VIDEO: Loyola Shuts Out Dunbar, Advances to Football Quarterfinals

Breaking it Down: Dunbar went to the air often in Saturday’s second-round matchup at Gately Stadium, testing ’s secondary with a countless number of deep balls. But it was the Ramblers’ front four that made the game’s biggest defensive stand.

Up 15-0 in the second quarter, the Ramblers made a goal-line stand by stopping Dunbar on four consecutive plays from their own one-yard line. Loyola would add a touchdown before halftime, and Dunbar never seriously threatened to score again as the Ramblers cruised to a 29-0 victory and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Class 8A playoffs.

Loyola’s offense was crisp at the outset, scoring touchdowns on each of its first two possessions. QB Malcolm Weaver took what the defense gave him, hitting short routes out of the Ramblers’ spread offense. Later on, he would take shots over the top, hitting Peter Pujals for a 48-yard touchdown just before halftime.

But the Ramblers struggled to put up points after their third touchdown, thanks to two missed field goals and two uncharacteristic interceptions from Weaver.

Loyola’s defense contained Dunbar QB Darvell Harris, with the exception of two big plays where the standout signal-caller broke containment and found room in the open field. The defense had two interceptions and only surrendered seven first downs all game.

With Maine South’s loss to Stevenson, Loyola Academy may be considered the favorite to win the Class 8A championship. The Ramblers lost in the playoffs to Maine South in each of the last two seasons.

Patch’s MVP: Loyola Academy Defense. Dunbar only had one big scoring threat throughout the entire game and Loyola held on four straight plays from its own one-yard line. Although Loyola only came up with two sacks on the day, the Ramblers’ pass rush was unrelenting, not giving Harris much time to find receivers. Their run defense was stout, and forced Dunbar to rely heavily on long pass attempts.

Loyola Academy Stat Pack: Weaver went 17-for-25 passing for 270 yards and threw three touchdown passes. Weaver was also picked off twice. Willie Palivos ran for 111 yards and had a touchdown on the ground. Pujals had nine catches for 181 yards and a score.

Dunbar Stat Pack: Harris finished 5-for-28 for 74 yards and two interceptions. Harris had 131 yards rushing thanks to two long runs.

Quotable I: “It was obviously huge,” Loyola coach John Holecek said about the goal-line stand. “So deflating; they’re right back in the game if they get it.”  

Quotable II: “We need to work on being precise on every single thing we do,” Pujals said. “We should have scored every drive this time, but overall we played pretty well. We just have to keep it up.”

Team Records: Loyola Academy stays undefeated at 11-0 on the season while Dunbar finishes the season at 7-4.

What’s Next: Loyola Academy moves on to the quarterfinals where it will face Lyons at home. Dunbar’s season is finished.   

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