If Loyola football coach Drew Casani could give out game balls after his team’s 13-10 Mission League win over Gardena Serra at SoFi Stadium on Thursday night, he’d need to go to a sporting goods store to find enough to hand out. There were so many contributors.
There was kicker/punter Jacob Kreinbring making field goals from 44 and 35 yards despite narrower NFL goal posts. He also had a punt downed at the one-yard line.
There was linebacker Kane Casani, who blocked a field goal that led to a long touchdown return by sophomore Malique Pollard.
There was linebacker Holden Smyser and defensive linemen Max Meier and Will Mack, all of whom helped the defense stop Serra three out of four times on fourth downs in the fourth quarter.
Remember that Loyola (4-3, 1-1) lost a group of players who abandoned the program in the offseason, leaving behind players who drew skepticism whether they would be competitive against top teams.
It’s that Loyola tradition of playing as a group that allowed the Cubs to beat a Serra team that continues to struggle on offense. Serra (3-4, 0-2) fell behind 10-0, then tied the game on a DeVohn Moutra Jr. safety, followed by a touchdown run and two-point conversion from sophomore quarterback Malik Tunai.
“Man, this feels great,” said Kane Casani, who’s the son of the head coach. “A lot of people doubted us. We came together as a brotherhood.”
Loyola broke the tie with 4:14 left in the third quarter on Kreinbring’s 35-yard field goal.
