On a Mission, Harvard Downs Loyola

NORTH HOLLYWOOD —  There wasn’t an abdication after the match.

In fact, the coaches and players on each team, who know each other fairly well, merely smiled and shook hands.

But there was no denying that Harvard-Westlake High had taken an important Mission League match from Loyola, winning, 15-5, 15-5, 15-10, Tuesday at Harvard-Westlake.

The Wolverines (5-0, 3-0 in league play) not only jumped to an early league lead. They also beat the defending Southern Section Division I champion--handily.

The Wolverines, ranked third in Division I, were simply stronger in every department than the 10th-ranked Cubs (3-2, 2-1).

“There’s no question this is a [Harvard-Westlake] team that can make it to the finals,” said Loyola Coach Eric Wells, who is a Harvard-Westlake alum. “They have good passing, good defense and good chemistry because they’ve been playing together for so long. They can win it.”

The Wolverines won Tuesday, which is a pretty good start.

Swing hitter Rick Rauth had 17 kills and only four errors. Outside hitter Trevor Julian was similarly impressive with 14 kills, two errors.

“If we don’t get to the finals, it’ll be because we lost focus as a team somewhere along the line,” said Harvard-Westlake Coach Jess Quiroz, who is more than familiar with winning a title. He coached the Harvard-Westlake girls’ team to Southern Section and state titles last fall.

After a breezy first two games, the Wolverines’ passing and concentration slipped in the third game.

Loyola even took its first lead of the match, 10-9, on a block by Dave Kohl, who finished with 11 kills and four blocks.

But Julian came up with three kills and the Wolverines scored the final six points to close out the match.

“Even though it’s not the same Loyola team [the Cubs lost all six starters from last year to graduation], Loyola-Harvard is always a great match,” Rauth said.

The winner sometimes takes all.