Loyola, Bishop Amat Finally Make It to Semifinals

Loyola High School of Los Angeles and Bishop Amat of La Puente, perennial football powers known for early departures in the Southern Section playoffs, ended years of frustration with quarterfinal victories last Friday night.

Loyola, which had not advanced into the semifinal round in the playoffs since 1977 and has not won a Southern Section championship since 1975, defeated Mater Dei of Santa Ana, 30-17.

Bishop Amat, which had been eliminated in the quarterfinal round the last 4 years, needed a defensive stand to defeat Fontana in overtime, 28-27.

Now, the winners will meet in a Division I semifinal game at 7:30 Friday night at Cerritos College.

The schools last met in the first round of the 1981 playoffs, Bishop Amat defeated Loyola, 21-20.

Coach Steve Grady, who has a 110-33-4 record at Loyola, has never won a Southern Section title. In his 13 seasons, the Cubs’ 21-0 semifinal loss to Los Altos in 1977 is the closest Grady has come to winning the title.

This season, the Cubs have answered every test in winning their second straight Del Rey League title, in defeating Antelope Valley, a Division II semifinalist; Anaheim Servite, a Division I semifinalist, and Del Rey League rival Encino Crespi.

Loyola, however, has two key players regarded as questionable for its matchup against Bishop Amat, star defensive lineman Matt Butkus and leading rusher Johann Fuller. Both have ankle injuries.

Whereas Loyola enjoyed an easy victory over Mater Dei, Angelus League power Bishop Amat had a struggle with Fontana.

In a game featuring several mini-comebacks, the Lancers had to stop a 2-point conversion run by Fontana’s Bobby Sylvester, to end Fontana’s try to repeat as Division I champion.

Running back Adam Rogers scored the Lancers’ winning touchdown on a fourth down, 1-yard run. Rogers, who finished with 100 yards in 17 carries, scored 3 touchdowns.

Bishop Amat has not won a Southern Section championship since 1971.

With 2 weeks remaining in the football season, basketball gets started this week with both tournament and nonleague action.

Here’s a look at The Times’ top teams in the City and Southern Section divisions.

BOYS

CITY--1. Cleveland (Northwest Valley Conference); 2. Westchester (Western); 3. Crenshaw (Southern Pacific); 4. Manual Arts (Western); 5. Fremont (Southeastern); 6. Granada Hills (Northwest Valley); 7. Taft (Northwest Valley); 8. Carson (Southern Pacific); 9. El Camino Real (Northwest Valley); 10. Los Angeles (Western)

SOUTHERN SECTION--1. Capistrano Valley (South Coast League); 2. Lakewood (Moore); 3. Mater Dei (Angelus); 4. Ocean View (Sunset); 5. St. Bernard (Camino Real); 6. Inglewood (Bay); 7. Rolling Hills (Bay); 8. Dominguez (San Gabriel Valley); 9. Santa Clara (Frontier); 10. Artesia (Suburban); 11. Glendora (Baseline); 12. Loyola (Del Rey); 13. Santa Barbara (Channel); 14. Muir (Pacific); 15. San Bernardino (San Andreas).

GIRLS

CITY--1. Washington (Southern Pacific Conference); 2. Fremont (Southeastern); 3. Crenshaw (Southern Pacific); 4. Reseda (Valley Pac-8); 5. Palisades (Coastal); 6. North Hollywood (Valley Pac-8); 7. Dorsey (Southern Pacific); 8. Carson (Southern Pacific); 9. Banning (Southern Pacific); 10. Westchester (Coastal)

SOUTHERN SECTION--1. Morningside (Ocean League) 2. Santa Barbara (Channel) ; 3. Palos Verdes (Bay); 4. Brea-Olinda (Orange); 5. Muir (Pacific); 6. Gahr (San Gabriel Valley); 7. Long Beach Poly (Moore); 8. Fountain Valley (Sunset); 9. Buena (Channel); 10. Capistrano Valley (South Coast ) 11. Los Altos (Sierra); 12. Hart (Foothill); 13. Santa Maria St. Joseph (Los Padres); 14. Alemany (Del Rey); 15. Downey (San Gabriel Valley).

Prep Notes

In Division II football playoff action: Palmdale quarterback Cole Speer threw 5 touchdown passes, including a 5-yard game winner to Trent Young with 1:01 left, to give the Falcons a 34-31 victory over Beverly Hills. . . . Running back Tommie Smith scored all 3 Antelope Valley touchdowns, including a 95-yard kickoff return, in the Antelopes’ 21-13 victory over Lawndale Leuzinger.

In Division III: Los Alamitos quarterback Todd Gragnano completed 14 of 17 passes for 232 yards and 3 touchdowns to receiver Ron Monninger to lead the Griffins to a 52-22 victory over Montebello Schurr. . . . Paramount wide receiver Jean Boyd caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from Jack Manu in overtime to give the Pirates a 31-24 victory over Santa Ana.

In Division IV: Los Altos defeated City of Industry Workman, 21-17, with a 40-yard fourth-down touchdown pass from Fernando Zambrano to Roger Boden with 5:07 left. . . .

It is a pair of rematches in the City 4-A Division semifinals. Carson (10-1), which defeated Granada Hills Kennedy last Wednesday, 53-0, will play host to Dorsey (9-2), which crushed Taft of Woodland Hills, 37-7. Carson, with a furious second-half rally, defeated Dorsey 3 weeks ago, 35-20. The Dons had led at halftime, 14-7.

In the other semifinal matchup, Banning (10-2) will take on San Fernando (8-3). The Pilots defeated San Fernando in the first week of the season, 25-10. . . . In the 3-A Division, Franklin (11-0) defeated Gardena, 21-7, setting up a game against Westchester (9-3) and Washington (8-4) will take on South Gate (12-0).