The preseason talk at Loyola is all about returning to “the standard.” The Ramblers finished 4-5 last year, a shocking record taken at face value. But it is important to remember that Loyola’s young team gave Mount Carmel a stern test in the first round of the Class 8A playoffs.
John Holecek, the Ramblers’ head coach from 2006 through 2022, is back at the helm after spending one year away from the program and the last two as an assistant coach.
“[Holecek] is back and the standard is a little different now,” senior linebacker Will Mettee, a Boston College recruit, said. “We need to make sure everyone is on the same page all the time. Last year that wasn’t always the case. We always had these little misses on defense and offense.”
Mettee (6-1, 225 pounds) leads a strong linebacker core rounded out by two juniors, Mark Atwood and Barrett Schifferdecker.
“They are excellent, tough, athletic kids,” Holecek said. “On the defensive line [Braedan McHugh and Winston Ericson] aren’t Power Four-looking kids but are explosive and tough. They are stout with great technique and quickness.”
Loyola is No. 3 in the preseason Super 25 and picked up two talented transfers who will contribute on defense: lineman Hunter Wahtola, a North Dakota recruit, and defensive back Patrick Carnel.
The Ramblers played two quarterbacks throughout last season: Dom Maloney and Matthew Lee, a highly regarded college prospect. Lee will start this season, but Holecek says Maloney will play some quarterback. The senior is also starting at safety.
“It’s been a lot of work learning the new offense and also safety,” Maloney said. “Super hard but super fun. Anything I can do to help the team. We have to use last year as fuel. Everyone is expecting us to be like the team was last year, but we have expectations to go back to state and win.”
Danny Schaechter is Loyola’s new offensive coordinator. He was at Libertyville the past several seasons and coached Bears quarterback Caleb Williams in high school.
“[Schaechter] is great,” junior running back Melo Maldonado said. “He’s given us a lot of plays to get everyone on the field. With the talent that we have, we will be able to mess up defenses this year.”
“The offense has new terminology, new everything,” Holecek said. “The kids went through extensive work over four months. Everything has changed. But we won’t be using that as an excuse. This is Loyola Academy. These kids are smart. That won’t be an excuse for why this offense isn’t great.”
Lee (6-4, 200) has offers from Kansas State, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Boston College. The junior threw for 1,063 yards and 12 TDs last season.
Junior receiver Jordan McKinley (6-3, 220) and junior running back Jayden Garrett are two of the most talented players in the state. Both players have multiple Power Four offers and showed dynamic flashes last season.
Senior Charlie Fowler (6-6, 224), another Boston College recruit, leads an experienced group of receivers that includes seniors Brendan Fitzgerald and Joe Haughey.
This is as much major college talent as the Ramblers’ program has ever had, and the school has won five of the past 10 Class 8A state championships.
“Overall, if we are healthy, we are a pretty good team,” Holecek said. “But like every year there are question marks. Sometimes they are answered immediately, like Ryan Fitzgerald in his first game as a junior. That was a wow, that question is answered. But this year we are going in with a bunch of guys that you don’t know exactly what you are going to get.”