SOUTHERN SECTION FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS : Loyola Gets Big Play It Needs : Division I: Cubs bat away a pass to preserve 37-34 victory over Los Alamitos. Feterik passes for 355 yards. Hartley catches 11 for 208 yards.

In the end, all the big plays by Los Alamitos--and there were many--didn’t matter. Los Angeles Loyola’s Scott Walter made the last one.

In the end, Loyola gambled and won. The Cubs pulled a fast one and got a game-winning field goal out of it.

In the end, Los Alamitos learned what others so painfully discovered. Running back Mike Vanis is difficult to contain, impossible to stop.

In the end, all that got the Cubs a 37-34 victory Friday night at Glendale High and a spot in the Southern Section Division I championship game. Loyola (11-2) will play the winner of La Puente Bishop Amat-Long Beach Poly game Saturday in the Coliseum.

The Cubs survived a 355-yard passing game by the Griffins’ Kevin Feterik. They endured the ability of wide receiver Tony Hartley, who caught 11 passes for 208 yards.

The Griffins (11-2) and their pass-and-hit-the-gas offense applied pressure from the start. But when they needed it most, they could not make the big play.

Facing a fourth and five at the Los Alamitos 45, Feterik tried to hit Hartley, as he had done so many times during the game. This time, though, defensive back Scott Walter stuck to Hartley and deflected the ball. The Cubs took over and ran out the final two minutes.

“I saw the quarterback throw and I saw the receiver in front of me,” Walter said. “I broke on the guy, but I never saw the ball.”

That preserved the victory. The player made it possible was Vanis.

Vanis had rushed for 1,438 yards entering the game. He gained 152 against Fountain Valley in the first round and 195 against Fontana last week.

Los Alamitos had success against power teams. The Griffins held Mater Dei, another bump-and-thump team, to 70 yards rushing in a 23-14 victory last week. But the Griffins could not succeed where others failed. Vanis gained 228 yards in 34 carries and scored three touchdowns.

His slashing, cut-and-juke style made him difficult to catch once he got past the line and the Cubs exploited those skills. At one point, they went 17 plays without a pass. Almost all were runs by Vanis. He also played a part in a fake punt that kept alive the Cubs’ game-winning drive.

On fourth and nine at the Los Alamitos 36, Vanis took a short snap, then handed the ball between John Hilvert’s legs. Hilvert gained 16 yards for the first down. It set up a 34-yard field goal by Michael Giampaolo with 3:10 left.

“In the end, we had an answer to every challenge,” Loyola Coach Steve Grady said.

Even if it took a while to formulate that response.

Los Alamitos finished with 438 yards. Running back Ryan Gragnano gained 76 yards and scored three touchdowns. But he gained only four yards in the second half, as the Griffins went almost entirely to the pass.

Feterik, who completed 21 of 27 passes, and Hartley did as they pleased throughout much of the game. Feterik had 170 yards and Hartley had caught seven passes for 108 yards by halftime. They were a big reason the Griffins bolted to a 20-6 lead. But the Cubs didn’t fold.

“We’re a second-half team,” center Dan Afzali said. “No one can stop us in the second half.”

Vanis started that by returning the second-half kickoff 42 yards. His 37-yard run set up a four-yard touchdown run by Matt Stoll that erased the Griffins’ 20-13 halftime lead.

Vanis gained 149 yards in the second half. The Griffins were so desperate to keep the ball away from him that they attempted an on-side kick after taking a 27-20 lead. It didn’t work and Vanis capped a short drive with a one-yard touchdown run to again tie the score.

The Cubs took their first lead after recovering a Feterik fumble. It was again Vanis, who scored on a five-yard run.

“Our offense didn’t give up,” Grady said. “Our kids didn’t give up.”

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DIVISION V

SERVITE WINS: A fumbled snap at the two-yard line with 1:53 left ended Corona del Mar’s hopes and ensured Servite’s victory. C10

DIVISION VII

FULLERTON LOSES: Covina dominated the Indians from start to finish, scoring 27 first-half points and going on to a 34-0 victory. C10

TODAY’S GAMES: C10