Youngsters step into lead roles as Loyola football chases Class 8A four-peat

JUMP TO: DEFENSE | KEY RETURNERS | SCHEDULE

Sophomores will be thrust into the limelight during graduation-depleted Loyola Academy’s quest for its fourth consecutive IHSA Class 8A championship.

Coach Beau Desherow, who during the past two seasons picked up where the Ramblers’ all-time leading coach, John Holecek, left off in 2022, believes sophomores Carmelo Maldonado and Jayden Garrett have the potential to offset the loss of one of the state’s best running backs, Drew MacPherson, and his capable backup, Luke Foster.

One of the returning stalwarts on the offensive line, 6-foot-7-inch 250-pound senior tackle Thomas Fraumann, is convinced “these two very talented kids can fill the void.”

That’s asking a lot, because MacPherson led the 2024 Ramblers in rushing, receiving and scoring.

Graduation also took away Ryan Fitzgerald, whose performance at quarterback was of paramount importance in the 2023 and 2024 state championship seasons.

Junior Dom Maloney got significant playing time when Fitzgerald was injured last season and completed 50 of 83 passes for 734 yards and 10 touchdowns but now highly touted sophomore Matthew Lee is competing with him for the starting assignment.

“One recruiting service ranked (Lee) the No. 3 quarterback in the nation in the class of 2028 but he has never had a varsity snap,” Desherow said. “It doesn’t mean anything until he shows what he can do in a game.”

In Desherow’s opinion, his sophomore running backs, Maldonado and Garrett, “complement each other very well.”

“Carmelo is very shifty and one of the quickest kids I’ve seen in a long time, and he has a bit of power for a little guy. Jayden is a bigger back who has great vision and is more of a glider.”

At Brother Rice in the fourth game of the 2021 fall season Maldonado’s older brother, Marco, set Loyola’s single game rushing record when he amassed 335 yards in 38 carries and scored four touchdowns and a two-point conversion in leading the Ramblers to a 46-43 victory. But in the final minute on his last carry Marco, now competing with Colgate College, sustained a broken collarbone that ended his high school career.

This season senior Owen Lamb will compete with the dynamic sophomore duo for playing time at running back. “He has very good hands,” Desherow said, suggesting that Lamb will be a dual-purpose back in the MacPherson runner/pass-catcher mold.

A deep receiving corps was one of the Ramblers’ strengths in 2024, and despite the loss of his top five pass catchers, in Desherow’s opinion, the same will be true this year.

“Robert Clingan is going to be very good,” he predicted. “So is Brendan Fitzgerald (the junior who is the younger brother of Ryan and Jack Fitzgerald, a standout tight end on the 2022 team). And a sophomore, Jordan McKinley, has looked very good in practice this summer. At tight end (senior) Chase Williamson will be a contributor.”

Last season Clingan caught nine passes for 86 yards and returned four kickoffs for 120 yards.

Desherow plans to take advantage of Clingan’s speed and hands by also using him on defense in the secondary, making him the Ramblers’ only projected two-way player.

In addition to Fraumann, Colin Vardijan is an incumbent and high-impact player on the offensive line.

Desherow said, “Adding to the mix are (fellow seniors) Liam Walsh at center and Henry Lemmon at guard and a couple of big athletic sophomores, C.J. Nielsen and Brock Thompson, who probably will contribute as offensive tackles and guards.”

Zak Zeman, a paragon of reliability on extra points, field goals, kickoffs and punts, is back for his senior season after putting 74 points on the scoreboard and averaging 34 yards on his punts as a junior.

Defense ready to do damage

Based on what he has seen Clingan describes the hard-hitting defensive unit as “a bunch of animals.”

Desherow doesn’t disagree.

“Our defensive line is going to be a strong point this year,” the coach predicted. “Kai Calcutt is in his third year as an important varsity football player. (Senior) Nick Richter played a lot last year; he’s very explosive and this year he’s bigger and stronger. (Senior) Chris Evangelides is a big strong kid who has above average quickness and also was out there a lot last year.

“We have a physical team dedicated to making this year a four-peat as state champions,” Calcutt said. “I was brought up as a sophomore and got a head start, getting to see how the team culture works, and now I can bring what I’ve learned to my senior year.”

Senior linebackers Henry Newton and Gavin King will be building on productive junior seasons that saw Newton rank No. 1 in interceptions and King tied for fourth in tackles.

“Last year I was nervous going in,” recalled Newton. “This year I’m feeling a lot more confident.”

Once again Desherow will have the most talented cast of assistant coaches in Illinois high school football. The highest profiles belong to linebacker coach Holecek, who won 185 games and three state championship teams during his 17 seasons as Loyola’s head coach ending in 2022, and volunteer assistant Pat Fitzgerald, the former Northwestern University coach and father of Jack, Ryan and Brendan.

The Ramblers will open the season on the road Friday night, Aug. 29, against Merrillville, an Indiana team coming off an 11-2 season.

According to Desherow, “It’s going to be a heck of a challenge. It’s our first game and we’re on the road. They’re talented and have a lot of good athletes and they’re well-coached.”

As of mid-August, the Ramblers didn’t have a second week opponent because non-Chicago Catholic League teams don’t want to tangle with a team that has taken three consecutive Class 8A championships.

That’s a concern for Desherow because having only eight regular season games would cost Loyola playoff points and, as a consequence, would have a negative effect on their postseason seeding.

At this writing, he was exploring the possibility of playing an out-of-state team and meeting at a neutral, halfway location.

Like Merrillville, the Ramblers’ third-, fourth- and fifth-week opponents had winning records in 2024 — St. Francis (10-3), Brother Rice (6-4) and Class 4A state champion DePaul Prep (11-3).

“Brother Rice will be much improved,” Desherow forecast. “They have a lot of returning starters and highly recruited kids.”

After the DePaul Prep homecoming game on Sept. 26 the Ramblers will play three straight games against teams with losing records last season before ending the regular season at home on Oct. 24 against defending Class 7A champion Mount Carmel (11-3 in 2024).

Ramblers Key Returners

Defensive Lineman Kai Calcutt
Placekicker/Punter Zak Zeman
Wide Receiver Robert Clingan
Offensive Lineman Thomas Fraumann
Offensive Lineman Colin Vardijan
Linebacker Henry Newton
Linebacker Gavin King
Defensive Lineman Nick Richter
Defensive LIneman Chris Evangelides
Quarterback Dom Maloney

Loyola 2025 Schedule (2024: 12-2; IHSA Class 8A champions)

* Playoff team
^ Conference opponent

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