Lobianco is everywhere for Crescenta Valley High football

Lining up at slot receiver and cornerback while both fielding punts and kickoffs, there aren’t many positions where Crescenta Valley High football’s Jordan Lobianco isn’t comfortable.

Then again, there is a position the 5-foot-7, 140-pound senior has never really enjoyed: the spotlight.

Whether it’s being featured on NBC’s Sunday night high school football highlight reel show “The Challenge,” or having video clips on Maxpreps.com or being approached by opposing players who have recognized him from film, Lobianco is everywhere.

“I didn’t even expect it,” Lobianco said of his appearance on Sunday’s episode of ‘The Challenge.’ “I was watching it last night and they starting talking about (quarterback) Brian Gadsby and I thought, ‘That’s cool.’ Then the pass ends up going to me and I’m like, ‘Oh, OK.’”

The clip was of Lobianco hauling in an 18-yard touchdown catch while just keeping his feet inbounds with 7:44 remaining in the fourth quarter of Friday’s CIF Southern Section Southeast Division quarterfinal contest at Paramount High.

The touchdown stunted a comeback attempt from the host Pirates and cemented a Falcons’ 35-14 victory that propelled the team to its first semifinal game since 1992 on Friday evening at 7:30 versus reigning divisional champion La Serna at Glendale High’s Moyse Field.

Versus Paramount, Lobianco hauled in four catches for 35 yards and one touchdown, while adding four tackles and his team-leading ninth interception of the season.

While Lobianco’s exploits aren’t new, they certainly have teammates in awe on a weekly basis.

“Lobo is so incredible at times,” senior wide receiver/defensive back Robert Benson said. “He’s not the biggest guy and I think he uses that to his advantage. People always underestimate him and he goes out and makes plays. He’ll do something on defense and then he’ll do something on offense and special teams. That’s just what he does.”

Statistically speaking, Lobianco has been busy, as he’s totaled 20 receptions for 420 yards and six touchdowns. On defense, lining up against his opponent’s best receiver, Lobianco has tallied 30 tackles and nine interceptions, three of those having been returned for scores.

On special teams, Lobianco has also been lethal with three punt returns for touchdowns and 707 yards earned through punt and kickoff returns.

In total, Lobianco has tallied 12 scores and exactly 1,400 all-purpose yards for a Falcons team that completed the program’s fourth undefeated regular season and is hoping to win the school’s second-ever CIF Southern Section title.

In terms of history, Crescenta Valley assistant coach Hudson Gossard sees parallels between this year’s Falcons team and the 2001 version that Gossard quarterbacked.

In 2001, Crescenta Valley finished undefeated during the regular season to clinch what was then the program’s last undisputed Pacific League crown thanks to Gossard’s passing and the all-around play of Dan Moody.

The All-Area pick tallied 1,134 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns that season on 110 receptions, which stands as the fourth-most in CIF Southern Section single-season history, as Crescenta Valley finished 11-1 and was eliminated by Valencia, 27-15, in the Division III quarterfinals.

“Lobo is like this team’s Danny Moody,” Gossard said. “Danny was the guy you could trust in big situations, he was our team’s energizer, a lot like Lobo.”

Like Moody, Lobianco has stepped up for his squad in the biggest of games.

Perhaps Lobianco’s signature effort came against two-time defending Pacific League champion Muir in Pasadena on Oct. 25.

The Falcons snapped the Mustangs’ 19-game league winning streak with an impressive 38-26 victory in which Lobianco did a little bit of everything in totaling a season-high 287 all-purpose yards, three tackles, two interceptions and two touchdowns.

Of the touchdowns, one was delivered on an acrobatic 82-yard pass play, while the other came via a 15-yard interception return for a score. Lobianco also aided with a giant 56-yard punt return, which gave the Falcons a short porch for another score.

Yet, ask Lobianco of his effort that day and the senior really only remembers his defensive match-up with highly touted Muir receiver Taeon Mason.

“I think I take more pride in defense and studying the film and getting ready,” said Lobianco, who has adopted the “Lobo” nicknamed bestowed on both his grandfather, Frank, and father Jim. “I get to go against the best.”

While the USC-bound Mason did haul in two touchdown receptions, Lobianco had two picks and held the receiver to only four total catches for 85 yards, which allowed his team’s defense the luxury of not employing a double-team.

“You look at Lobo and the guy just works, he just works hard,” said 6-2, 190-pound senior Chase Walker, a more prototypical-sized receiver who’s caught 33 passes for 648 yards and 10 touchdowns. “He doesn’t worry about his height, he lets other guys worry about it.

“Sometimes, I think it’s an advantage for him. Other [defensive backs] lose him, they lose him on the field and then he pops up with a 25-yard catch. The guy takes a disadvantage and turns it into an advantage.”

If there’s one player that can empathize with Lobianco, perhaps it’s 5-4, 165-pound senior running back Jonathan Jun.

The scat back dedicated himself to the weight room during the offseason and has spearheaded an often overlooked ground game with 1,234 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns.

As Jun put in the time and focus to better himself, he noticed one player with a similar dedication.

“One of the things that helped me was the extra time in the film room and one of the guys who studied a lot film was Lobo,” Jun said. “What he’s doing this year, it isn’t an accident.”

With Friday representing the biggest game in a generation for the football program, Lobianco is hesitant to speak about anything other than La Serna, including his own play.

“It’s cool to get attention, but I don’t really care about that,” Lobianco said. “I don’t want it. I just to want to win. The team expects me to do my job and that’s what I’m going to do.”