Time to Turn Up the Volume

For a guy not inclined to make much noise with his voice, Los Angeles Loyola High linebacker Chad Slapnicka creates plenty with his body.

Slapnicka’s knack for flattening running backs behind the line of scrimmage produces a cacophony that Loyola players have dubbed “The Slap.”

“They can hear it all the way up in the stands,” said Matt Ware, a UCLA safety who starred for Loyola last year. “It’s one of those hits where you just say, ‘I don’t know if that guy Chad hit is going to get up.”’

Slapnicka, a 6-foot-2, 236-pound senior from Pacific Palisades, is regarded among the top linebackers in the state. He is an outstanding student who has made unofficial visits to and attended one-day camps at UCLA and California. He also attended a multiple-day camp at Notre Dame.

“I would love to play at a Division I school, but I also want to go to a school that is strong academically,” said Slapnicka, whose father, Tim, played safety at Oregon in the early 1970s.

Last season, his first as a starter, Slapnicka teamed with Jordan Trott to give Loyola one of the most formidable linebacker tandems in the state. Loyola finished 12-2 after advancing to the Southern Section Division I final where the Cubs lost to Long Beach Poly, 16-13, in overtime.

“Chad’s hard-nosed,” said Steve Grady, heading into his 26th season as Loyola’s coach. “The more games he played, the better he got at knowing when to go around a block and when to go through one. He continually improved and became a smarter linebacker.”

Loyola will rely heavily on Slapnicka’s sharp mind this season. With Trott gone to Virginia Tech, Slapnicka will call the defensive sets and blitzes for a unit that also includes UCLA-bound defensive lineman Kevin Harbour among a notable front seven.

“I have to step up and be the leader because we’re going to be pretty young as a team,” Slapnicka said. “The coaches have talked to me about it and I’m ready for the responsibility.

“I tend to lead more by example, but if I need to be vocal this year, I can do that.”

Slapnicka spent most of his childhood in Oregon and Connecticut before moving to Southern California prior to high school. He shuttled between the Loyola sophomore team and the varsity in 1999 without much fanfare.

“He was real quiet--almost scary quiet,” Ware said. “He wouldn’t talk to anybody and I was kind of wondering, ‘what is this kid thinking?’ ”

Slapnicka became a starter last season and methodically established himself as a cornerstone of the Loyola defense. The turning point for him in came in Week 9 against La Puente Bishop Amat. Slapnicka recorded three sacks in the first half.

“I got better every game after that,” Slapnicka said.

Loyola finished the regular season with only one loss--a 24-21 last-second defeat by Santa Ana Mater Dei--and won the Del Rey League title.

Slapnicka injured his knee in the Cubs’ 17-14 overtime victory over Rialto Eisenhower in a playoff semifinal and he did not practice in the days leading up to the final against Poly. But he played the entire game against the Jackrabbits and was instrumental in neutralizing running back Hershel Dennis for most of the game.

Loyola scored a go-ahead touchdown with 1:12 left in regulation before Poly sent the game into overtime with a field goal with four seconds remaining.

“Once we scored, we thought we had it,” Slapnicka said. “But against a team with that many offensive weapons, we knew they were capable of coming back.”

Loyola, which last won the title in 1990, is retooling its offense with the departures of Ware, who played quarterback, and running back Rafael Rice, who transferred to Mater Dei. Grady said Slapnicka’s role on offense will be determined by the toll it takes on his defensive performance.

Slapnicka is just eager to start playing. The Cubs open against San Francisco St. Ignatius Sept. 8.

“We’re not going to be as wide open as we were last year with Matt--it’s going to be more smash-mouth,” he said. “But that’s OK with me. I just like to hit people.”