Servite’s Fame Proves Fleeting : No. 1-Ranked Loyola Rallies to Edge Friars, 27-22

For a fleeting moment, Servite wide receiver Steven Bishop was a hero Saturday night.

Bishop had caught a 2-point conversion pass with 2:57 remaining that had given Servite a 22-21 lead over the nation’s top-ranked high school team, Loyola. Bishop circled the end zone in his moment of glory and then ran down the sidelines with the ball held high for all the Servite fans to see.

But Bishop’s moment of glory was only temporary. Loyola, ranked No. 1 in the country by USA Today, came back to beat Servite, 27-22, when tailback Johann Fuller scored on a 27-yard run less than 2 minutes after Servite had begun its victory celebration.

Loyola answered the challenge by driving 64 yards to regain the lead and improve to 9-0 in front of 4,200 fans at Glendale High.

Loyola opened a 14-0 lead and then self-destructed in the third quarter when Servite capitalized on 2 turnovers to tie the score. Loyola managed to keep its composure long enough to take a 21-14 lead, but Servite rallied again.

Servite (7-2) used a 52-yard, flea-flicker pass from tailback Derek Brown to quarterback Chris Johnson to move to Loyola’s 2, where Johnson scored his second touchdown of the game on a 3-yard run. That’s when the game got interesting.

Jerry Person, Servite coach, called a timeout after Johnson’s score with his team trailing, 21-20. Person decided to go for 2, but the decision nearly backfired.

Johnson fumbled the center snap, then stumbled to regain his composure while two defenders chased him well behind the line of scrimmage. Johnson managed to throw a desperation pass to Bishop, who caught the ball between 2 defenders for a 22-21 lead.

Servite gave Loyola a big assist in its comeback bid on the ensuing kickoff. The Friars were guilty of a personal foul that set up Loyola at Servite’s 49-yard line. Three plays later, it was the Loyola rooting section doing the celebrating.

Loyola quarterback Matt Smith threw a 17-yard pass to Raymond Hussain and then Fuller did the rest, picking up 3 yards and then racing to the outside of Servite’s line for a 27-yard touchdown run with 1:03 remaining.

“Nothing was certain at that time because I knew they had a great field goal kicker,” Person said. “We decided to play against the run up the middle because we figured they would set him up for a kick, and we got beat outside.”

Afterwards, Steve Grady, Loyola coach, called the game one of the highlights of his 11-year coaching career.

“The game had everything . . . comebacks, momentum changes and last-minute scores,” he said. “It was unbelievable. I have to give our players a lot of credit for rebounding and overcoming a lot of mistakes.

“When they took the lead, I wasn’t thinking touchdown. I was hoping for field-goal position. I was hoping for a good kickoff return and just a chance to try a field goal. Unbelieveable.”

Fuller outdueled Brown in a battle of running backs. Fuller gained 146 yards in 19 carries and scored 3 touchdowns. Brown rushed for 82 yards in 22 carries.

ORANGE COUNTY CAREER RUSHING

Player Yrs Yds 1 Ray Pallares 83-85 5,398 Valencia 2 Robert Lee 85-87 4,401 Santa Ana 3 Myron White 72-74 4,164 Santa Ana Valley 4 Derek Brown 86-88 4,039 Servite 5 Ross Bauer 84-86 3,764 El Modena