Louisville Grinds Out 21-0 Shutout Win At Central Catholic – Varsity Football
Louisville 21, Canton Central Catholic 0
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The Louisville Leopards Varsity Football Team shut out the host Canton Central Catholic Crusaders 21-0 Friday night at Lowell Klinefelter Field. With the victory, Louisville improves to 5-1 on the season.
Game Stats | Scoring Summary | Team Stats | Individual Stats
Stoffer Guides Leopards on Two Long Scoring Drives
Quarterback Gabe Stoffer accounted for 222 yards of total offense and 2 touchdowns to lead the Leopards. Stoffer was 11 of 19 passing for 132 yards and threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Quin Burick early in the fourth quarter to give Louisville a commanding 14-0 advantage with 10:03 left.
The touchdown capped a 13-play, 95-yard drive that spanned 8:04 of game time.
Stoffer also led the Leopards on a 12-play, 60-yard scoring drive earlier in the second quarter before he launched into the end zone from 2 yards out for the game’s first score to make it 7-0 Louisville with 5:37 remaining before halftime.
Stoffer finished with 17 carries for 90 yards on the ground. His top target through the air was Luke Seaman, who made 4 catches for 46 yards. Burick also accounted for 2 receptions for 30 yards and Anderson Kandel made two clutch catches to convert a 4th-and-5 and a 3rd-and-6 on two separate scoring drives.
DiMarzio Runs for 91 Yards and a Touchdown
Running back Owen DiMarzio led the Leopards rushing attack with 13 carries for 91 yards and sealed the game with a 2-yard touchdown run with 1:33 remaining that put Louisville ahead 21-0.
DiMarzio also made 2 catches for 28 yards and thus accounted for 119 total yards of offense.
Leopards Defense Holds Crusaders to 53 Yards
The Leopards outgained the Crusaders 330-53 on offense, which included a 198-26 advantage on the ground.
Ken Stroud carried the majority of the load for the Crusaders amassing 15 rushing attempts for 50 yards. However, Central had six negative runs that accounted for a loss of 32 yards.
Sacks by McCrobie and Beard Thwart Central’s Opening Drives
Quarterback Paul Manson finished 4 of 8 for 27 yards. His 9-yard completion to Timothy Staub to convert a 3rd-and-9 on the Crusaders’ first series of the game would be their longest pass completion of the night. Central would move the sticks again on 3rd-and-3 when Manson hit wide receiver Mike Bajornas for a 6-yard gain. Those two opening drive completions would account for 40% of Central’s first downs on the night. The drive was thwarted by a Zander McCrobie sack that pushed Central into a 3rd-and-17 and they eventually punted.
On the next drive, Jakeb Beard recorded a sack on 3rd-and-6 to force the first of 3 three-and-outs.
Leopards Special Teams Bury Crusaders
Central was pinned deep to start its next drive after the kickoff went off the fingertips of their return man who retrieved the ball at the 2-yard line before being buried by Xavier Berdella and the rest of the Louisville coverage at the Crusader 4. On 3rd-and-3, Colton Dougherty blitzed in unblocked to tackle the running back 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage. Central punted.
Later in the fourth quarter, Stoffer punted inside the 20 and the ball continued to bounce until it settled into the waiting arms of Caden Kortis at the 1-yard line forcing the Crusaders into their worst field position of the night. The Crusaders snapped the ball 6 times and netted 7 yards, with 3 consecutive false starts and a Louisville defensive pass interference call in between. They eventually punted from their own 8.
Dougherty and Kortis would also storm into the backfield for a 3-yard tackle for loss on the game’s final play. That 3-play Central drive netted no yardage as a result.
Louisville Defense Halts Midfield Drives
Central’s best opportunity to score came right before halftime when they ran a gadget play. Stroud took a toss to his right and looked to pass to Bajornas who had broken 5 yards free of the defense downfield. The throw was off the mark and the half ended.
The Crusaders began from their own 36 after the opening second-half kickoff. A 14-yard run by Stroud on the opening play of the possession moved the ball to midfield. It would be their longest play of the night. Central lost 8 yards from that point after Caden Kortis stormed into the backfield for back-to-back tackles for loss.
Central’s best field position of the night came after a punt went out of bounds on their own 49, but Louisville’s defense made them work for every yard. Stroud ran the ball for a yard to midfield and then Brock Bourquin ground out 2 yards to the Leopard 48. It would be the only time the Crusaders crossed midfield. On 3rd-and-7, McCrobie got a hand on a screen pass and Staub made a diving reception 2 yards behind the line of scrimmage. Central punted again.
Norris Fourth-Quarter Interception Removes All Doubt
Trailing 14-0, the Crusaders went back to the air on the opening play of their first fourth quarter drive. The pass was underthrown, and Colten Norris was waiting to make a leaping interception at the Louisville 47 and returned it 22 yards to the Central 25 with 9:42 remaining.
The Crusaders would not penetrate their own 28 from that point on and the Leopards earned their second road shutout of the season. It’s Louisville’s first season with multiple shutouts since 2016. This is also the first time the Leopards have recorded two shutouts on the road in a season since 2007.
Louisville vs. Central Catholic Football Series
The Leopards have now won the last three meetings with the Crusaders as well as secured victories in their last three trips to Central Catholic. Louisville leads the all-time series 15-2-1 overall, which includes an 8-1 mark on the road.
This is the sixth time Louisville has shut out the Crusaders. The Louisville Blue Raiders shutout the St. John Crusaders four times from 1940-1945 and once more in 1947 after St. John and Mt. Marie Academy merged to form the co-ed Central Catholic.
<<< Previous 2024 | Central All-Time Series
UP NEXT: The Leopards will next host the Canfield Cardinals on Friday, October 3. Game time is set for 7:00 PM from Louisville Leopards Stadium.
Cover Photo By: Rick Everhart Photography
Louisville Opponents Week 6 Scores
Friday, September 26
at New Philadelphia 49, Linsly (WV) 7
at Alliance 49, Salem 34
at Lake 13, Northwest 10
at Carrollton 24, Marlington 7
North Canton Hoover 28, at GlenOak 21
at Canfield 21, Hickory (PA) 10
at Canton McKinley 21, Green 3
at Archbishop Moeller 42, La Salle 7
at West Holmes 39, Wooster 6
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Louisville at Central Catholic Football Game Statistics
Scoring Summary
LEOPARDS 21, CRUSADERS 0
Team 1-2-3-4–TOTAL
Louisville 0-7-0-14–21
Central 0-0-0-0—00
1st Quarter
NO SCORING
2nd Quarter
LOUISVILLE – Gabe Stoffer 2-Yard Run (Parker Daum Kick) | LHS 7, CCHS 0, 5:17
12 Plays, 60 Yards, 6:32
3rd Quarter
NO SCORING
4th Quarter
LOUISVILLE – Quin Burick 19-Yard Pass from Gabe Stoffer (Parker Daum Kick) | LHS 14, CCHS 0, 10:03
13 Plays, 95 Yards, 8:04
LOUISVILLE – Owen DiMarzio 2-Yard Run (Parker Daum Kick) | LHS 21, CCHS 0, 1:33
7 Plays, 45 Yards, 2:20
Records: Louisville 5-1, Central Catholic 0-6
Team Stats
First Downs
Louisville: 17 (9 Rushing, 6 Passing, 2 Penalty)
Central: 5 (2 Rushing, 2 Passing, 1 Penalty)
Total Offense
Louisville: 51 Plays, 330 Yards, 3 Touchdowns (6.5 Yards Per Play)
Central: 34 Plays, 53 Yards (1.6 Yards Per Play)
Rushing
Louisville: 32 Carries, 198 Yards, 2 Touchdowns (6.2 Average)
Central: 25 Carries, 26 Yards (1.0 Average)
Passing
Louisville: 11 of 19 for 132 Yards, Touchdown
Central: 5 of 9 for 27 Yards, 1 Interception
Fumbles/Lost
Louisville: 3/1
Central: 0/0
Penalties/Yards
Louisville: 14 for 121 Yards
Central: 7 for 43 Yards
3rd Down Conversions
Louisville: 3 for 10 (30%)
Central: 2 for 10 (20%)
4th Down Conversions
Louisville: 3 for 3 (100%)
Central: None
Punt Yards
Louisville: 3 Punts, 120 Yards (40.0 Average)
Central: 6 Punts, 233 Yards (38.8 Average)
Kick Return Yards
Louisville: 2 Returns, 21 Yards (10.5 Average)
Central: 4 Returns, 48 Yards (12.0 Average)
Punt Return Yards
Louisville: None
Central: None
Field Goal Attempts
Louisville: 0 for 1 (Missed 40)
Central: None
Individual Stats
Rushing
Louisville
Owen DiMarzio 13 Carries, 91 Yards, 1 Touchdown
Gabe Stoffer 17 Carries, 90 Yards, 1 Touchdown
Cody Zahler 2 Carries, 17 Yards
Central
Ken Stroud 15 Carries, 50 Yards
Vincent Sciarretti 3 Carries, 3 Yards
Brock Bourquin 1 Carry, 2 Yards
Patrick Sciarretti 3 Carries, -10 Yards
Paul Manson 3 Carries, -19 Yards
Passing
Louisville
Gabe Stoffer 11 of 19 for 132 Yards, 1 Touchdown
Central
Paul Manson 4 of 8 for 27 Yards, 1 Interception
Kenny Stroud 0 of 1
Receiving
Louisville
Luke Seaman 4 Catches, 46 Yards
Quin Burick 2 Catches, 30 Yards, Touchdown
Owen DiMarzio 3 Catches, 2 Yards
Anderson Kandel 2 Catches, 28 Yards
Central
Vincent Sciarretti 1 Catch, 9 Yards
Timothy Staub 2 Catches, 7 Yards
Mike Bajornas 1 Catch, 6 Yards
Patrick Sciarretti 1 Catch, 5 Yards
Kick Returns
Louisville
Drake Wilson 1 Return, 18 Yards
Luke Seaman 1 Return, 3 Yards
Central
Teddy Seery 2 Returns, 39 Yards
Carter Competty 2 Returns, 9 Yards
Punt Returns
Louisville
None
Central
None
Punts
Louisville
Gabe Stoffer 3 Punts, 120 Yards, 46 Long, 2 Inside 20 (40.0 Average)
Central
Axel Estrada 6 Punts, 233 Yards, 45 Long, 1 Inside 20 (38.8 Average)
