Warren regroups after slow start in opening loss to Loyola
After losing the top running back in the state in Aaron Stewart to graduation, host Warren was looking for a new leader Friday night against Loyola Academy in the opening game of the 2026 football season.
And while the Blue Devils showed flashes of brilliance throughout the contest, they were unable to match the power and depth of the Ramblers and their numerous Division I players in their lineup as Loyola rolled to a 31-0 nonconference victory in Gurnee.
"It's tough running against them, and we got a scar tonight, but it's only going to make us better if our kids approach it the right way," said Warren coach Bryan McNulty, whose team trailed 24-0 at halftime.
"Our theme this year is pound the stone so we've just got to keep at it. I told our kids a lot of really good stuff is going to happen, we're resilient, and they settled in after the first quarter."
The Blue Devils defense was shell-shocked right out of the gates at Loyola stormed ahead to a 21-0 lead after one quarter. The defense regained their composure and only allowed 10 points the rest of the way.
"I think that Warren is a really good playoff type of team, and our college-bound players played well tonight," said Loyola coach John Holecek, whose team defeated the Blue Devils in their last meeting in 2017. "(Carmelo) Maldonado is a shifty player, and he had a monster first quarter that makes it tough on opponents to come back."
Maldonado (136 yards on eight carries) exploded for a 70-yard touchdown run to give the visitors a 14-0 lead just eight minutes into the contest. Loyola's Jayden Garrett had 104 yards on 12 carries along with a touchdown.
To make matters worse for Warren, starting quarterback Xavier Vinson (6-for-11, 28 yards) got hit in the chin late in the second quarter and never returned. Junior Will Shilling (10-for-20, 84 yards) did a good job in a reserve role, but the Blue Devils could not reach the end zone despite being deep in Loyola territory on numerous occasions.
"He (Vinson) just had a cut on his chin, he could have gone back in, but we chose to hold him out," added McNulty, whose team plays Maine South next week. "We're playing with three new starters up front, and Loyola is as good a team as you can assemble with 10 Division I players."
Junior running back Johnny Randolph (66 yards on 13 rushes) exploded for 45 yards the first time he touched the football, but he could not maintain that magic as consistently as his mentor Stewart was able to do over the course of his career. Stewart rushed for 2,872 yards and 46 touchdowns last season.
"This is my first year coming from a five-star running back (Stewart) and so I'm going to keep working with my teammates to keep getting better every day," said Randolph. "I learned a lot from him last year in practice, and coach told us to keep pounding the stone so we should be good next week."