By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
It’s rare, maybe unprecedented, that a loss can lead directly to a Shreveport-Bossier Journal Team of the Week honor.
But it’s rare anybody gives North DeSoto a run for its money, especially in Stonewall. When Loyola did last Friday night, the Flyers not only pushed the state’s top-ranked Class 4A team for four quarters, but they also quieted a lot of skeptics.
Loyola came in 8-0 and unchallenged. The Flyers opened against three outmanned Class A opponents, dominated them and just kept rolling. The battle for the District 1-4A lead between two unbeaten teams had the full attention of local media and fans and was on the radar of anyone tracking top teams statewide.
The Flyers had leads, just couldn’t hold them, and the Griffins prevailed 63-49. It was not a moral victory, said Loyola’s second-year coach John Sella, but it was validation.
“I was extremely happy that the game got a lot of hype, and we didn’t disappoint. In a lot of cases, there’s a lot of hype going in and somebody goes out and lays an egg. We didn’t.
“It was fun to put on a show, but it feels a lot better when you’re on the other side of it. People were complimenting us, but it still goes in the L column,” said Sella.
“My message to our team was, ‘Great job, really proud of how hard you fought, but I don’t want this special team to have its greatest memory being, ‘remember that time we almost beat a really good team?’ I want more than that. We’ve got to stay on the course, and it’s another tough one this week.”
That’s 8-1 Northwood, also with its only blemish a competitive loss to North DeSoto. After a season smacking down overwhelmed opponents, the Flyers have peer pressure, and Sella addressed that with his team.
“This is what the playoffs are like,” he said. “You’ve got to stack good games back to back. They’re going to be close, physical, hard-fought battles. You can’t rest on your laurels of what happened the week before. You’ve got to keep going forward.
“Little things here and there … there’s a lot we could have done better,” said Sella. “The defense got us a couple stops, and a couple turnovers, and we didn’t do enough with it. That’s on me, offensively. We’ve got to capitalize when the defense gets us the ball, especially against a team that good offensively.
“We’ve preached all year, little details are going to matter in tough games against good opponents. It showed up – in a few cases we were just a half-step late, didn’t squeeze it just enough. Those mistakes are all a good team needs to get the winning edge,” he said.
But the close call isn’t all the Flyers have accomplished. They’ve taken a sledgehammer to their decades-deep record book. A few tidbits:
- Junior Bryce Restovich has become Loyola’s career passing yardage leader with 5,737 yards, breaking the previous mark of 5,699 held by Matt Norton (2010-12).
- Jake Black is five catches away from setting the record for most receptions in a career (John Williams, 122). The senior has broken the school record by catching a pass in 32 straight games.
- Sophomore Charlie McKenzie is 17 yards from the top spot in receiving yardage in a season (John Williams, 898)
- Mason Drake is only the fifth Flyer to have two 1,000-yard seasons in a career. The senior is currently No. 4 on the career rushing list with 2,685 yards.
- Sophomore Ty Walsworth is one game away from tying the record for most consecutive games with a touchdown reception (10).
- Yet another soph, Cooper Varnadore, has the school record for PAT kicks in a season with 65 (old record – 53).
Those milestones wouldn’t be feasible without a relatively unheralded offensive line, said Sella, a group led by center Ian Wallace.
“He’s been the key. He directs traffic up there. The offensive staff was talking early in the year, and decided if we could protect Bryce, we would have a chance to be pretty good. The offensive line has done an amazing job of protecting and keeping him clean.”
Alongside Wallace are fellow seniors Bennett Lawson, Cade Kirby, Johnny Roberts and junior Ryan Sipes.
On defense, Loyola’s been stout, and has gotten a boost in the secondary from junior cornerback J.T. Taylor.
“J.T. hasn’t gotten a ton of attention but he’s forced a bunch of turnovers, had a couple defensive touchdowns. He’s a solid cover corner who’s done everything we’ve asked. He’s also given us hope when somebody breaks one against us – used to be when that happened, we were like, ‘kickoff return get ready’ – but he’s been able to chase ‘em down from the backside quite a few times.”
With Northwood next, and eyes on making a playoff run, Loyola’s playing very well. What would make them even better?
“We’ve got to be consistent. We saw last week, the little details really matter, and last week we were not as consistent play to play as we needed to win against a team that good,” said Sella.
“And now, we have another game like it,” he said. “But I like how we’re responding.”
Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com