If Loyola football coach Drew Kazani had been able to hand out game balls following his team's 13-10 Mission League victory over Gardena Serra at SoFi Stadium on Thursday night, he would have had to go to a sporting goods store to find enough to give away. There were so many participants.
There was kicker/punter Jacob Cranebring, who made field goals from 44 and 35 yards despite the NFL's narrower goalposts. He also had a punt knocked down at the one-yard line.
There was linebacker Kane Kazani, who blocked a field goal that led to a long touchdown run by sophomore Malik Pollard.
Linebacker Holden Smyser and defensive linemen Max Meyer and Will Mack were there to help the defense stop Serra three of four times on fourth downs in the fourth quarter.
As a reminder, Loyola (4-3, 1-1) lost a group of players to defections from the program in the offseason, leaving behind players who raised skepticism about whether they could be competitive against top teams.
It was Loyola's tradition of playing as a group that allowed the Cubs to beat a Serra team that continues to struggle offensively. Serra (3-4, 0-2) fell behind 10-0 before tying the game on quarterback DeVon Moutra Jr., followed by a touchdown and two-point conversion from sophomore quarterback Malik Tunai.
“Man, this is great,” Kane Kazan, the head coach’s son, said. “A lot of people doubted us. We came together as a brotherhood.”
Loyola broke the tie with 4:14 left in the third quarter with a 35-yard field goal by Cranebring.
