The Loyalist

Varsity Golf captures CIF Title

For the fifth consecutive year, the Varsity Track and Field Cubs have cap-tured the CIF Division II Title. This five-peat is no small accomplishment, and the Cubs have credited much of their success to the leadership on and off the field, while also living by Head Coach Michael Porterfield’s famous “pride and class” motto.

Prior to CIF playoffs, the Cubs faced perhaps their toughest meet of the season, next to Notre Dame, against Harvard-Westlake. Determined to bring down Loyola to secure a better position in the CIF prelims, the Wolverines were defeated 90-30 by the Cubs whose 4 x 800 team and sprinters definitely impacted the meet.

“It was an opportunity for us to see where we are, measure ourselves, practice and compete,” said Coach Porterfield. “It doesn’t matter who shows up or what color uniform they have on, we’re going to compete. So if they bring a million or if they bring one, we’re gonna compete. We did a good job that day; we did what we were supposed to do.”

Senior sprinter David Tassone said, “The win over Harvard-Westlake helped seal the Mission League Title, solidifying the seniors' 24-0 record our four years at Loyola.”

Senior long-distance runner Jared Jones said, “What was different this year was the fact that Harvard-Westlake had acquired a number of extremely talented young indi-viduals that rivaled us in some events. We didn’t let this stop us from doing what we do best, competing at the highest level with integrity, pride and class.”

After the win over Harvard-Westlake allowed the Cubs to take the Mission League title, they were ready for the jour-ney to CIF championship. First, the team faced CIF Prelims on Saturday, May 12, where various teams from the Division II Southern Section competed in time trials, rather than against each other, to secure spots in the CIF Finals.

“CIF prelims were tough this year, but our team rallied together and got the

bulk of our CIF squad to qualify for finals,” said Jones.

Jones also said that the Track & Field Team, to conserve energy, stopped hav-ing two-a-day prac-tices and shortened workouts during the CIF playoffs.

Coach Porterfield said, “There’s no mag-ical workout in that week. At the end of the season, we design the workouts to make the kids run their fast-est. When we get to this point, a lot of rest is involved, actually. We put ourselves in a position to be suc-cessful with qualify-ing that Saturday.”

So the Cubs, ener-gized with adrena-line and fully rested, ventured to Mt. San Antonio College last Saturday in hopes of achieving their fifth consecutive CIF championship. All groups of the Track & Field Team improved upon their times, specifically junior Morgan Simon running a 10.53s 100-meter sprint and 21.14s 200-meter sprint, both of which are Loyola records. With strong support from the sprinters and incredible times by the long-distance squad, the Cubs captured the CIF title.

“Great team effort,” said Coach Porterfield. “I am very proud of how the kids competed. It was an opportunity for this group of kids to be successful, through their hard work and being blessed.”

Tassone said, “People were improving their times from last week, and in the end it was enough to make us CIF Champions for the fifth consecutive year!”

The final step for the Cubs this year

will be CIF State play, with prelims begin-ning next Friday, June 1. But in order to qualify for State, the Cubs will have to compete in the CIF Masters meet, which is today. Those who qualified for CIF Masters include the 4x100 team which consists of junior Lee Duncan, Tassone, junior Morgan Simon and sophomore Mekai Sheffie. Additionally, Simon quali-fied in the 100- and 200-meter sprint, jun-ior Josh Lewis qualified for the 800, and senior Charlie Marquardt qualified for the 3200.

Both Tassone and Jones said they believe that the Cubs have what it takes to capture a sixth consecutive CIF title next year, even with the loss of some key seniors, including Tassone, Jones, Nick Budincich,

Robert Jenkins, Ned Trim, Andrew Bland and Marquardt. Promising individu-als include sprinters Simon, Sheffie and Duncan; long-distance runners Lewis and freshman Robert Brandt; and pole-vaulter Michael Reyes, a junior.

Coach Porterfield said, “Every year the team has its own identity. If you look at the team who were CIF champions in 2011, I think the only people in 2012 who were returners were David Tassone and Nick Budincich. When you say ‘next year,’ anything can happen.”

Overall, the Cubs have captured the CIF Division II title, have sent several run-ners to CIF Masters, and have a positive outlook on next season. The CIF Masters begins today at 4:30 at Cerritos College.

Track & Field runs to fifth consecutive CIF TitleBy Brandon Dempster

By Charlie Cooper

Finishing 18-6-1, the Loyola Varsity Golf team improved its record over last year’s. The team took league with

an 11-1 record, won the CIF Southern Section Championship tournament at Lakewood Country Club and placed sixth in CIF Southern Section Finals.

Golfer Patrick Blay, a junior, unhappy

about the finals, said, “Kind of a disap-pointing finish with an off day as a team. We didn’t meet our expectations, but it definitely was a good and successful year coming out with a CIF Championship ring.”

Freshman Bryant Falconello agreed with Blay: “I believed we had every opportunity to win state and missed by only a few strokes.”

Head Coach Robert Gorr focused on the positive. He said, “We came together and were able to win the championship through commitment to each other and common purpose.”

Senior Blake Fierro, freshman Bryant Falconello and Blay all qualified for CIF Individuals at Las Posas Country Club last week. Fierro and Falconello each shot a 79, two too many strokes to advance.

Blay’s score of 74 advanced him to the CIF Southern Section Individual Championships which were Monday at the Victoria Club in Riverside. Blay’s score of 77 was not enough to allow him to advance, only those with scores of 72 or below.

Seniors Stephen Lopez, Blake Fierro and Jeremy Tuggy provided not

only great performances but also great leadership. Lopez was the only senior who was on the CIF winning squad.

Because of many hours spent trav-eling and on courses, the team bond-ed. Falconello said, “As the only fresh-man on the team, I couldn’t have had better relationships or more fun!”

Sophomore Ryan Irwin said, “Some people expect us not to be as close because golf is an individual sport, but we have great camaraderie and get along well.”

Coach Gorr said he is pleased with the team’s growth this year: “We, as a team, built high character and set a foundation for future success. Varsity Golf exemplifies commitment, class, composure and perseverance.”

Having completed his first year as head coach, Mr. Gorr said, “It was a great experience. I am proud to be part of team and to be involved with such a great group of young men.”

As he graduates, Blay said he is hopeful for Varsity Golf next year: “Hopefully, next year we can do a repeat and have the same success as this year."

Varsity Track & Field celebrates after capturing the CIF Title. PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVID TASSONE

The Varsity Golf team emerges from CIF victorious. PHOTO COURTESY OF PATRICK BLAY

2 News May 24, 2012

By Neil McQueen

After two years without a match, Loyola's Comedy Sportz team returned to the stage Friday, Mar. 16, in a match against Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, and a month later, Friday, Apr. 20, in a match against Immaculate Heart.

Comedy Sportz provides com-petitive improvisational comedy at the high school, collegiate and post-collegiate levels. Much like the hit TV show Whose Line is it Anyway?, matches consist of skits and games in which players from each team act on the spot. The funnier a team is, the more points the team earns. The win-ner is the team that accumulates the most points by the end of the match.

The team this year consists of juniors Kevin Khamneipur, Avery Schwartz, Anthony Perasso, Andrew Mead, Benjamin Foster, Ramon Sison, Chris Villalpondo, Jack Wegleitner, Paul Ayoub and Neil McQueen; sophomores Quentin Casalenuovo and Matt Culhane; and freshman Fletcher Wolfe. Seven veterans return, and six rookies have joined the team.

“The team is stupendous,” said team captain Khamneipur. “We have a lot witty members, veterans and rookies who've been honing their skills. We were proud to introduce Comedy Sportz to all those who were at our Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy game, and we hope to have many more.”

“Our match against FSHA was a great success,” said Khamneipur. “We played vet-erans Chris Villalpando, Avery Schwartz, Anthony Perasso and

Paul Ayoub, and introduced rookies Matt Culhane and Fletcher Wolfe. We were success-ful in our goal to re-introduce Comedy Sportz to curious Cubs, and we happened to get some fans in the process.”

In the end, the FSHA team proved victorious by a hand-ful of points. Both teams said they enjoyed competing, and audience members left wanting to know when the next match would be.

At the Immaculate Heart match, Immaculate Heart pre-vailed by one point. This time around, veteran Mead appeared on stage for the first time this year, having been unavailable for the match against FSHA.

In the audience, junior Johnny Dezzutti said, “I went to the Comedy Sportz competition not expecting a whole lot, but it was really fun for the audience, and both teams did very well.”

Despite the free, improvised nature of Comedy Sportz, mem-bers took a lot of time in organiz-ing and planning to get the club up and running again.

“Leading a comeback for Comedy Sportz was pretty tough,” said Khamneipur. “I thought the only thing I'd have to do was set up games, but a lot of technicalities prevented us from playing games right away. The good news is that after many workshops with the team and talking to the Comedy Sportz League, we're able to set up games as we please now.”

“The Loyola community needs to find out about Comedy Sportz,” said Dezzutti. “It is a nice switch-up from a play or a sporting event.”

The Comedy Sportz Cubs 'make 'em laugh'

Stories from Loyola's Greatest Generation gathered in publicationBy Jackson Coleman

Social Science teacher Mr. Levi Line and the roughly 150 students in his history classes have written and published The Greatest Google Generation, a compilation of student interviews and photographs of World War II survivors.

Mr. Line said the idea of The Greatest Google Generation actually came to him from the teachers at High Tech High where Social Science teachers from around the Los Angeles Catholic Archdiocese met on Friday, Mar. 23. Mr. Line said that teachers there incorporate many projects, such as online research and video projects and evaluating historic aspects of pictures, into their curriculum.

The Greatest Google Generation includes stories from the Pacific theatre, European theatre, the home front as well as stories from Japanese intern-ment camps. Mr. Line said he wanted to create The Greatest Google Generation because the Google generation has spent little time asking the greatest generation about their experiences.

Mr. Line said he “looked at history differently,” because of his grandfather, who told him stories of his experiences in World War II and who created a passion in Mr. Line “to pursue history in every aspect of life.” Mr. Line said he also hopes "this book inspires other teachers to come up with their own ideas to create these types of books.”

Sophomore Peter Riemers, who interviewed his grandmother about President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Riemers’s great-great uncle, said, “The project was a good way to tie into what I knew and what I was fortunate enough to learn about my family.” The Eisenhower Library in Kansas has purchased five copies of The Greatest Google Generation, according to Mr. Line.

Sophomore Nick Zoppi interviewed his grand-father, who served on an aircraft carrier after the war; Zoppi said he found the project interesting because he had not “really talked to his grandfa-ther about his teenager years.” Zoppi also men-tioned that the project was “cool, because I haven’t really talked with my grandfather, and I got to spend a lot of time talking with him.”

Sophomore Melan Salinas interviewed his grandmother who “was a civilian at the time but a lot of her close friends fought” in the war. Salinas said he thought “the project was amazing,” “It was a great way to help us learn what people from our

family and whom we know outside of family went through. The fact that Coach Line put it in a book was amazing because it showed his passion for teaching and gave us a chance to say we’re pub-lished.”

Junior Jacques Spinner interviewed his grand-father, Paul Spinner, who was a marine on an anti-submarine vessel in the Pacific.

Spinner said, “The project was cool because our generation can get real live accounts; it’s important we know what they struggled through because they lived through so much.” Spinner said the proj-ect required students to connect with their family’s past

Junior Joshua Dela Cruz interviewed his grand-mother who was living in the Philippines. “I enjoyed interviewing my grandmother and listen-ing to her stories,” he said.

Kevin Khamneipur is penalized with a brown bag foul.PHOTO BY NEIL MCQUEEN

"The Greatest Google Generation" can be purchased for $40 at lulu.com. PHOTO BY ALEX ALVARADO

May 24, 2012 News 3

Loyola bids farewell to teachersBy David Pollack, Brandon Kim, David Karamardian, Griffin Cohen, and Chris Kymn

At the end of this school year, the Loyola community will say goodbye to seven faculty members. Two have taken jobs at different schools, two are returning to school to continue their studies, and three are, in effect, retiring.

Mr. Robert Eleuteri

Mr. Eleuteri joined Loyola’s faculty on Mar. 1, 2004, and has accepted a position at St. Augustine’s High School in San Diego.

Besides teaching Honors Pre-Calculus and AP Calculus AB, Mr. Eleuteri has been involved in mathematics com-petition programs. For several years he has led the Math Day at the Beach team, which competes annually at Cal State Long Beach, and he brought the AMC to Loyola in 2006.

“From the beginning, I wanted to do something to really stimulate the math program, to reach out to stu-dents who wanted to become competitive in math,” Mr. Eleuteri said. “We’re such a competitive school in so many ways, so I wanted to do something in math. Thankfully, with the support of the administration and other math teachers in the Math Department, we were able to do that.”

According to math teacher Mr. Allen Martin, the AMC has been very successful: “It has grown pretty much every year and has been a really good thing. Typically, a school has 40 or 50 kids take the test. This year, we had 400 or so take the AMC.”

Mr. Eleuteri said, “I think that while running the AMC is a ton of work, it is extremely rewarding to see kids advance, to see students take the AIME or even when they beat out their score from the previous year. Another point of the AMC is not to reach just the guys who move onto the next round but also stimulate interest across the board. It is really nice that we have so many guys take the test.”

In 2010, Mr. Eleuteri joined Mr. Cedric Ebiner as co-moderator of the Right to Life Club. According to Mr. Eleuteri, one of the year’s highlights is when he, Mr.

Udoh and four students participated in the Walk for Life in San Francisco. Mr. Eleuteri also took students to listen to off-campus speakers and assisted with recurring events, such as the Bottle Drive. Mr. Eleuteri has also led CLC senior groups for the last seven years, including The Fellas this year.

Mr. Eleuteri said, “I am really excited that for the past eight school years, I’ve been able to teach Honors and AP classes. I’ve had some really excellent students and just had an enjoyable time working with my students. Just across the board, the number of people that have sup-ported me in my work has just been outstanding.”

Mr. Ike Udoh

Mr. Ike Udoh, S.J., a theology teacher in his third year at Loyola, will continue his Jesuit training next year.

Mr. Udoh will head to the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, where he will begin working towards a Master’s Degree of Divinity in Theology. These studies are part of every Jesuit’s formation, as each is required to study philosophy and theology. This process should take him three years, at the end of which he will be ordained a Jesuit priest.

Mr. Udoh has taught Freshman Scripture, Theology II and Moral Theology. Practically all Jesuits teach for two to three years during their formation, with most teaching at the high school level.

After his completing his studies at Berkeley, Mr. Udoh will have to decide where he wants to focus his work. “I have a couple of different things I am thinking about. Teaching is definitely one possibility,” said Mr. Udoh. “The field of medicine is definitely another. There are many different areas I can be involved in.”

Mr. Udoh said that teaching at Loyola has been an enlightening experience: “I think this experience has helped me understand where this new generation is com-ing from. What are their joys? What are their concerns, their sorrows? I will take that with me to know how to approach my studies in order to be able to respond to the needs that I’ve found.”

Ms. Kristin Okita

Ms. Kristin Okita, assistant athletic trainer for the last six years, will continue her studies in medicine. “Becoming a phy-sician’s assistant has always been what I want to do,” she said.

Before coming to Loyola, Ms. Okita graduated from Cal State University Northridge, where she was a student trainer. “When I was hired at Loyola, I was actually only planning on staying two years,” said Ms. Okita who quickly fell in love with the school and stayed longer than expected.

“It’s been a great place to work. I love the kids. I love the sense of community,” she said. “It’s been a really hard deci-sion to leave.”

Along with head athlet-ic trainer Mr. Tim Moscicki, Ms. Okita has assisted all of Loyola’s various sports teams, forming strong relationships with students.

“Kristin has been there for me through a lot,” said varsity football linebacker and junior Henry Castillo. “She has been an amazing trainer, and she’s going to be missed by all the people she touched. No matter what, she’ll always be a Cub.”

Despite moving on, Ms. Okita said she plans to visit: “I consider you guys an extend-ed family. I definitely plan to come back and visit a lot. I’m a Cub at heart.”

Mr. John

Pappas

Mr. John Pappas, teacher of Honors Geometry since 2004, said he plans to spend his time volunteering wherever he can make an impact.

Mr. Pappas said he has enjoyed teaching here: “The community here is so unique. Rarely do you see everyone at a school get along so well and respect one another like every-one else does here.”

Before becoming a math teacher, Mr. Pappas worked at a gym, training teenagers for bodybuilding contests. “Seeing them succeed was more gratifying than any success I had ever attained. I decided to teach because it was more meaningful and rewarding than working in a gym,” he said.

Just like the bodybuilders, Mr. Pappas’s own students meet their own success in his class. Mr. Pappas said that he tries to be as motivational as he can and has his stu-dents do AMC problems and tougher problems than the easier math problems.

To the Loyola community, he said, “Thank you for the best eight years. The students here are the best, and I am sure future students will continue the tradition.”

Mr. Thomas Vavra

Mr. Thomas Vavra, a counselor for 25 years at Loyola, is retiring, but not leaving Loyola.

Mr. Vavra will continue to assist Head Coach Michael Overing with speech and debate. Mr. Vavra will also continue the annual East Coast College Tour with Mr. Terry Caldwell during inter-semester break. In addition, Mr. Vavra said he hopes to continue to teach Literary Traditions I during summer school.

“Loyola is part of my life, so I want to stay somewhat involved. Daily Mass, the flexibility of the administration and the support from the Loyola family have made me a better man,” Mr. Vavra said.

“Mr. Vavra came to Loyola High School in the fall of 1987, at a time when we were starting to build our coun-seling department,” said Principal Frank Kozakowski. “His experience as a high school counselor was invalu-able.”

Mr. Vavra said, “I will definitely miss the students. The Loyola Cubs exhibit dedication and discipline, not only in the classroom but in all their ventures.”

Mr. Vavra said his high school, Cathedral Latin School in Cleveland, Ohio, was like Loyola in that both are Catholic college preparatory schools for boys. (Cathedral Latin is now co-ed.) Students interested in joining the priesthood attended the school, which was modeled after the famous Boston Latin School. “Coming to Loyola was ‘deja vu all over again,’ to quote Yogi Berra,” Mr. Vavra said.

Mr. Vavra said some of his most unforgettable experi-ences occurred during his sixteen years as head coach of the speech and debate team.

“The most memorable moment was when the Loyola Speech and Debate Team received the National Forensics League Award for the best overall speech team in the nation for the 1990’s. That 1998-99 Loyola Speech Team had three future valedictorians,” Mr. Vavra said.

Loyola parents and faculty have also shown their appreciation for all Mr. Vavra has accomplished for students as he prepares to move on. “The letters I have received from Loyola parents have been overwhelming,” Mr. Vavra said. “I will also miss my fellow counselors, the faculty, the support staff and the administration who have been very kind and professional to me.”

Guidance counselor, teacher, speech and debate coach, East Coast college tour organizer and Interchange coordi-nator for sports memorabilia--Mr. Vavra has worn many proverbial hats during his tenure, and his enthusiasm and passion for the Cubs have not waned.

Mrs. Mychela Burke Marshall

Mrs. Mychela Burke Marshall, who has taught at Loyola for the past seven years, will move with her husband and two children to Chicago this summer, and substitute teacher Mr. Blake Wells has been assigned her teaching responsibilities.

Currently on maternity leave after the recent birth of her second child, Mrs. Burke Marshall said she does not plan to resume teaching but to be a stay-at-home mom for at least the next few years.

“To move back to Chicago will allow me to stay at home with my kids for a while and put us closer to our family and friends,” said Mrs. Burke Marshall.

Mr. Wells, Class of 2006, substituted for Mrs. Burke Marshall during her first maternity leave last year and is currently substituting for Ms. Alirian Mejia while she is on sabbatical.

“I’m excited to be back, and I’m glad that you guys have had me back here at Loyola and look forward to becoming even more a part of the community,” said Mr. Wells.

Chair of the Foreign Language Department for the past three years, Mrs. Burke Marshall has handed over these duties to Spanish teacher Mr. Pablo Pedroarias.

Mrs. Burke said, “I will sincerely miss the entire Loyola community. It was a bittersweet decision to leave this job, but it is the best choice for our family. I wish everyone nothing but the best.”

Mrs. Tracye Duckett-Lacy

Mrs. Tracye Duckett-Lacy, unable to be reached for an interview, has accepted a position as guidance counselor at Immaculate Heart High School.

4 Opinion May 24, 2012

Junior Kairos during AP'scauses consternation

By Cyrus Jabbari

Nearly thirty-three years ago was the advent of the Kairos retreat program, an experience shared by Catholic college and high school students across the nation. Intended as a private spir-itual event, the details of Kairos are for its participants.

This retreat program derives from the Rev. Douglas L. Brown, S.J., of the Diocese of Brooklyn, and his “Christian Awakening” retreats which apply the princi-ples of The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola. Brown’s pro-gram was adopted by Catholic schools in thirteen states in 1968. With popularity on the rise, the Rev. Kevin McBrien named the retreat “Chiros” in 1975. By 1995, twenty Jesuit high schools in America had incorporated Kairos into their retreat programs.

Loyola High School of Los Angeles, fostering the spiritual

teachings of St. Ignatius and encouraging more active spiri-tuality in students, completed its 93rd Kairos on April 27. This tra-ditional four-day and three-night event was one for junior partici-pants to remember as a wonder-ful ecclesiastical activity, yet it is also known as the event that took away precious time in one of the most crucial moments of the juniors’ high school careers.

Juniors left the Kairos retreat happy and enlightened but were soon overcome by the horror that lay ahead of them. Four days they had been away from their school; four days they had lost in a time so close to SAT test-ing and Advanced Placement exams. A great number of Loyola juniors are proud to say that they have taken the challenge of an Advanced Placement course. And a significant number of students on the 93rd Kairos claimed such a challenge as their own. They

engaged in spiritual strengthen-ing while on their retreat but were brought back to the ephem-eral shortly after. With SAT I tests and subject tests to study for, gru-elingly cumulative AP exams to prepare for, and unquestionably amplified amounts of homework piled on by AP, Honors, and non-Honors courses, these innocent, spiritually-guided juniors felt attacked for having chosen the wrong time to engage in such an important retreat. They could not escape all the work they evaded for four days. For those who want to succeed in school, receive AP credit for courses, and excel on a standardized test, escape was no option. Yet poor performance and unsatisfactory delivery were the outcomes for a notable number. Failing test scores, incomplete homework, sleep deprivation and belated AP studying resulted—as they always have. An unsightly pat-

tern has developed in our school, in which Kairos and preparation for AP exams are occurring far too immediately.

Year after year, juniors, strick-en with unhappiness, warn underclassmen of the dangers of AP exams and foolishly discour-age future AP enrollment. Still, their actions are not unwarrant-ed; they are blinded by the load of labors before them and find it easier to blame something in the future (AP exams) than in the past (Kairos). But a better way of approaching the problem is not necessarily to blame Kairos. The problem is simply that the retreat and exams occur so closely that juniors have made and must make the decision of attending Kairos or performing to the best of their abilities in school.

Perhaps AP students skipping Junior Kairos, attending senior year, and saving Junior Kairos for non-AP students would be

best. Well, that thinking contra-dicts the value of bringing a com-munity together by essentially segregating the AP and non-AP students. The opportunity for Kairos must remain equal. It cannot tarnish the academic record of students, as such prin-ciple violates the reputation of this scholastically adept environ-ment. Choices of post-secondary schooling are heavily influenced by junior year performance. The crux of the issue can be resolved by changing the schedule of Junior Kairos to a time far away from unsettling events—perhaps a time when spiritual growth and ease would be most appreciated. In this schedule change, we nur-ture our spiritual and education-al abilities. The damage has been done. I pray that future juniors will not suffer the fates of many of the past.

Cyrus Says. . .

Co-Editor-in-Chief says good-byeBy Joseph Scudiero

When I look back on my four years at Loyola High School, our senior class has much to appreciate. We have obtained the best high school education and have lived the Jesuit ideal of mind, body and spirit. Armed with these values, we are ready to move on and apply these traits in college and in life.

For many of us, Loyola presented a dramatic change from our sheltered envi-ronment. For me, instead of attend-ing a public neighborhood high school situated on an ocean bluff, I followed my brother John, Class of 2010, to the center of Los Angeles, 24 miles away from home, where a cemetery instead of a blue ocean surrounded me.

Every morning, the 5:50 a.m. alarm awoke me like a splash of cold water on my face so that I had enough time to meet

the carpool by 6:50 for the one-hour trip to Loyola. But the long commute with fellow Cubs quickly became the best part of my day: time to complete last-minute homework assignments, time for laughter about the day’s events at school, time for lively discussions about sports and, most important, time for the formation of great friendships. I will miss the long com-mutes and the camaraderie.

Many parts of life at Loyola are per-manently ingrained. There was no better way to start the day than with a Zlicious breakfast burrito or quesadilla. Playing ping-pong during recess and lunch with friends and the occasional spirited games with Dean Wood provided the perfect relief from the strenuous academic envi-ronment.

I will never forget the enriching class-room experience. I am proud to have sur-vived Ms. Mejia’s infamous “cafes”; the

lengthy and painstaking journals for Mr. Caldwell that always had to be redone anyway; the countless folios, papers and clay projects for Mr. Mason; and the numerous debates about history and poli-tics with Mr. Zucker. Most of all, the relationship and camaraderie shared with teachers at Loyola will likely not occur in college.

In the many activities outside the classroom, several had the good fortune to become involved in El Camino, cam-pus ministry or The Loyalist or to be a pride leader. Newspaper and yearbook required early arrivals and late stays after school but proved to be an invaluable experience to work with and learn from moderators Mrs. Arney and Dr. Vella, respectively.

While many people detest the dreaded 405 freeway, commuters still managed to have fun with friends, driving on the 405

to LA Valley College to watch the Cubs play football. Our school spirit remains unmatched and bonds us as we draw the most students and parents to each game. Our Jesuit community helped us grow and mature on life-changing retreats such as Junior Kairos, the Junior Leadership retreat and Big Brother Program.

Today, as we prepare for graduation, reminisce on our time at Loyola, and look forward to our next four years in college, we face a bittersweet occasion. While we will be going to college where we will meet new people, further our talents and choose careers, we will have to leave this magical place that has been such a fantastic home to us these last four years. Loyola – we say thank you and goodbye for now. You have prepared us well.

'Fanatics' faithful to Church of SportsBy Anthony Perasso

It’s Sunday morning, and families all across the United States have their outfits prepared for the day’s festivities. Families can finally set aside time from their daily sched-ules to spend time with each other and worship. But they won’t be worshipping in a “church,” at least in the tra-ditional sense of the word. In these churches, pews have been replaced by leather couches, Scripture passages have been replaced by detailed play analysis and instant replay, and the Eucharist has been replaced by chips and guacamole.

Welcome to the Church of Sports, the fastest growing religion in America. It’s followers, known as “Fanatics,” find themselves drawn to the wide range appeal of sports -- there’s a sport for everyone, from golf to football and everything in between. Fanatics come from every ethnic and socioeconomic background, they know no boundar-ies.

However, Fanatics are not without their problems. There has been a recent divide within the Church of Sports.

“Yeah, ‘Church of Sports’ is more of an umbrella term. We had our disagreements so some of us had to branch off and start our own sects,” explains a Fanatic. “Christians shouldn’t be too unfamiliar with the concept: We have the Church of Football, they have Catholics. We have the Church of Basketball, they have Presbyterians. We have the Church of Curling and Other Nonathletic Sports, they have Mormons. At least we didn’t kill each other over our arguments, like the Crusades.”

The Church of Football believes themselves to hold a certain edge over other branches of the Church of Sports because of their interpretation of Jesus’ teach-ings: Football Fanatics claim that Jesus was signaling for “touchdown” in every portrait in which he has his hands

raised in the air. Therefore, they say, Jesus must have been a football fan.

But the Church of Baseball also has made an impres-sive connection: They claim that their Holy Sport very much resembles the life of Buddha because they both spend the majority of their time sitting down and doing nothing.

Worshippers of all faiths have found ease in the conver-sion of religions. Catholics see similarities between Easter and Superbowl Sunday. Jewish converts enjoy seven-game NBA playoff series as if they were Hanukkah. And

agnostics have found common ground in the Olympics because they’re just not sure in which sport to like best, just as they just aren’t sure of God’s existence.

Los Angeles is a hotspot in the Church of Sports. The recent tragedies of the “Lakeshow” and Clippers being knocked out of the playoffs are being set aside as church-wide days or mourning and sorrow. On a more positive note, Fanatics of the Church of Football have been advo-cating for years to build a new Football Cathedral in Los Angeles. One can only hope, for the sake of the salvation of this city.

May 24, 2012 Opinion 5

The LoyalistEditors-in-Chief

Matthew Stoffers & Joseph Scudiero

News Editors

Kenneth An & David Pollack

Opinion Editors

Justin Abello & Cyrus Jabbari & Nicholas Knoll

Feature Editor

Michael Barreto

Arts & Entertainment Editors

Casey Olson & Tristan Vanech

Sports Editors

Brandon Dempster & Patrick Finnegan & Jonathon Heinen

Photography Editor

Alex Alvarado

Layout Editor

Chris Kymn

Website Editor

Nicholas Froelich

Contributors: Domenic Olmeda, Griffin Cohen, Charlie Cooper, Jackson Coleman, McAuley Evans, Chris Franco, Nicholas Froelich, Justin Hopkins, Neil McQueen, Christian Paz, Anthony Perasso, Richard WindischPhotographers: Michael Alvarez, Patrick Blay, Jonathan Madson, Neil McQueen, J.R. McCorkle, David Tassone, Andrew VillablancaBusiness Manager: Patrick TrujilloModerator: Mrs. Mary Arney

THE LOYALIST Editorial PolicyThe Loyalist is the official student newspaper of Loyola High

School. Its goal is to provide a forum to serve the entire community--

students, faculty and administration.

All opinions expressed in The Loyalist are the opinions of the writ-

ers themselves. Unsigned editorials represent the majority view of the

editorial board and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Loyola

High School. Editorials representing individual opinions will be signed

by the writer.

Contributions to The Loyalist in the form of suggestions and writ-

ten submissions are encouraged by the staff. Submissions must be

signed, and The Loyalist reserves the right to edit contributed material

to follow professional journalism standards.

The Editors-in-Chief bear prime responsibility for the contents of

each issue, including the production, design and editing of all material.

Subscription requests should be sent to Loyola High School, care of

the Business Manager.

Elected leaders plan for next school yearBy Nicholas Froelich

During the week of student council and class officer elections, students could be seen advertising their posi-tions on posters and social media and promoting partici-pation in student government.

Student leaders for 2012-2013 are Cyrus Jabbari, president; John Lee, student body vice president; Justin Abello, senior class president; and Alexander Swain and Patrick Finnegan are senior class representatives. The junior class president is Niko Klein, and junior class representatives are Justin Hopkins and Patrick Kenney. The sophomore class president is Connor Niemann, and the sophomore class representatives are Jack Atzen and Christopher Carr.

These students have promised to prioritize Loyola and to enhance everyone’s experience.

President-elect Cyrus Jabbari said, “A lot of people come to me with ideas for next year. The task at hand is making any change to next year’s schedule that the stu-dent population finds necessary, ranging from a change in prom date to an extension of lunch. Any future chang-es will be discussed with the board first, but I tell my cubs I will be having many discussions with the board.”

Junior class president-elect Klein said, “I knew going into the elections that it would be the hardest year to date. Every one of the ten candidates are great guys and hon-estly had a really good chance of making the top three, so, naturally, I was very nervous going into the race.”

Senior class president-elect Abello said, “I plan to do what I've been doing as class president for the past three years: bring in lunches from In-N-Out and other places for my classmates, work at school dances and other func-tions and just represent my class as best as possible.”

Klein said, “I will try my best to make the year an enjoyable one for my classmates. My plan is to bring in a different special hot lunch specifically for the junior class every month. Ideas I have range from Roscoe’s to In-N-Out to Tito’s to Tommy's. I'm totally open to new ideas, so, Juniors, come to me with anything!”

These students said they are intent upon improving Loyola as a whole, and their motivations for joining the student govern-ment confirm that.

Vice president-elect Lee said, “Since freshman year, I've done nothing but receive from Loyola. I wondered what would be the best way to give back to both the school and the student body, and it turned out running for student council was the best way to accomplish that goal.”

Sophomore rep-resentative-elect Carr said, “I enjoy being involved. I have experience as seventh grade representative and

eighth grade treasurer.”Over the next year, these students will prove their

dedication to the community through their work in stu-dent government.

Chris Walter, Director of Student Activities said, “I think they are an exciting group."

By Richard Windisch

For the first half of freshman year, I was con-vinced that an urban plunge involved some sort of swimming.

Los Angeles. Many see the skyscrapers and immediately jump to the conclusion that it is a wealthy place to be. But do people really see the city? Do they see the trash-lined streets and the tent cities? Do they see the nonchalant drug use taking place in public? You can’t say that you are from Los Angeles if you haven’t truly experienced the real Los Angeles.

On the last weekend of April, Mr. David Roberts and Mr. Blake Wells led an Urban Plunge.

Our first stop was Homeboy Industries in Chinatown. Homeboy Industries serves at-risk and gang-involved youth with services and pro-grams designed to meet their needs and runs four businesses that serve as job-training sites. All of the employees were once involved in the gang life. I was shocked to learn that many of the people working side by side were in rival gangs. When they entered Homeboy, all differences were left at the door. Our tour guide said, “There is a sense of hope at Homeboy, hope that it really can, and will, get better.”

After Homeboy, our group went to our home base, the St. Francis Center. We dropped off our bags and were setting up the sleeping area for later. We each had a sleeping bag and an air mattress provided by Loyola. We forgot to pack the air mat-tress pumps. One student had brought one, but it didn’t match the nozzle for our mattresses. Putting our Loyola education to use, we were able to make a funnel out of a cut up Arizona bottle, and fill up our mattresses.

We then left for St. Vincent DePaul Society's Cardinal Manning Center on Skid Row to eat din-ner with the homeless. Before we ate, we talked to Tyrone, who had spent 20 years living on the streets of LA, estranged from his family. Despite his alcoholism and homelessness, he was able to turn his life around and rent an apartment. Tyrone said, “Getting an apartment? That meant everything for me. I finally had my feet on stable ground.”

As for our presence at the center, Tyrone said, “When youth get immersed in the homeless situa-tion, they give us hope. The hope keeps us going.” In addition to finding a stable housing situation, Tyrone said he has been sober for seven years and has reconnected with his family.

At dinner we all lined up and ate exactly what the homeless were served: lasagna, green beans, garlic bread, coleslaw and pudding. Looking around the room, I was surprised at what I saw: each person kept to himself. I expected them to talk to each other; I thought that even the homeless should have friends.

I sat down with Rudy, a UCLA graduate. Rudy

had become successful after college, but his main problem was drugs. The more money he made, the more he spent on drugs, leading to his homeless-ness.

He told me, “Stay away from the drugs, what-ever you do. They will lead you down the wrong path; trust me; I know.”

Rudy said he was able to get clean by reading the Bible and focusing his life on God more. “God has a plan for everyone. It took me a while to real-ize that. I was able to find happiness and purpose.” Rudy had such a positive outlook on life.

Since he had finished his meal, I offered him mine. He was extremely gracious and polite. He then told me, “I love when visitors, especially guys your age, come and talk to us. It shows that the new generation of society cares about us; I think a lot of the people here just need to know that and have hope for the future.”

My encounter with Rudy really changed my view of the homeless. If I hadn’t been in a shelter, I would never have known that Rudy was homeless. It made me realize every person on the street has a story, a family and a purpose. Looking back on my dinner with Rudy, I wish that I had asked one more question: “When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?” I realize that we all have dreams, and most of us will achieve those dreams. But what about the poor and homeless? Their situation is a stark contrast to our lifestyles, which we take for granted.

On Saturday morning, we woke up early to go to Griffith Park for the Hike 4 the Homeless. The hike raised $20,187, which benefits the Society of St. Vincent de Paul’s Cardinal Manning Center and helps families move out of Skid Row into per-manent housing. During the opening ceremonies, Loyola High School was mentioned several times for “outstanding service in the community” and “being true role models for inner-city children.”

After our hike, we returned to the Saint Francis Center, where we prepared fruits and vegetables to be sold at a low cost for people with low income housing. Many of the customers were friendly with each other and the servers; they seemed to light up whenever we would pay attention to them.

After that crowd left, we prepared a lunch con-sisting of beans, rice, salad, chicken, orange juice, and banana bread for dessert. This crowd was homeless, and had a different atmosphere than the morning crowd of customers. Although I expected them to keep to themselves, just like the people at the St. Vincent’s center, many were conversing with one another and seemed to get along very well. After two hours of serving food, we closed our doors and cleaned up, and then headed to Skid Row. Walking Skid Row was unreal; I couldn’t believe that these conditions existed in Los Angeles, the shiny city. The smell was a slap to the face, to say the least.

Urban Plunge: a letterfrom L.A.'s Skid Row

Newly elected members of the executive student council prepare for next year. Photo by Alex Alvarado

Loyola High SchoolClass of 2012

BATES COLLEGENorberto Diaz III

BIOLA UNIVERSITYMark Anthony Castaneda

BOISE STATE UNIVERSITYChaz Lee Anderson

BOSTON COLLEGEDaniel Harrison AccianiNicholas Wayne Kearley

Alexandro Augusto Ramirez

BOSTON CONSERVATORYJacob MacArthur Cálix

BRADLEY UNIVERSITYElliott Christopher Clarke

BUCKNELL UNIVERSITYHagop John Deirmenjian

Andrew Jeffrey Tinger

CALIFORNIA LUTHERAN UNIVERSITYRoberto Adrian Chavez

CALIFORNIA POLYTECHNIC STATE UNIVERSITY, SAN LUIS OBISPO

Cole Stephen CressmanKyle Patrick Denis

Harrison James NicholsBercut O'Keefe Smith

CALIFORNIA POLYTECHNIC STATE UNIVERSITY, POMONA

Frank Garcia, Jr.Robert Julian Laun

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, CHICOStephen Andrew Enriquez

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, DOMINGUEZ HILLS

Bryan Joseph Haley

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, EAST BAY

Matthew Carneiro Fiorentini

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, FRESNOTravis Scott Harvey

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE

Kevin Dolz

CHAPMAN UNIVERSITYMandela Van Peebles

CLAREMONT MCKENNA COLLEGEChristus Robert Ahmanson

COLGATE UNIVERSITYAlain Ishmael Cruz

COLLEGE OF THE HOLY CROSSBenjamin Joseph Perez

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITYGerardo Cervantes

Michael James CubyJoseph Anthony Zaragoza

CORNELL UNIVERSITYMichael Robert Dell'Amico

Michael Robert Nolan

CREIGHTON UNIVERSITYJake Ryan Radanovich

DePAUL UNIVERSITYJonathan Christopher Villar

DOMINICAN UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIAJustin James Childress

D’YOUVILLE COLLEGEJoseph Alexander Hall

EMERSON COLLEGEThomas Joseph CarverRyan James Hiltermann

Brendan James McGonigle

FORDHAM UNIVERSITYNicolas Alvarado

Andrew Leonard GonzalezAndrew Michael Maddigan

Kurtis Michael Rossie

GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGYAdrian Garcia

GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITYJoseph Matthew Scudiero

Christopher Grant TesorieroDavid Andrew McGrath Warren

GONZAGA UNIVERSITYMatthew Joseph Friedman

John Nicholas HowellJacob Robert PalmerRoss Philip Wiggins

HAMILTON COLLEGESteven Matthew Carlos

HAMPTON UNIVERSITYNicolas Alexander Cotton

DeMoni Eric FallsR. Vincent Pates

HAVERFORD COLLEGECharles Allen Marquardt

HOWARD UNIVERSITYVernon Glen Yancy

HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGESHunter Bradley Davis

INDIANA UNIVERSITYAdam Scott Goldfaden

LEHIGH UNIVERSITYDaniel William LealJake Charles West

Matthew Joseph Westenhaver

LEWIS AND CLARK COLLEGEOliver Frederick Carlson

LOS ANGELES PIERCE COLLEGEDaniel Rickey Proctor

LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITYJoshua Aaron Aninos

Sean Craig BabaAdam Charles Bistagne

Christopher Kyle CathcartPeter Dennis Cross IIIMichael Jamal Erike

Victor Hunter HeinenCharles Robert Hoying

Ronald Adrian Rodrin LegaspiMatthew Jay Lemus

Spencer Evan LontokRobert Reed Maxey, Jr.

Esteban Cruz NavarreteDomenic Matthew Olmeda

Casey Peter Olson

Kenneth Michael PrawirawidjajaMichael John SandovalDavid Joseph TassoneMichael Austin Wills

LOYOLA UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGOMilan Bachelier AguirreAndrew Robert Gianelli

James David GomezMatthew Joseph Stoffers

LOYOLA UNIVERSITY MARYLANDAndrew Michael Arizmendi II

MARQUETTE UNIVERSITYPatrick Y. Boyd

MARYMOUNT COLLEGE Jonathan Maurice Chacon

MIDDLEBURY COLLEGETimothy Angelo Patricia

MORAVIAN COLLEGEIan Matthew Carbone

MOREHOUSE COLLEGEBrennan Alexander Fisher

Cameron Adrien Taylor

MOUNT SAC COMMUNITY COLLEGEAndrew Rainey

NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITYKevin William Carswell

NEW YORK UNIVERSITYTyler Jordan Givens

Colin Lawrence LaPorteJohn Vincent Thorpe

NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITYStephen Michael Antonoplis

Henry Davis HerrillThomas Charles Dana Sanford

William Brandt Shepherd

OCCIDENTAL COLLEGEMario Jose Erpinar

Earl Park

OREGON STATE UNIVERSITYKevin Michael Mason

PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITYAntonio Gennaro Festa

Andrew James Villablanca

PITZER COLLEGEWilliam Robert Morales II

PRINCETON UNIVERSITYJames Alexander Kuprenas

PURDUE UNIVERSITYChristian Tyler Smissen

REGIS UNIVERSITYMatthew Clark Bender

RIO HONDO COMMUNITY COLLEGEBenjamin Vazquez

ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGYEmilio Joseph Moran

SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY

Ryan Payne Polsky

ST. JOSEPH’S UNIVERSITYJames Rochford Shalvoy

ST. MARY’S COLLEGE OF CALIFORNIAPatrick Fitzgerald Lombard II

ST. MICHAEL’S COLLEGESean Regan Faust

SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITYJay Nicholas Schwan

SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITYLiam James Cahalan

Roberto David C. Gonzalez

SANTA CLARA UNIVERSITYAnthony Noday Aschieris

Brennan Paul BalsonJonathan Henry Berg

George Monroe BunkallAndrew Nicholas Chait

Evan Mitchell ChangMarco Ciccone

Cameron Edward ClaytonAndres Ernesto De La Cruz

Matthew Romero DialAaron Clayton Johnson

Edward Leonard KelinskyJared Reid Kracoff

Stephen Tyler LopezRobert Anthony MagsinoSteven Gerardo Medrano

Nicholas Patrick MortlTroy Andrew Nadel

Daniel Patrick Mather NallyBrendan Patrick James O'Reilly

Steven H OrtizWorthington Patterson

Esteban PeinadoJohn Edward Drew U'RenMatthew Dale Van Dalsem

Cesar VerdinJack Lewis Welsh

Nicholas Andrew Lawrence Wenzel

SANTA MONICA CITY COLLEGEChristopher Nolan Daroca

Isaak Brian MorinDevin Matthew Page

SEOUL NATIONAL UNIVERSITYSeung Woo Kim

SKIDMORE COLLEGEJuan Sebastian Correa

SONOMA STATE UNIVERSITYElijah Alejandro Bravo

SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITYAustin Jon Bedingfield

Aidan Patrick DoyleLawrence James Kondra

William Dean Maners

SOUTHERN OREGON UNIVERSITYLogan James Mitchell

STANFORD UNIVERSITYNicholas Michael Budincich

Julio Daniel BuendiaAloysius David Inocentes Makalinao

Brett Peter SalazarConrad Joseph Ukropina

Kodi Whitfield

Loyola High SchoolClass of 2012

Ryan Payne Polsky

ST. JOSEPH’S UNIVERSITYJames Rochford Shalvoy

ST. MARY’S COLLEGE OF CALIFORNIAPatrick Fitzgerald Lombard II

ST. MICHAEL’S COLLEGESean Regan Faust

SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITYJay Nicholas Schwan

SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITYLiam James Cahalan

Roberto David C. Gonzalez

SANTA CLARA UNIVERSITYAnthony Noday Aschieris

Brennan Paul BalsonJonathan Henry Berg

George Monroe BunkallAndrew Nicholas Chait

Evan Mitchell ChangMarco Ciccone

Cameron Edward ClaytonAndres Ernesto De La Cruz

Matthew Romero DialAaron Clayton Johnson

Edward Leonard KelinskyJared Reid Kracoff

Stephen Tyler LopezRobert Anthony MagsinoSteven Gerardo Medrano

Nicholas Patrick MortlTroy Andrew Nadel

Daniel Patrick Mather NallyBrendan Patrick James O'Reilly

Steven H OrtizWorthington Patterson

Esteban PeinadoJohn Edward Drew U'RenMatthew Dale Van Dalsem

Cesar VerdinJack Lewis Welsh

Nicholas Andrew Lawrence Wenzel

SANTA MONICA CITY COLLEGEChristopher Nolan Daroca

Isaak Brian MorinDevin Matthew Page

SEOUL NATIONAL UNIVERSITYSeung Woo Kim

SKIDMORE COLLEGEJuan Sebastian Correa

SONOMA STATE UNIVERSITYElijah Alejandro Bravo

SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITYAustin Jon Bedingfield

Aidan Patrick DoyleLawrence James Kondra

William Dean Maners

SOUTHERN OREGON UNIVERSITYLogan James Mitchell

STANFORD UNIVERSITYNicholas Michael Budincich

Julio Daniel BuendiaAloysius David Inocentes Makalinao

Brett Peter SalazarConrad Joseph Ukropina

Kodi Whitfield

SYRACUSE UNIVERSITYEfrain Ciro Suarez

TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITYConnor John Ash

Dominic Michael Moreth

THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITYDriss Pierce Guessous

TULANE UNIVERSITYPeter Austen Christopher Hensley

Oliver Ambry Jerde

TRINITY COLLEGEBrandon Tylor-David Shirley

UNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMY AT WEST POINT

Robert Benjamin Jenkins

UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMAJohn Griffin Dukesherer

UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONAGabriel Adrian Basadre

Trent Henry BensonJacob A. HazzardAndrew Magaña

Eddy Cypress Moreno

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEYAndrew Phillip Bland

Young LaMonte Douglas, Jr.Max Mueller FittonLuc Michael Fortier

Joseph Andrew Bautista FranciaJared Allen Jones

Max Jacob SchriddeJohn Peter SoteropulosJohn Percival Symes IV

Edward James TrimBrendan Thomas Vinnicombe

Jimmy Haojun Yao

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DAVISRussell Lim Miller

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA IRVINEEdward Joseph Gerlits

Francis Nicholas Mariano Mejia

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELESJohn Patrick Breen

Daniel Marcello CostanzoHadley Brandon Kia

Howard H LeeStefano Pietro Montesano

Nicholas David PorterfieldCharles Gabriel Rock

Trenton Dane RossCarlos Alejandro Torres

Jeremy Ichiro Tuggy

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA MERCEDDylan Matthew Sunga

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDEEric Anthony ContrerasDaniel Javier MartinezJared Colin Palmquist

Chris ParkAlexander Henry Verdugo

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGOMichael William Kelleghan

Jonathan Thomas NataleBernard Sean Sangalang Regidor

David Perez Thomasson

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA BARBARA

Andrew Alexander BergloffParker Wayne Boehle

Joseph Mario CasalenuovoEdward James Friedlander

Andre GirgisAndrew James Horton

Nicholas Gregory MatulichSteven Joseph OrlerDavid John Pollack

Andrew David Verdin

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA CRUZEdwin Alberto Deras

Daniel Christopher Perea-Barchie

UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO, BOULDERGeorge Louie Braunegg

John Francis EnrightNicholas James Lawler

Richard Newton LymanHunter Ryan McCormackBenjamin Brewer MorayCharles Anthony Taylor

UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGOVicente Celedonio Lossada

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN

Timothy Colgan Brown

UNIVERSITY OF LA VERNELeonel Con

Kevin Alexander CorderoGuillermo Eduardo Lechuga

Andrew Alexander Pedroarias

UNIVERSITY OF MIAMIAndrew Hui-Dong Kim

Jason Barron Noonan

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGANKevin Robert KurstinChance Allen MungerEric Michael Schmitt

Matthew Robert Skoro

UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA LAS VEGASDaniel Cesar Falcon

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL

Keenan Jon Stevenson

UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAMEVictor Follen Hawley, Jr.

Luke Eugene KieferEamon Russell McOsker

UNIVERSITY OF OREGONAndrew Milton AshbyEric Anthony CuevasScott Robert Sumida

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIAJulian Edward Harrell

UNIVERSITY OF PUGET SOUNDBrennan James Stevenson

UNIVERSITY OF SAINT ANDREWSMatthew Christian Salas

UNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGOAlexander Paul StimpflJoshua James Zapanta

UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCOSteffen Lys Deetjen

William Ryan FosterAvery Ryan McCarthy

Grant Ethan TerceroAndrew Jalomo Wilson

UNIVERSITY OF SCRANTONBrendan Patrick Boken

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIAFrederick Michael Abramyan

Patrick Joseph BrownNicholas Lionel Caceres

Bryan Michael ChristensenJason Patrick Cruz

Cory Domenic DuncanMarcus Thomas Eng

Adam George Eiji LieskovskyChristopher Rafael LlerenaMichael Patrick MullaheyDylan Patrick O'ConnorRobert Michael Overing

Ian Lucas PasinatoRichard Hovaguim Phillips

Thomas Joseph PlacidoAlexander Joseph Slaught

William Daniel St. John

UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIARyan Charles Kahn

Colby James Wagenbach

UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOOMatas Algirdas Pranas Empakeris

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISONMichael Angel Luna

Hank Michael Teverbaugh

VILLANOVA UNIVERSITYKyle Jacob BowlesEdward J Chang

Blake Thomas FierroJoseph Robert Gaule

Theodore Frederick HammelMichael Stephen Lamb

Douglas William Albert LoweBrian Anthony Pheng

Gerald Matthew Scullin

WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN SAINT LOUIS

Michael Francis MazzaVincent Truong

WESLEYAN UNIVERSITYJonathan Joseph Spira

WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITYAnthony Jesus Nuño

WHITMAN COLLEGETochi Chinemerem Oti

WILLIAMS COLLEGENicholas Phillip Nosce

WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTEBrendan Leland Watson

YALE UNIVERSITYKhaliq Abasi Bedart-Ghani

Conor Daniel McKenna

UNDECIDED Patrick Andrew Laurance

Daniel Lee Swick

8 Arts & Entertainment May 24, 2012

Seniors to study the Arts Milan Aguirre

By Christian Paz

Milan Aguirre will be attend-ing Loyola University of Chicago in the fall and will be majoring in Communications with an empha-sis on Film and Advertising. “I’ve always wanted to explore the field of Communications,” he said. “My father is a commercial editor, so I’ve grown up being exposed to that kind of thing.” Aguirre said that he wants to explore and learn more about advertising and looks forward to change: “I want to put myself into situations where I don’t necessar-ily feel comfortable. I believe that

it is often in times like those in which opportunities open up and I can meet new people.” Aguirre said that he owes a lot to Loyola, but also wishes for it to grow. He said, “I want to thank Ms. Turner and Mr. Roberts. They are great teachers. However, I do wish that Loyola could expand its film program. I’d like to see some more develop-ment in the Fine Arts at Loyola so that the school is tailored to kids that are not necessarily interested in sports."

Juan Correa

Juan Correa will be double majoring in Art when he attends Skidmore College in New York next year. He said, “My primary goal is to get an education. I have always enjoyed creating art and I know it is something I wish to do for the rest of my life. I do not know what career I will have in the future, but I want my educa-tion in art to be a big part of my career path.” Correa said that he sees a bright future for himself because of the strong foundations that have been built in him by Loyola’s teachers in his time at the

school. “I want to thank Ms. Turner, Mrs. Faulkner, and Mr. Beckman, who really supported my art making and pushed me to become a bet-ter artist. I truly owe a lot to this school," said Correa.

Tyler Givens

Tyler Givens will be attend-ing New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts as a Photography major next year. “I want to be a fashion photographer and New York City is the fashion capital of the world, so I felt it was the best place for exposure to the indus-try,” Givens said. Actually, it was a class at Loyola that gave Givens the inspiration to pursue photog-raphy. “My passion for photog-raphy started in eighth grade,” Givens explained. “I stopped photography for a while, but my passion was reignited this year

after receiving a better critique in AP Studio Art," he said. Givens is excited to go to school in New York, and is eagerly awaiting the next school year.

Casey Olson

Casey Olson will be attending Loyola Marymount University as a major in the School of Film and Television Production. “I made one or two films before I went to Loyola, but it wasn’t until I enrolled in the Digital Video Class that I realized this passion. There I learned some of the essential skills needed to plan, produce, and edit a film,” said Olson.

“I truly believe that Fr. Quinn helped craft my skills into telling a story either through video or pho-tography.” Olson then decided to enroll in AP Studio Art with Ms.

Nancy Turner." At LMU, I want to try to focus on cinematography or editing, but I am going to try to branch out into everything related to film,” said Olson.

Tommy Carver

Tommy Carver will be attend-ing Emerson College for a Film Production major. “I’ve just always wanted to do a concen-trated film program my entire life,” Carver said. “I’ve been mak-ing movies since seventh grade and Fr. Quinn’s class also got the wheel turning," said Carver. Carver also plays the drums and plans on starting a band at Emerson with his friends from the Berklee School of Music.

Bryan Christensen

Next year, Bryan Christensen will be attending University of Southern California for a General Studio Art major with an empha-sis on Photography and a minor in Cinema. “I had Beckman with Photo I-II in sophomore year and that led me into two years of AP Studio Art with a strong foundation in photography and led me to USC with a good portfolio and a good chance in getting into their com-petitive school,” Christensen said. “What’s great about USC is the internships and the opportunities

they give you while you are in school which introduce you to a lot of summer jobs," said Christensen.

Bobby Maxey

Next year, Bobby Maxey will be attending Loyola Marymount University (LMU) for a Recording Arts Major. “The idea to go to LMU came from Loyola when I attended the Open House, and the program just blew me away,” said Maxey. “It’s like doing sound for T.V. and movies in postpro-duction, as well as recording and mixing music, and I have always been really into music so it goes hand-in-hand,”said Maxey.

Jacob Calix plans to attend Boston Conservatory where he will major in Cello Performance. “Loyola has definitely shaped me in achieving these goals by teaching me discipline, profes-sionalism and socializing,” said Calix. “I will be studying under Andrew Mark and he’s going to help shape a lot of the little stuff I haven’t perfected yet in my play-ing, so, by going there I will learn a lot, the environment is right and it is in the middle of Boston which has a big music scene,” he said.

Jacob Calix

PHOTOS COURTESY OF EL CAMINO

By Casey Olson

By Casey Olson

By Casey Olson

By Casey Olson

By Christian Paz

By Rohan Chawla

By Charlie Trepany

May 24, 2012 Arts & Entertainment 9

By Domenic Olmeda

On Tuesday, May 22, the OHM Festival of the Arts fused togeth-er the talent of both the visual arts and music departments into one grand exhibit for all to enjoy in the Berendo building.

Mr. Steven Speciale, music teacher and coordinator of the event, described the festival’s humble beginning: “The OHM festival started as an opportunity for us to show our new media works like the things we’re mak-ing in Music Appreciation with

the computers and such. Then, I opened it up to the rest of the department, and now it’s a department-wide music festi-val.”

Now that the festival is depart-ment-wide, it is able to feature a broader range of material. This year, the instrumental and choir programs gave a concert, and the short film club hosted a movie festival with Mr. Lance Ochsner.

The Jazz Band also performed during the OHM festival and gave the crowd a taste of clas-sic jazz from the 40’s and 50’s.

Keyboardist Eddy Friedlander ’12 expressed confidence in the band’s capabilities prior to the OHM festival as he described how the band prepared: “We practice twice a week on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, and we’ve been playing a lot more shows lately. So we’ve really been pre-paring all year.”

When asked about what the meaning of the word “OHM” in the OHM Festival is, Mr. Speciale described how the word itself relates to both the festival and the meaning behind it. “OHM

is a pun, and it’s a reference to a couple of things. It’s the Greek letter represented by omega, and OHM refers to our Catholic heri-tage because Jesus is the alpha and the omega and the OHM is the omega since it’s the spring festival and the last thing we do in the year.”

Mr. Speciale added, “Also in the new media, Ohm’s Law is a measure of resistance. It’s a pun on Ohm’s Law because we we're doing electronic works, and when you make music with electronics, Ohm’s Law is a variable when

you amplify things. It’s also a pun on the notion of resistance to things that are new.”

Lastly, Mr. Speciale mentioned that the word itself can refer to “the meditative ‘om,’” therefore relating the contemplative nature of the word to the festival.

Mr. Speciale said, “It was ter-rific. We had a full house in the concert and for the film festival too. I think this year’s festival was the strongest musical perfor-mance by a long way.”

By Tristan Vanech

The Jazz Band, under the direction of Mr. Michael Celenza, wrapped up the year Tuesday with a performance at the OHM Festival of the Arts.

Members of the Jazz Band include senior Eddy Friedlander on piano, senior Richard Phillips on sax, junior PJ Young on drums, freshman Marc Villarica on bass, sophomore Dave Mariscal on guitar, sophomore Nick Sablock and junior Josh Erickson on trumpet, and freshman Ethan McGarrigle on percussion.

According to Mr. Celenza, the jazz band started six years ago under his direc-tion. Every year he holds auditions for new members. This year became especial-ly eventful in the last month, as the band

was purchased at the Interchange Auction on Saturday, Mar. 24.

Mr. Celenza said, “We actually played at the auction, and that’s where we got purchased for the auction, but we also performed outside of school at the Ahmanson’s house for an Interchange party.”

On Saturday, the band played for a din-ner in Long Beach at the home of the per-son who purchased them at the auction. The band also performed on Wednesday, May 16, in the Malloy Commons during extended lunch.

Phillips, who has been playing the saxophone for seven years, has played at events such as the Senior Barbecue, Earth Week, and the annual concert in May.

“We practice as a band every Tuesday

and Thursday from 7 to 8 AM. I practice once to twice a week myself on saxo-phone. But I also play jazz piano, and practice that 4-5 days a week,” he said.

The band have rehearsed several songs: “Butterfly” and “Maiden Voyage” by Herbie Hancock; “Eighty-One,” “All Blues,” “Boplicity” and “Seven Steps to Heaven” by Miles Davis; “Song for My Father” by Horace Silver; "Lucky Southern" by Keith Jarrett and “Well, You Needn’t” by Thelonius Monk.

Sablock said, “They’re upbeat songs and sound really cool and fun, but they’re also hard to play.” One of his personal favorites is “Sidewinder” by Lee Morgan.

While nailing down the music is a major part of the band, improvisation is key to being a successful jazz player,

according to Celenza. He said, “The high-est thing any musician could ever do is improvise.”

McGarrigle said, “Quite a bit of musical experience, specifically reading rhythms, interpreting chords, and improvising (soloing) is important to being a part of the jazz band. If someone tries out for a percussion or drum kit spot, then experi-ence in reading rhythms as well as playing a variety of jazz and Latin-based genres are important.”

The camaraderie of the Jazz Band man-ifests itself in the lightened mood of the players, according to Sablock. He said, “Everyone has a good time in there and we like to joke around and keep it fun.”

OHM Festival broadens its focus, audience

Musicians play 'all that jazz'

10 Sports May 24, 2012

By McAuley Evans

After placing third in

the Mission League behind

Chaminade and Harvard-

Westlake and experiencing

a disappointing elimina-

tion from CIF’s, the Varsity

Tennis Team looks to next

season with high hopes and

expectations.

Following their prelims

and breezing through the

wild card round, the Cubs

lost to Palos Verdes, 11-7, on

May 9 at Palos Verdes High

School.

Coach Brian Held com-

mented on the CIF tour-

nament this year: “Because

we were a third-place team,

we had to play some tough

teams, but we were really

close. Palos Verdes went on

to crush their opponents,

and I know if we had beaten

them, we would have gone

far.”

Senior player Worthy

Patterson said, “ I am real-

ly happy with the way the

team played this year. Being

on the tennis team for four

years has been so great, and

I’m really going to miss

the team next year, but we

will do fine thanks to our

star players Ryan Reid and

Travis Martin.”

Departing senior A.J.

Francia stressed the impor-

tance of these players:

“We’ve got three very tal-

ented freshmen, and the

future of our doubles teams

looks very promising.”

The key to winning tennis

matches, according to Coach

Held, is “good chemistry

between players and play-

ers who can fit well with any

given member of the team in a

doubles match.”

Freshman Reid Shumway

and sophomore Ian Ross are

versatile players who can play

with any teammate and pro-

duce good results. In addition,

sophomore Aidan Dominguez

remains a very effective sin-

gles player on the team.

While Cubs usually win

by more than five sets, their

few losses this season have

never been by more than four.

Because of this close margin,

entire contests against rival

schools such as Chaminade

and Harvard-Westlake can

come down to one match

and one player. Senior Ted

Hammel said that the games

are still a team effort and can

be won by maintaining posi-

tive energy on the courts.

Team Captain Hammel

shared his advice for younger

Cubs: “If a guy loses a close

set, he may want to go sit by

himself and think about his

mistakes, but it is important

that he gets up on the fence

and cheers on his team; atti-

tude is everything.”

The Cubs had an impres-

sive preseason with their only

losses against rival schools.

The Cubs won their wild card

round on May 8 at the Cheviot

Hills Tennis Courts against

Buena Park 16-2, not a sur-

prise for the Cubs’ powerful

team.

Loyola’s team has met with

success against teams like St.

Francis and Crespi. With a 16-2

win over St. Francis’s Golden

Knights, Hammel said, “Yup.

We smoked ‘em.”

When asked about the

team’s record for the season,

Coach Held said, “We had

some good wins in the pre-

season. Its always going to be

competitive, and we just have

to keep playing and working

hard. All in all, we had a great

season.”

Chris Llerena, another

senior, talked about his experi-

ence on the team: “ It has been

one of my best experiences

here at Loyola. I’ve made some

of my closest friends through

the team, and it has been a

great relief from the stress of

homework and tests.”

Hammel said, “I can’t wait

to come back next year and see

how well the team is doing,

because next year they will be

crazy good.”

Varsity Tennis credits success to senior leaders

By Griffin Cohen

In a one-game playoff, anything can happen. Especially

in baseball, a season can turn in a matter of seconds.

The Varsity Baseball Cubs, in the midst of a strong

season with hopes to run deep into the playoffs, can

attest to this idea that seconds can change a season.

Quickly grabbing a 4-0 lead in the wild card round

of the CIF playoffs on Tuesday, May 15, the Cubs

appeared poised to advance easily to the next round.

Yet Trabuco Hills (16-13) rallied and capitalized on its

chances, as Loyola (19-11-1) saw its season end, fall-

ing 5-4 on a walk-off single in the bottom of the sev-

enth inning—the last inning for high school baseball.

“I was shocked; it seemed too soon,” said pitcher Chad

Powers, a junior. “I was not ready for the season to end.”

After the Mustangs pushed two runs across the

plate in the sixth inning to tie the game at 4-4, the

Cubs took out starting pitcher Kevin Carswell, a

senior, and sent in Powers. Powers walked the first

batter before allowing two singles, the latter causing

the game-winning run and ending the Cubs’ season.

“We made some costly mistakes on both sides of the

ball,” said Head Coach Brian Felten. “We rested on our

laurels and got caught. You have to play a full game, and

we didn’t do that. That’s baseball. You give the other team

opportunities, and sooner or later they’ll hit the bull’s eye.”

The Cubs, having been told their opponent only

days before, knew little about Trabuco Hills, and, as

some players reiterated, were perhaps overly confi-

dent, especially after grabbing the early advantage.

“We underestimated Trabuco Hills,” said Carswell.

“We couldn’t do that. I knew it would backfire eventually.”

At the plate, sophomore Quinn Brodey and senior Jack

Welsh each added two hits for the Cubs, who also failed

to capitalize on scoring opportunities later in the game.

“I felt we could beat any team in the country,” said

Powers. “It’s baseball. If you play several times, you

might win most, but anything can happen on a given day.”

Despite their confidence, the Cubs had

been on a free fall, losing three of their final four

games and falling from first to third in the Mission

League, prior to the Trabuco Hills matchup.

“A lot of it is playing your best baseball at the

right time. We didn’t do that,” said Coach Felten.

The Cubs were swept by Chaminade before split-

ting with Harvard-Westlake, which finished first

in the competitive Mission League. Alemany,

with whom Loyola also went 1-1, finished second.

Despite the sour note to end this season, the Cub baseball

program strongly rebounded after last season, when the

team tied for last place at 3-9 in Mission League

and an overall disappointing 12-17 record.

Notably this year, the team went 3-1 dur-

ing Easter break in the Jesuit Tournament in

Tampa, Florida, where players lived together

and bonded in a house for a week. Their one

loss in Tampa, a 3-2 walk-off nail-biter to

Jesuit of Florida, one of the top teams in the

country, showed the Cubs’ strong potential.

The team was carried this season by its pitch-

ing. Carswell, who will be pitching and catching

at New Mexico State next year, along with Powers

and sophomore Kyle Beadles, kept the team

close in every game but a 9-1 loss to Alemany.

With high hopes for next season, the team

will have to replace the strong efforts and loss

of leadership. Seniors Connor Ash, Brandon

Shirley, Ian Carbone, Norberto Diaz, Brendan

Vinnecombe, Tommy Sanford, Ryan Kahn, John

Soteropulos, Welsh, and Carswell will graduate.

“I love the team. I love the chemistry on

the team. I’ll miss everyone,” said Carswell,

who, along with Coach Felten, noted the

strong team chemistry, including the mix

of underclassmen and younger assistant

coaches, as a key part of the team’s success.

But for Coach Felten, even though the

seniors will be gone, they will not be for-

gotten: “The seniors need to know that

they are part of something bigger than 30

baseball games. Their time, their commit-

ment—I hope they savor it for the rest of

their lives. They’ll always have a place here.”

As the seniors move on, underclassmen seem

poised to pick up right where the seniors left

off. “I’m really excited,” said Powers. “We have

a strong team with a lot of guys coming back.”

Along with Powers, juniors Corey Dempster,

a USC commit, Brandon Caruso and Joe Viole will

carry the load. Key sophomores include Brodey,

the Cubs’ top hitter this past season, starting short-

stop Angelo Armenta, Nathan Hadley and Beadles,

all of whom Coach Felten said have “bright futures.”

Varsity Baseball swings for the fences

Ryan Khan winds up for a pitch. Photo by Michael Alvarez

Seniors Worthy Patterson and Ted Hammel led the squad this year. Photo by Andrew Villablanca

Courtesy of Google Images

May 24, 2012 Sports 11

By Justin Hopkins

Loyola’s head coach for Diving, Amado Machorro, has been an integral part of Loyola’s coaching staff for the past 6 years, garnering much success, such as a CIF championship in only his fifth year as the diving coach and third place in CIF finals in his sixth. But this man is

not only a phenomenal diving coach but also a phenomenal and inspiring person.

In 1980 Coach Machorro experienced his first taste of swimming and diving in Mexico City, where he grew up, swim-ming mostly at the Olympic Swimming Complex there. Soon after, a diving coach began recruiting regional swim-mers to dive, and none other than Coach

Machorro was selected to join this coach’s team. A great career lied ahead of Coach Machorro, but due to myriad of unfortunate cir-cumstances, his aspirations and dreams to become a diver had to be put on hold for the moment.

Thereafter, Coach Machorro and his family moved from Mexico City to Tijuana because his family was very poor; his fam-ily moved around to find work and provide for themselves. After a few more years in Mexico, Coach Machorro’s father real-ized that he wanted to take his family to the United States of America, so they all could live a better life. In 1987 they moved to America and shortly after, Coach Machorro enrolled in high school.

Through much hard work in school and working jobs on the side to support his family, Coach Machorro enrolled at UCLA for college. While attending school there, he lived in the back of a beauty shop and had to com-mute two hours to reach UCLA every day, all while balancing

numerous jobs to continue supporting his family and still trying to keep active his athletic side, playing basketball when-ever he could. Despite suffering from this immense adversity, Coach Machorro graduated from UCLA with a major in linguistics and a minor in physics.

Recapping his time at UCLA, Coach Machorro said, “I feel blessed to have gone to UCLA. The one lesson I take from there and from my life is to never, ever give up. I could have very easily joined a gang, but I kept fighting, and I succeeded in the end.”

After leaving UCLA, Coach Machorro began his career as a teacher in linguis-tics. Coach Machorro knows seven dif-ferent languages (Nahuatl, Spanish, English, French, German, Norwegian, and Russian), so his services as a lin-guistics teacher are highly valuable.

Commenting on his linguistic versatil-ity, Coach Machorro states, “Thanks to my studies and research in neurolinguis-tics, I have the capacity, strategies, and memory to be able to learn languages quickly. I am very thankful for that.”

According to Coach Machorro, his capability and capacity to speak a pleth-ora of such diverse, complex languages is one of his life’s greatest accomplishments.

At the first school he taught at, Coach Machorro also commenced his career as a coach. However, the only sports that were offered at this particular school were soccer, baseball, and flag football, and he coached those sports with the same passion, motivation, and sincerity that drove him to succeed in his life prior. Coach Machorro was a little dismayed,

however, that he did not get a chance to resume his involvement with his one true love, diving. After coaching and work-ing at this school, he moved onto anoth-er, Bishop Connolly High School, where again, coaching sports was limited to ones like volleyball, soccer, and baseball.

Finally, six years ago Coach Machorro’s path was brought to Loyola High School. Luckily, the very same year he was hired, a spot opened at a coach’s position for the diving team. Coach Machorro immediate-ly seized this invaluable opportunity, and given his prior experience as a diver, he was a perfect candidate to become a coach.

At Loyola he has had an illustrious coaching career, culminating in a CIF cham-pionship last year and third place in CIF finals this year. However, Coach Machorro knows and preaches that diving is more than just the trophies, accolades, and awards.

“Diving is a special individual sport that requires a lot of discipline and the desire to do it. I believe that as a coach and teacher, I am able to see students at Loyola perform at their maximum capac-ity. Students will remember diving for the rest of their lives. They found an alterna-tive sport they might never think of doing. Diving allows them to be a part of some-thing and allows them to be challenged, testing their courage and desire to dive. But as well as this, the dive team is also a team effort. We all support each other and the students develop friendships for the rest of their lives. I tell all of my stu-dents to not only dive into the pool at Loyola, but also dive into the pool of life.”

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Coach Machorro directs his divers on the pool deck. PHOTO BY J.R. MCCORKLE

Sports12 May 24, 2012

Cubs look to rebound in Regional playoffs

After sweeping Poway High School in three games on Tuesday, the Varsity Volleyball Cubs look to roll through the Regional playoffs en route to a California State title, continuing their quest tonight against Buchanan High School.

Although the Cubs earned a vic-tory on Tuesday, the men in blue fell just short in their quest for a CIF title last Saturday against the Mira Costa Mustangs.

Despite having already beaten the Mustangs in a convincing manner on both March 10 and March 30, the Cubs were unable to sweep the season series against their biggest rivals. In spite of a furious comeback to get out of a 2-0 hole, the Cubs extended the match to five games before falling by a final score of 25-19, 25-22, 25-27, 21-25, 15-12.

Regardless of their March 30 win, sen-ior Alex Slaught said he felt the loss was attributed to momentum: “The biggest difference between [Saturday’s] match and our match in March is the fact that they stole the momentum by winning the first two sets. They set the tone from the beginning, and we had to play catch-up for the remainder of the match. We did a great job of fighting back, but Costa just made more plays than we did in the fifth set, and we have to give them credit.”

Coach Michael Boehle said about the Costa game, “It’s hard to beat a team three

times, but the difference was that they came out with a lot of energy and nothing to lose.”

Coach Boehle went on to say that the Cubs did not play to their fullest potential: “We played at 60 or 70 per-cent and went to five games with that team; so it just tells you that if we were to play at what we are capable of doing and finish what we’re supposed to be doing, then we’re going to beat that team nine out of ten times, that’s for sure”

Though disappointed by the end result, the Cubs’ run through the CIF Playoffs was one for the ages, marked by 3-0 sweeps in every round of the playoffs over San Marcos, Lakewood, Westlake and Servite. With outstanding perform-ances by senior outside hitters Slaught and Nick Porterfield, along with setter Michael Mullahey, the Cubs dominated their opponents in every facet of the game.

This same dominance has been dis-played throughout the season and is evi-dent in the Cubs’ record, as they will enter the Regional playoffs with a record of 33-2.

Coach Boehle attributed much of this success to the chemistry of the team, say-ing, “It’s been unbelievable, definitely something that’s really important to me and to the team, and having everybody on the same page really has the makings of a championship team, win or lose the CIF. It’s just the fact that these guys all believe in each other and support each other, and that’s the most important thing.”

Slaught reinforced the idea of team chemistry, saying, “Being such a close team only makes us more comfortable as a unit. We know how to motivate each other and how to pick each other up. The friend-ships that have been formed off the court make everything on the court easier.”

After dominating Poway High School in the first round of the regional play-

offs, the Cubs seem to have found their swagger again. Slaught said he is con-fident in his teammates and their rela-tionships: “Although we came up short, I would still take my teammates over any other team out there 10 times out of 10; forget about that Costa loss, though; we'll finish this season strong.”

Varsity Lacrosse fights hard, losesThe Varsity Lacrosse Team success-

fully made it to CIF playoffs after sev-eral expedient victories in April. The Cubs won their last two conference games against Brentwood, 8-1, and Chaminade, 8-5, earning themselves a spot in the CIF Southern Section playoffs.

One season highlight came when the Cubs defeated rival Palisades High School on April 20. Despite a dense fog that covered the field that led to decreased visibility, the Cubs seemed to have the upper hand in the match with

a 7-1 lead by half-time; however, the Dolphins woke up in the second half and brought the game to a nail-biting 8-8. In the final moments, junior goalie Cooper Perkins came out from the net to score the winning point, ending the match 9-8.

“I made a save and sprinted down the middle of the field,” said Perkins, “and no one picked me up, so I went ahead and took the shot, and somehow it found its way in. When it’s your day, it’s your day.”

Perkins also achieved a career-high 21 saves during the match against the Palisades. This victory gave the Cubs the confidence boost they needed for further success.

Senior defender and team captain Will Maners said, “The win over Palisades definitely gave us some motivation. It was the focus in all of our practices dur-ing spring break. We knew going into the game that if we beat them, we’d finally see that we are a great team and could make a run at the CIF title. From there, we had this fire in us to never quit until the final whistle is blown.”

Varsity Lacrosse’s first CIF match was Tuesday, May 1, against Thacher High from Ojai, California. The Cubs celebrated a gripping 8-7 win against Thacher after playing them on the Loyola home turf.

With a final score of 8-4, the Cubs also won their second CIF match on May 3 against Thousand Oaks. Varsity lacrosse had not reached the quarterfinals in the CIF playoffs since 2009.

Unfortunately, the lacrosse Cubs were defeated by Palos Verdes in the quarterfinals on May 7, ending their sea-son. Looking back, several Cubs expressed satisfaction in this year’s turnout and have identified key advan-tages as well as mistakes.

Senior attacker and team captain Andrew Arizmendi said, “There are many unique factors that have given this season a positive boost. First, there was the initial move of sen-ior captain Kevin Kurstin to the starting attack line

and the melding of personalities between him and me. Secondly, the uplifting atti-tude between all the captains and the message we delivered to the entire team created a motivating mentality.”

Furthermore, Maners stated, “I think that our team this year really went above and beyond the expectations we had in the preseason. Our defense and offense played great together throughout the season, and we ended with the second best record in Loyola lacrosse history.”

Perkins said, “I've really been pleas-antly surprised by the team that we have put together this year. If I had to point out an issue that persisted throughout the season that would have been ben-eficial to fix, it would have been our inability to control the possession of the ball and dictate the pace of the game."

As at the end of every season, a handful of valuable players move on, leaving behind responsibilities that returning players must take on.

“I will never forget the thrill of being accepted to Loyola High School,” said Arizmendi. “To be able to represent the varsity lacrosse team as a captain my senior year has driven me to perform at a higher level than I ever expected. The pride I feel when I, along with my other captains, guide our team to vic-tory is a gift I will cherish forever.”

In the end, the Varsity Lacrosse Cubs say they are proud of what they have achieved this year with a 6-2 record in league and a 14-3 record overall, and the returners are eager to come back and do better next season.

Perkins commented, “We proved a lot of people wrong this year. Loyola lacrosse isn't going away any time soon.”

By Packy Finnegan

By Chris Franco

Senior captain Will Maners moves upfield against Palos Verdes. Photo courtesy of Dean Maners

Varsity Volleyball huddles up in preparation for Mira Costa. Photo by Michael Alvarez