Loyola Stymies White, Crespi Once Again, 17-6

Loyola High School had more of the same for Crespi All-American Russell White.

The Cubs, rated No. 1 in the nation by USA Today, held Crespi to 143 yards Saturday night and came from behind for a 17-6 victory at Glendale High to win the Del Rey League championship.

“They’re every bit as good on defense as their reputation said they were,” Crespi Coach Bill Redell said. “We tried a lot of different stuff and didn’t get anything done.”

White, also held under 100 yards in his 2 previous varsity seasons by the Cubs, finished with only 19 yards in 10 carries.

Loyola tailback Johann Fuller had 138 yards and a touchdown in 24 carries.

Crespi (5-5 overall, 3-1 in league play) held a 6-3 lead at halftime, but for the second week in a row, Loyola rallied to protect its ranking.

Loyola (10-0, 4-0) took the second-half kickoff and needed only 8 plays to drive 75 yards and take the lead for good.

Fuller and Mike Buckley (87 yards in 17 carries) took turns in a display of power football before quarterback Matt Smith ran 1 yard for the touchdown to make it 10-6 with 8:08 left in the third quarter.

“We got away from what we do best,” Loyola Coach Steve Grady said of the first half. “We passed a little and got a little cute. Then we went back to the run.”

Fuller led the charge for Loyola’s final score. He carried 5 times in a 6-play, 53-yard drive, which he finished with an 8-yard dash up the middle. Fuller and Buckey combined for 169 yards in the second half, 99 by Fuller.

The first half was a battle of kickers. Loyola’s Paul Stonehouse, a two-time All-Big 5 Conference selection, gave the Cubs a 3-0 lead on a 24-yard kick with 11:33 left in the half.

Stonehouse shanked a 23-yard punt from his own 23-yard line, and Crespi’s Matt Saputo tied the score with a school-record 51-yard field goal with 2:31 left in the second quarter.

On Loyola’s ensuing possession, Smith was pressured on a roll-out pass and threw a wobbler over the middle that was intercepted by linebacker Chris Romero at the Loyola 42. Romero’s 10-yard return gave Saputo another shot, and with 4 seconds left in the half, he connected from 43 yards to make it 6-3.

Crespi was surprisingly solid on defense in the first half, holding the Cubs to 138 yards. Loyola, which beat Crespi in the final regular-season game for the second year in a row, finished with 335 yards.

“You can throw all the W’s out in something like this,” Loyola lineman Matt Butkus said. “This is a big rivalry. We were really prepared. They ran everything that we practiced for.”

Crespi quarterback Ron Redell completed 11 of 21 attempts for 81 yards and threw 2 interceptions.