linebacker Matt Butkus, son of Hall of Fame football player Dick Butkus; tight end Jimmy Klein, whose father, Bob, played for USC, the Rams and Chargers, and sophomore quarterback Corby Smith, son of USC Coach Larry Smith.

The Loyola campus is a peaceful oasis of old and new brick buildings located in the midst of crime-laden central Los Angeles--on Venice Boulevard between Normandie and Vermont, about two blocks south of Pico Boulevard. Though spray-painted buildings surround the campus, and night football games are not played there, for safety reasons, the campus is apparently respected by the community.

Although tuition is $2,700 a year, Loyola offers financial aid to about 130 students. The academic requirements for admittance are high. Each year, about 650 students take entrance exams for about 290 spots. Of the school’s 1,100 students, 30% are minorities.

School officials say that academics take precedence over athletics, and that students must place high on the entrance exam or have high grades in junior high to be considered for admission.

Several of Loyola’s regular football players will graduate this year, but that doesn’t automatically grant a reprieve to its fellow teams in the Del Rey League. Loyola’s sophomore team is also undefeated this season.

That team uses the same 5-2 defense as the varsity. It’s tradition. Like leather helmets.