Louisville Flips the Script, Doubles Up Dover 24-12 – Freshman Football
Louisville 24, Dover 12
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The Louisville Leopards Freshman Football Team flipped the script on the visiting Dover Tornadoes with a 24-12 victory Thursday evening at Louisville Leopards Stadium.
The same Louisville class lost to Dover 30-0 in its first game together as eighth graders last season at Crater Stadium. This time, the Leopards scored 16 points during the opening quarter, built a 24-6 halftime advantage and improved to 1-2.
Louisville gained 311 yards on 32 offensive plays, averaging 9.7 yards per snap. The Leopards rushed for 191 yards and two touchdowns while passing for 120 yards and another score. Defensively, Louisville held Dover to 28 rushing yards, registered 9 tackles for loss and intercepted a pass.
Game Recap | Scoring Summary | Team Stats | Individual Stats
Schloneger and Watson Ignite 16-Point First Quarter
Hunter Watson established Louisville’s physical approach on the first play from scrimmage. Watson charged through the middle, carried multiple Dover defenders and gained 15 yards to midfield.
Jayden Schloneger took over from there. On the next snap, Schloneger faked an inside handoff to Watson before breaking toward the left sideline and sprinting 50 yards for a touchdown.
Only 45 seconds had elapsed when the Leopards took a 6-0 lead with 8:15 remaining in the opening quarter. Schloneger then rolled right and found Logan Barrett in the middle of the end zone for the conversion pass.
The Louisville defense immediately matched the offense’s fast start. Quintin Smith and Jax Haugen combined to stuff Dover’s ball carrier for no gain on the Tornadoes’ first play. Dover eventually went three-and-out and punted the ball back to the Leopards.
Louisville needed only four plays to cover 75 yards on its second possession. Schloneger found Troy Simpson down the left side for a 33-yard completion to the Dover 42. Watson followed by bursting to the right for 39 yards, setting up goal-to-go at the 3.
Two plays later, Schloneger rolled left and connected with Barrett in the flat for a 4-yard touchdown. Schloneger rolled right on the conversion attempt before throwing back toward the middle, where Eden Swonger secured the pass with a defender draped over him.
The conversion extended Louisville’s advantage to 16-0 with 4:42 remaining in the first quarter. The Leopards’ first two possessions produced 140 yards and two touchdowns on only six plays.
Schloneger Accounts for 201 Yards of Offense
Schloneger completed 6 of 14 passes for 120 yards and a touchdown while also rushing five times for 81 yards and another score. His 50-yard touchdown run was Louisville’s longest rushing play, while his 49-yard completion to Simpson was the Leopards’ longest pass.
Schloneger accounted for 201 yards of total offense and was involved in all four Louisville conversions. He completed conversion passes to Barrett, Swonger and Cohen Lykins following the Leopards’ three touchdowns.
Simpson caught two passes for a team-high 82 yards, while Barrett finished with two receptions for nine yards and a touchdown. Swonger made a 17-yard reception, and Watson added a 12-yard catch.
Dover Capitalizes on Louisville Turnover
Dover’s second possession ended near midfield when a fourth-down pass fell incomplete on 4th-and-7.
Louisville moved into Tornado territory on its ensuing drive when Schloneger rolled right and found Watson for 12 yards on 3rd-and-5. However, Dover’s #8 intercepted Schloneger’s next pass in traffic and returned it seven yards to the Tornado 39.
Dover moved into the Louisville red zone on a handoff-and-throw play, as #11 took the handoff and found #17 wide open for a 47-yard completion.
Eli Cullins and Smith combined to drop the Dover ball carrier for a loss, setting up 2nd-and-goal from the Louisville 14. Dover quarterback #3 then delivered a backward lateral to #11, who found a path to the end zone for a 14-yard rushing touchdown.
Barrett and Damon Gail defended the ensuing conversion pass, keeping Louisville in front 16-6 with 7:16 remaining in the second quarter.
Simpson Interception Sparks 90-Yard Touchdown Drive
Dover threatened to draw closer during its next possession, advancing inside the Louisville 10.
Wyatt Ritenour and Cullins combined to push the Tornadoes backward to the 10-yard line. Dover’s #3 mishandled the following snap but recovered the football, rolled to his right and attempted a pass into the flat.
Simpson read the play and made a leaping interception. He returned the pick five yards, giving Louisville possession at its own 10 with 1:10 remaining before halftime.
The Leopards responded with a six-play, 90-yard touchdown drive.
Schloneger opened the possession with a 13-yard run before finding Swonger for 17 yards to the Louisville 40. Schloneger then dropped back and launched a deep pass to Simpson, who made the reception for a 49-yard gain before going out of bounds at the Dover 11.
Schloneger scrambled left for 10 yards on the next play, stepping out at the 1 with five seconds remaining. Louisville called timeout to prepare for one final play, but a false-start penalty coming out of the break moved the ball back to the 6.
With three seconds left, Louisville stayed with its likely original plan and handed the ball to Watson. He powered through contact and crossed the goal line as time expired for a 6-yard touchdown.
Schloneger floated a conversion pass to Lykins to send the Leopards into halftime with a 24-6 advantage.
Simpson finished the game with two catches for 82 yards and an interception, contributing 87 yards between his receptions and interception return.
Watson Rushes for 110 Yards
Watson led the Louisville ground attack with 110 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries, averaging 8.5 yards per attempt.
He produced runs of 15 and 39 yards during Louisville’s two first-quarter scoring drives before adding the 6-yard touchdown on the final play of the first half. Watson also caught one pass for 12 yards to finish with 122 yards from scrimmage.
Schloneger averaged 16.2 yards across his five rushing attempts as Louisville’s two primary ball carriers combined for all 191 yards and two touchdowns on 18 attempts.
Louisville Threatens Again Before Goal-Line Turnover
Dover opened the second half by converting 4th-and-8 when #3 connected with #11 for 30 yards to the Louisville 32.
The Tornadoes eventually faced 4th-and-16. Coverage from Barrett and Simpson helped force an incomplete pass, turning the ball over to Louisville.
Schloneger began the Leopards’ first possession of the second half with a 10-yard run to the Louisville 45. Watson followed with gains of six, eight, 10 and 19 yards as Louisville moved into a goal-to-go situation.
The opportunity ended when the football came loose during the quarterback-running back exchange. Dover’s #51 recovered at the Tornado 9 and returned it nine yards to the 18.
It was Louisville’s second turnover and prevented the Leopards from adding to their 18-point advantage.
Dover Converts Two Fourth Downs and Pulls Within 24-12
Ritenour dropped Dover’s #8 for a 2-yard loss on 3rd-and-2 during the final play of the third quarter, leaving the Tornadoes facing 4th-and-4.
Dover converted on the first play of the fourth quarter. Quarterback #3 threw deep to #11, who came back to win a jump ball for a 32-yard reception at the Louisville 44.
Two plays later, #3 found #11 in the right flat. The receiver located an opening along the sideline and raced 38 yards for a touchdown.
Simpson, Gino Patron and Conner Longwell stopped #11 short of the goal line on the conversion attempt. The defensive stand preserved Louisville’s two-score advantage at 24-12 with 7:27 remaining.
Dover’s #11 finished with 12 receptions for 151 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed twice for 15 yards and a score, completed a 47-yard pass and punted twice for 79 yards.
Lightning Ends Game With 2:38 Remaining
Louisville punted on its next possession, giving Dover one final opportunity.
Haugen opened the series by recording a tackle for loss. A bad snap on the following play helped force the Tornadoes into 3rd-and-21.
Dover escaped the long-yardage situation when #3 completed another bubble screen to #11 in the left flat. The receiver reached the necessary yardage along the sideline to extend the possession.
Louisville was ready when Dover returned to the bubble screen on 3rd-and-10. Barrett, Ritenour and Jaycek Ross converged on #11 for a 2-yard loss, setting up 4th-and-12.
Dover called timeout, but the next play was never run. Lightning in the area stopped the game with 2:38 remaining before heavy wind and rain swept across Louisville Leopards Stadium.
With Louisville holding a two-score lead late in a freshman contest, the game was declared final at 24-12.
Patron and Ritenour led the Louisville defense with two tackles for loss apiece. Brandon Uphold, Cullins, Aiden Hunter, Haugen, Barrett and Ross were each credited with one.
Gail recorded two pass breakups, while Simpson and Swonger added one each. Simpson’s interception accounted for Louisville’s lone takeaway.
Leopards Flip the Script on Dover
Louisville’s victory represented a complete reversal from the first meeting between these two classes.
Dover defeated Louisville 30-0 at Crater Stadium when the teams opened their eighth-grade careers last season. One year later, the Leopards controlled the rematch at home, turning a 30-point defeat into a 12-point victory for a 42-point reversal in scoring margin.
The 24-12 win improved Louisville’s record to 1-2.
UP NEXT: The Freshman Leopards will next host the Boardman Spartans on Thursday, September 10. Game time is set for 6:00 PM from Louisville Leopards Stadium.
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Dover at Louisville Freshman Football Scoring Summary
LEOPARDS 24, TORNADOES 12
Team 1-2-3-4–TOTAL
Dover 0-6-0-6–12
Louisville 16-8-0-0–24
1st Quarter
LOUISVILLE – Jayden Schloneger 50-Yard Run (Logan Barrett Conversion Pass from Jayden Schloneger) | LHS 8, DHS 0, 8:15
2 Plays, 65 Yards, 0:45
LOUISVILLE – Logan Barrett 4-Yard Pass from Jayden Schloneger (Eden Swonger Conversion Pass from Jayden Schloneger) | LHS 16, DHS 0, 4:42
4 Plays, 75 Yards, 1:48
2nd Quarter
DOVER – #11 14-Yard Run (Pass Failed) | LHS 16, DHS 6, 7:16
3 Plays, 61 Yards, 1:35
LOUISVILLE – Hunter Watson 6-Yard Run (Cohen Lykins Conversion Pass from Jayden Schloneger) | LHS 24, DHS 6, 0:00
6 Plays, 90 Yards, 1:10
3rd Quarter
NO SCORING
4th Quarter
DOVER – #11 38-Yard Pass from #3 (Pass Failed) | LHS 24, DHS 12, 7:27
6 Plays, 82 Yards, 3:22
Records: Louisville 1-2
Team Stats
Total Offense
Louisville: 32 Plays, 311 Yards, 3 Touchdowns (9.7 Yards Per Play)
Dover: 39 Plays, 226 Yards, 2 Touchdowns (5.8 Yards Per Play)
Rushing
Louisville: 18 Carries, 191 Yards, 2 Touchdowns (10.6 Average)
Dover: 17 Carries, 28 Yards, 1 Touchdown (1.6 Average)
Passing
Louisville: 6 of 14 for 120 Yards, 1 Touchdown, 1 Interception
Dover: 15 of 22 for 198 Yards, 1 Touchdown, 1 Interception
First Downs
Louisville: 11 (7 Rushing, 4 Passing)
Dover: 6 (6 Passing)
Turnovers
Louisville: 2
Dover: 1
Punt Yards
Louisville: 3 Punts, 83 Yards (27.7 Average)
Dover: 2 Punts, 79 Yards (39.5 Average)
Penalties
Louisville: 3 Penalties, 25 Yards
Dover: 3 Penalties, 20 Yards
Individual Stats
Rushing
Louisville
Hunter Watson 13 Carries, 110 Yards, Touchdown
Jayden Schloneger 5 Carries, 81 Yards, Touchdown
Dover
#11 2 Carries, 15 Yards, Touchdown
#8 12 Carries, 12 Yards
#3 3 Carries, 1 Yard
Note: Sacks count as rushes in Middle School/High School Football
Passing
Louisville
Jayden Schloneger 6 of 14 for 120 Yards, Touchdown, Interception
Dover
#3 14 of 21 for 151 Yards, Touchdown, Interception
#11 1 of 1 for 47 Yards
Receiving
Louisville
Troy Simpson 2 Catches, 82 Yards
Eden Swonger 1 Catch, 17 Yards
Hunter Watson 1 Catch, 12 Yards
Logan Barrett 2 Catches, 9 Yards, Touchdown
Dover
#11 12 Catches, 151 Yards, Touchdown
#17 1 Catch, 47 Yards
#8 2 Catches, 0 Yards
Punts
Louisville
Jayden Schloneger 3 Punts, 83 Yards, 35 Long (27.7 Average)
Dover
#11 2 Punts, 79 Yards, 40 Long (39.5 Average)
Tackles for Loss
Louisville
Gino Patron 2
Wyatt Ritenour 2
Brandon Uphold 1
Eli Cullins 1
Quintin Smith 1
Aiden Hunter 1
Jax Haugen 1
Logan Barrett 1
Jaycek Ross 1
Dover
#55 1
#3 1
#75 1
#8 1
Pass Breakups
Louisville
Damon Gail 2
Troy Simpson 1
Eden Swonger 1
Interceptions
Louisville
Troy Simpson 1 Interception, 5 Return Yards
Dover
#8 1 Interception, 7 Return Yards
Fumble Recoveries
Dover
#51 1 Recovery, 9 Return Yards
