Senior defensive lineman Josh Loera has been playing with extra passion for Marist this fall after missing his entire junior season with an injury.
With Division I-bound defensive linemen Brad Fitzgibbon (Iowa) and Achilles Anderson (Harvard) both sidelined Friday night for the RedHawks, Loera was even more fired up than normal.
He determined to make sure his team did not drop off without two of its stars.
“Early in the week, when Brad went out, I definitely felt a little pressure,” Loera said. “But I’m not one to back down from pressure. I love it. Pressure creates diamonds. It’s really been awesome.
“We’re faced with a lot of adversity, but it’s not about how hard you’re hit, it’s how hard you can punch back.”
Punching back, Loera led a dominant defensive effort with a fumble recovery and two tackles for loss as host Marist earned a 28-7 CCL/ESCC Orange victory over Providence in Chicago.
Cornell recruit John McAuliffe ran for 112 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries for the RedHawks (5-1, 1-1). Jacob Ritter completed 6 of 14 passes for 120 yards, including a 29-yard TD pass to Gavin O’Brochta, and ran for 88 yards and a TD on 12 carries.
Brandon Hoff also had two sacks for the RedHawks, who held the Celtics to 188 yards.
For Providence (3-3, 1-1), AJ Rayford completed 14 of 31 passes for 154 yards, including a 14-yard TD pass to Curtis Stubbs II. Jayden Mikulski and Jaylen McMiller added interceptions.
Overall, however, it was a big night for Loera, who suffered a torn posterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his knee last spring, had surgery in June and missed all of last season.
“It was rough, but at the end of the day, I knew I was going to come back and I just had to work harder than ever,” Loera said. “I knew coming into senior year that I had to do something special.
“I had to go out there and play to my best abilities and that’s what I’m trying to do.”
Fitzgibbon, who said he hopes to return to the field next week, has seen Loera take huge strides this season.
“Josh has gone through the whole process of hurting his knee and coming back and he’s really stepped up hard,” Fitzgibbon said. “He went from playing a lot of O-line and not having a ton of experience on the D-line to really stepping up and doing a great job on the D-line this year.
“There’s not enough I can say about how proud I am of him.”
Loera credited Fitzgibbon with helping him get better.
“Everything I know right now — my spin moves, staying low, making that vertical step — I learned that all from him,” Loera said. “He’s truly an amazing teammate and coach.”
Marist took a quick 14-0 lead against the Celtics but slowed down offensively and led just 14-7 late in the third quarter before Ritter hit O’Brochta for a 29-yard TD pass to provide some cushion.
The defense, though, made sure the RedHawks never lost the lead.
Loera was a big part of that, which did not surprise Marist coach Mike Fitzgerald.
“Josh has been an impactful player,” Fitzgerald said. “Kids that have an injury like that, I think there’s a little more to them. They don’t take anything for granted. They know it’s a special thing being out here and they give everything they have every play. Josh definitely does that.”
Loera was strictly an offensive lineman his freshman year, but played on both lines as a sophomore and quickly developed a passion for defense.
“I gravitated toward D-line more,” he said. “I love hitting people. I love being in the trenches, hitting the quarterback and the running back and just doing whatever I can for my defense.”
Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
