Rambler Boys Roundup: Football Squad Continues Dominance

The Loyola Academy football team is fortunate to have more talent on its bench than most opponents have on the field.

Saturday's game against Gordon Tech in a Chicago Catholic League Conference cross-over matchup, the Ramblers proved just that.

Second string quarterback Peter Pujals led Loyola to four scoring drives on its first five possessions and a 33-7 victory on its home field. Pujals completed nine of 16 passes for 108 yards, which included two passing touchdowns. He also ran for a touchdown.

Earlier: Check out more Loyola Academy sports coverage on Patch.

Wide receivers Marquese Martin-Hayes and Charlie Dowdle were the recipients of the two Pujals passing touchdowns. Dowdle’s touchdown grab put the Ramblers up 33-0.

Loyola’s record remains a perfect 5-0, as it is listed .

Senior running back Reed Michalek carried the ball 10 times for 45 yards and two touchdowns, which all came in the first half.

But it wasn’t just a day for the offensive to shine. The Ramblers defense forced four fumbles—recovering them all and giving their virtually unstoppable offense a short field.

Ramblers head coach John Holecek told the Chicago Sun-Times that he was pleased to be able to play a number of players, which allowed him to evaluate the team’s depth.

Cross-country

The Loyola cross-country team finished seventh in the 28-team field at the Palatine Invitational.

Once again the Ramblers were led by senior Todd Ford (14 minutes, 35.1 second) who narrowly won the meet but took second individually, missing first place by just 1 second. Fellow senior and all-state hopeful William Hague wasn’t far behind Ford, finishing 12th.

The rest of the Ramblers followed in a tight pack. Kevin Donohue took 65th place, Chris Kelly 69th, Sean Lamble 73rd, Teddy Brombach 84th, and Logan Podbielski 85th.

According to assistant coach David Behof, the Ramblers are ranked 14th in the state.

Soccer

It appears that the Loyola offense is putting some pressure on its defense.

Over the past two weeks, Loyola continued its trend, winning games it allowed one goal or less and losing in those it allowed more than one goal. The Ramblers beat St. Viator 2-0 on Sept. 15, beat Mather 2-1 on Sept. 17 and lost to Fenwick 3-0 on Sept. 20.

According to the Loyola athletic website, the Ramblers have a record of 5-5 on the season.