Upon committing an interception in a recreation towards Ramona Convent final week, Lexi Loya trotted to the sideline, the place she was greeted by a well-known face and voice — that of her coach and father, Tim.
“He’s the best coach I could have,” Lexi admitted. “Yeah he’s hard on me but he lets me know what I do wrong and how to fix it. He’s taught me everything about the game and being a good person.”
Accepting dad’s constructive criticism has helped the Lakewood St. Joseph sophomore quarterback change into among the finest in Southern California at her place and below her management the Jesters are undefeated and ranked among the many greatest flag soccer groups within the nation.
By means of 13 video games, Loya has accomplished 255 of 383 passes for 3,240 yards, 46 touchdowns with 14 interceptions — a mean of 249.2 yards per recreation — with a 66.6% completion charge. She has additionally rushed for 264 yards. On protection she performs largely security and has seven interceptions and 7 move deflections.
She has already surpassed the two,949 passing yards she amassed in 21 video games as a freshman final fall when she earned league most dear participant honors and she or he is three shy of the 49 touchdowns she threw for a yr in the past, when she additionally led the Jesters with 40 solo flag pulls, 16 interceptions and 11 move deflections.
“I’ve been working on my arm strength and accuracy most, hoping to improve them a lot,” she mentioned. “The sport’s really growing and I’d love to play flag football in college for a Division I school. Hopefully there’ll be full scholarships available by then.”
Not solely does Lexi profit from her dad’s data, she has additionally obtained invaluable recommendation from her brother Logan, a redshirt senior receiver and punt returner at UCLA and a former standout at St. Joseph’s brother faculty, St. John Bosco in Bellflower.
“I try to go to as many of his games as I can,” Lexi mentioned. “He helps me with routes, speed training and is always on my side.”
St. Joseph quarterback Lexi Loya makes a move whereas on the transfer throughout a win over Ramona Convent.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Occasions)
Each Lexi and her brother put on No. 17 — the quantity first given to Logan by Tim, a retired firefighter who spent 25 of his 32 years as captain at Station 17 in Cypress.
“Logan lived, ate and breathed football,” Tim recalled. “He wanted to talk football all day, 24-7 but I learned with him that there has to be some down time. With Lexi, we’re not talking football outside of practice.”
Lexi has performed soccer since she was 6 and performs middle again for the Jesters’ varsity group within the winter, however for the time being she is all about soccer.
“I enjoy our bus rides, singing and getting hyped for away games,” she mentioned. “I expect us to go far in CIF. I’ve loved being quarterback since I started. Receivers depend on you to get them the ball. You have to have duality, to be able to run and throw on the run.”
A straight A scholar with a GPA above 4.0, she research her faculty books as rigorously as she does the playbook. Not even a critical again damage may hold Loya sidelined for lengthy.
“I like to go off-roading … I’ve done it all my life and it’s my happy place, other than the field,” mentioned Loya, who doesn’t flip 16 till March. “Six months ago while we were camping in Utah I was on my quad and I flipped it. I was in a brace for three months but I’m back in the groove now.”
“She fractured four vertebrae in her spine but she’s strong-willed and she pushed through it,” Tim added. “She came back quicker than we thought. She was on the field playing in three months.”
Loya’s management traits had been on full show two weeks in the past when she engineered a pair of scoring drives within the final 10 minutes of a 32-19 victory over Lengthy Seashore Poly. The Jesters face one other massive take a look at on Oct. 8 towards Aliso Niguel, ranked fourth in California and No. 5 within the nation.
“Our goal is to put St. Joseph’s on the map,” Tim mentioned. “The whole school is only about 500 girls but I have a really good group and we have nine fantastic seniors. Everyone knows they don’t want to be my daughter but at the same time I tell them all that they’re like my daughters in a way. We’ve got 49 girls in the program … I don’t cut and everyone plays.”
Quarterback Lexi Loya and her father Tim, who can also be the coach, have helped lead St. Joseph to a 13-0 this season.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Occasions)
“Efficient” describes Lexi’s efficiency towards Ramona Convent. She linked on 23 of 29 throws for 284 yards and threw scoring strikes to a few totally different receivers. She additionally intercepted a move on protection to protect the 33-0 shutout. Final Thursday she threw for practically 300 yards and 5 touchdowns in a 31-18 win over Yorba Linda.
“It’s all about learning from each game and continuing to improve,” she mentioned. “If we all do that individually and as a team we’ll have a successful season.”
