Chaney Cowboys at Louisville Leopards 2002 Playoff Football Highlights
Louisville 17, Youngstown Chaney 7
The Louisville Leopards downed the visiting Youngstown Chaney Cowboys 17-7 in the DII, Region 5 Quarterfinals back on November 1, 2002. The victory was Louisville Football’s 500th all-time.
“Our kids play for the tradition of our school,” Leopard Head Coach Paul Farrah spoke of his football team. “They know how important this is to the community.”
All of the scoring came in the first half as Quarterback Gary Whaley led the way for Louisville with 231 total yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Whaley finished 16 of 26 through the air for 194 yards.
The Leopards first scoring drive was keyed by a 15 yard completion to Marc Zustin on 4th-and-7 that 
immediately preceded Whaley’s 5 yard touchdown run. After Chaney got on the board, Louisville answered with a 4 play 66 yard drive to retake a double digit advantage. Whaley found Nick Vernon for 16 yards, competed a screen pass to Mike Batdorff for 22 more, and then scored from 28 yards out on an option play. Batdorff finished with 6 catches for 65 yards.
The Leopards defense preserved the lead with three second half stops at the goal line. The Cowboys took possession to open the second half and drove 61 yards on 11 plays to consume six minutes of game clock. Despite their effort, the drive ended when Zustin broke up a pass in the endzone on a 4th-and-Goal play from the 4.
On the ensuing drive, Louisville drove all the way to the Chaney 27 before Salih Robinson recovered a fumble for the Cowboys. Chaney seized momentum and drove 68 yards in 19 plays taking up nearly 10 minutes. Yet on a 4th-and-2 from the 5 the Leopards defense held again via the swarming tandem of Adam Burris, Dan Kolp, and Zustin.
“That goal line stand was huge. We’re only 180 pounds, 190 pounds, going against that fullback and those tight ends,” Farrah said. “We just kept crashing our ends and bringing our linebackers and let the chips fall where they may.”
They continued to fall in favor of Louisville all night long. The Cowboys final scoring attempt also ended at the goal line where John Stallings made the game-clinching interception.
“Our defense has done it all year,” Leopards Player Matt Herbert spoke of his team’s performance. “We know if they don’t score, they don’t win.”
Chaney managed to score just one time via a 5 yard touchdown run by Quarterback Justin Hood. The Cowboys lost the game despite out-rushing the Leopards 202-63. Tailback Ed McElroy had a game-high 146 yards on 30 carries and Hood finished with 48 yards on 14 carries.
However, it was Louisville who made the plays when it counted to snap a 5-game playoff losing streak. Ironically, the Leopards previous playoff victory had been a 34-6 win against Youngstown Chaney in the 1992 DII Regional Championship game.
Don’t forget to Subscribe to Our Posts for Free
Scoring Summary
Team 1-2-3-4–TOTAL
Chaney 0-0-7-0–07
Louisville 3-14-0-0–17
1st Quarter
Louisville – Brian Potts 25 Yard Field Goal, 3-0
2nd Quarter
Louisville – Brian Whaley 5 Yard Run (Brian Potts Kick), 10-0
Chaney – Justin Hood 5 Yard Run (Brian Potts Kick), 10-7
Louisville – Brian Whaley 28 Yard Run (Brian Potts Kick), 17-7
3rd Quarter
None
4th Quarter
None
Stats
Rushing: Chaney 47-202, Louisville 16-63
Passing: Chaney 4-11-52-1, Louisville 16-26-194-1
First Downs: Chaney 13, Louisville 17
Fumbles-Lost: Chaney 2-0, Louisville 1-1
Records: Chaney 7-4, Louisville 11-0
