Loyola, Back on Track, Defeats St. Paul, 17-7

It was arguably the most important game of the year for Loyola.

The Cubs’ 17-7 victory over St. Paul Friday night was a crucial step in regaining momentum for the playoffs after last week’s 28-14 loss to Del Rey League leader Bishop Amat.

“This was a very big win for us coming off a disappointing loss,” Loyola coach Steve Grady said. “I’m proud of the way the team responded.”

The Cubs (9-1 overall, 4-1 league) ended the season in second place in the Del Rey League. St. Paul (5-5, 3-2) finished in third place.

Both Loyola and St. Paul came up empty on their initial offensive possessions despite well-organized drives by both teams.

The Swordsmens’ first drive ended with a missed 47-yard field goal attempt by kicker Dave Candelas. When the Cubs regained the ball, their drive ended when kicker Mark McDonald’s 37-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right.

But Loyola culminated a second-quarter drive that lasted 5:59 when quarterback Clelio Boccato connected with Tom Lieb on a 13-yard touchdown pass with 46 seconds left in the half.

“I felt great out there,” said Boccato, who completed six of 10 passes for 81 yards and two touchdowns “Lieb is a great receiver with hands of gold.”

The Cubs didn’t waste time putting points on the board in the second half as they marched the opening kickoff to St. Paul’s 17-yard line. McDonald nailed a 27-yard field goal to extend Loyola’s lead to 10-0.

Swordsmen quarterback Joel Duarte, who completed six of 10 passes for 65 yards, threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Travis Griffin to trim Loyola’s lead to 10-7 with 1:36 left in the third quarter.

But Boccato hooked up with Lieb again, this time for an 11-yard touchdown pass, to give Loyola the 17-7 margin of victory.

“Our defense played tough, but we let them out of the hole a couple of times,” St. Paul Coach Ron Henke said.

St. Paul running back Morris Luevano rushed for 95 yards on 15 carries as the Swordsmen amassed 169 total yards on offense. Loyola was impressive with a 267-yard offensive performance.

Loyola, ranked ninth in the state, now goes on to the Southern Section Division I playoffs, which start Friday. The Cubs’ opponent will be announced Monday.