Faulk Leads Loyola Over Esperanza, 16-3

Loyola wasn’t overpowering, but it still efficiently dispatched Anaheim Esperanza from the Southern Section Division I football playoffs, 16-3, Friday at Placentia Valencia High.

The Cubs (12-0) committed no turnovers and made enough big plays to advance to the semifinals next Saturday.

Third-seeded Loyola, the Del Rey League champion, will play second-seeded Moore League champion Long Beach Poly (12-0), which defeated Redlands, 37-27.

Loyola led by only three points at halftime but took control on the first play from scrimmage after halftime. Senior running back Stephen Faulk took a handoff off left tackle, broke to the outside, shed a few tacklers then raced 80 yards for a touchdown.

Faulk, who finished with 143 yards in 11 carries, also had a 28-yard run in the Cubs’ next possession, a 54-yard drive that resulted in a 33-yard field goal by Shaun Mutch with three minutes remaining in the third quarter to make it 16-3.

And that was more than enough for Loyola’s defense.

The Cubs didn’t allow the Aztecs into their own territory after Esperanza’s first possession of the game. Loyola’s defense also intercepted two passes and sacked Esperanza quarterback Grant Wagner four times.

Loyola nose guard Dan Fitzgibbons sacked Wagner twice in the first half, and Juan Escalera’s second-half sack was such a hard-hitting tackle that Wagner’s mouthpiece came flying out.

The Loyola secondary was also physical. Sean Currin, who also had seven receptions for 67 yards, intercepted a pass in the second half after Mark MacFarlane’s hit on Esperanza receiver Aaron Hill popped the ball into the air. Scott Silberberg intercepted a pass in the first half.

Esperanza also had two long pass plays called back after offensive pass interference calls, the second ending their final possession of the game with 1:46 remaining.

“That’s the way the whole night went,” Esperanza Coach Gary Meek said.