Louisville Scores 40 Unanswered in Comeback Win Vs. Alliance – Varsity Football
Louisville 40, Alliance 14
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The Louisville Leopards Varsity Football Team rallied from a 14-0 deficit to trounce the visiting Alliance Aviators 40-14 Friday Night at Louisville Leopards Stadium. With the victory, Louisville improves to 1-1 on the season.
Game Stats | Scoring Summary | Team Stats | Individual Stats
Burton’s Pick Six Flips Fortunes Early
Later in the first quarter, the Leopards faced a 4th-and-3 driving in Aviator territory. The ensuing pass over the middle was dropped and fell incomplete giving Alliance the ball back with great field position. However, Colton Dougherty jumped in front of a pass recording an interception that gave Louisville the ball back at midfield.
Seizing momentum from the takeaway, the Leopards marched 45 yards on 4 plays and were knocking on the endzone door at the 4 yard line. The drive was keyed by a 15 yard first down run by runningback Owen DiMarzio and the play netted 25 yards altogether after a facemask penalty against the Aviators.
On 2nd-and-goal, a pass to the right flat was intercepted by Alliance’s Kam Burton at the 2 yard line. Burton side-stepped the only Louisville player in his path and ran the remaining yards for a 98 yard interception return touchdown to put the Aviators on the scoreboard first. Jacob Schuette’s extra point made it 7-0 and Alliance would take that lead into the second quarter.
Long 3rd Down Conversions Lead to Alliance TD
The Leopards went 3-and-out on their next possession. The Aviators then took over on their own 44 after a shanked punt netted 2 yards.
A sack by Dougherty on second down put Alliance in a 3rd-and-19 scenario. Louisville’s defense appeared to have the Aviators stopped about 7 yards short on the next play, but a late hit out of bounds tacked on a 15 yard penalty to give Alliance a new set of downs.
The Aviators would commit an illegal block in the back later on in the drive and eventually faced a 3rd-and-24. With the daunting down and distance, Alliance elected to hand the ball off. However, runningback Mykell Williams ran right for a 24 yard gain to move the sticks for another long third down conversion. Williams would finish the night as the Aviators’ leading rusher with 7 attempts for 53 yards.
Three plays later, Alliance quarterback Bo Davis floated a pass to tight end Grady Fast who hauled the ball in for a 5 yard touchdown reception in the back of the endzone. Schuette’s extra point was true again and the Aviators were in complete command up 14-0 with 5:22 to play in the second quarter.
Davis would finish 13 of 21 passing for 89 yards to lead the Alliance offense. JR Jackson was his top target with 3 receptions for 22 yards and Taije Nicholson also made 2 grabs for 26 yards.
DiMarzio Touchdown Run Cuts Aviator Lead in Half
The Leopards wasted no time in getting that touchdown back. Louisville’s offense to that point in the game had only amassed 65 yards on 18 snaps. The alarm bells went off and the Leopards offense whipped into gear quickly in mounting a 6 play, 70 yard scoring drive before halftime.
Quarterback Tate Aljancic found Quin Burick for a 15 yard completion on the first play of the series. Then Aljancic ran a draw to his left behind a wall of blockers to gain 4 yards on a 3rd-and-2. On the next play, Aljancic hit Burick for a 15 yard completion down the left sideline to move the chains once more.
One play later, DiMarzio swept to the right hitting the gap paved by Burick and tight end Austin Wade. The speedy DiMarzio sprinted down the right sideline and into the endzone for a 26 yard touchdown run to put Louisville on the board. Aljancic booted through the extra point and the Leopards stopped the bleeding to get within 14-7 with 3:04 remaining before the break.
DiMarzio would finish as the game’s leading rusher with 16 carries for 80 yards.
Leopards Score Thrice in the Third
Louisville’s defense and special teams took the game over in the third quarter by scoring three touchdowns that produced a total of 19 points to give the Leopards the lead.
Louisville’s offense drove to the Alliance 46 on the opening drive of the second half and faced a 4th-and-3. On a similar scenario in the first half they went for it and failed to convert. This time the Leopards punted and placed their fortune into the hands of the defense, and it would yield immediate returns.
Stoffer Saves the Day
The turning point in the game came virtue of the decision to punt. The snap sailed high above punter Gabe Stoffer’s head. Stoffer was able to get his fingertips on it, calmly scoop it up at the Louisville 35, spin out of two tackles, and some how, some way get the punt off. The punt would net 24 yards from the line of scrimmage, but would be downed 47 yards from the point at which he kicked it at the Leopard 31.
Seaman 22 Yard Pick Six Ties the Game
On the first play from scrimmage, Luke Seaman stepped in front of a pass in the left flat and took it to the house for a 22 yard pick six for Louisville. Aljancic completed the rally by making the extra point to tie the game at 14-14 with 8:11 left in the third quarter.
Burick 73 Yard Pick Six Put Leopards in Front
The Aviators threatened to take their lead back on the ensuing drive. They converted their fourth, fourth down of the night on a 4th-and-2 that pushed them to the Leopards 24.
Three plays later they faced a 3rd-and-9 and Louisville sent the blitz. This forced a quick throw into the left flat that was ball hawked by defensive end Trevor Burick. The blitzers quickly turned into a convoy as Burick stormed down the right sideline. He waited on one last block from Dougherty and ran unscathed into the endzone for a 73 yard interception return touchdown that put Louisville in the lead at 20-14 with 3:39 to play in the third.
Wilson Blocks Punt, Scoops, & Scores
The Aviators were able to move the sticks on their first series to the Alliance 44 yard line. However, a sack by Cam Dougherty caused by pressure from Tyler Davis set the Aviators back 8 yards. On the next play, Brayden Elsass dropped Davis for a 6 yard sack after Brock Leghart forced him out of the pocket. That set up 4th-and-24 and Alliance sent out the punt team.
Freshman Owen Wilson split a pair of blockers on the right side of the Aviator line and he wasn’t picked up by the personal protector. Wilson blocked the punt, pinballed off the punter, scooped the ball up at the 4 yard line, and took it into the endzone for a Leopard touchdown. Wilson fired up the crowd and was emphatic on the sideline as he became what is likely the first freshman to ever score a touchdown in Louisville varsity history. More importantly, the Leopards were in complete command up 26-14 with 0:25 to go in the third quarter.
No offensive scoring, but 19 points on the board for LHS in the third quarter.
Louisville Puts the Game on Ice
The Leopards defense continued to dominate the demoralized Aviators offense with a three-and-out to begin the fourth quarter. The ensuing punt was downed at the Louisville 27 with 10:27 remaining in the game.
Aljancic Uses Legs to Lead Long Scoring Drive
The Leopards then put the game to bed with a 13 play, 73 yard scoring drive that ate 8:06 off the fourth quarter clock. Aljancic carried for first down runs of 12, 10, 10, and 7 yards on the drive which included converting a 4th-and-3 to put Louisville in the red zone. Aljancic would reach pay dirt three plays later on a 6 yard run to the right behind lead blocker Cam Dougherty. Aljancic’s extra point kick was good making the score 33-14 in favor of the good guys with 2:21 left to play.
Aljancic would run for 53 of his 67 yards on the ground on that back-breaking drive. He would account for 172 total yards of offense altogether as he also completed 11 of 18 passes for 105 yards.
Stoffer Recovery Leads to Dougherty Score
On the next play from scrimmage, Cam Dougherty jarred the ball free from the Aviator runningback and Stoffer alertly, and immediately, pounced on it at the Alliance 29.
After a delay of game to start the drive, Aljancic found DiMarzio in the right flat. DiMarzio slipped through a few Aviator defenders to pick up 23 yards and a first down at the 11 yard line. He would finish as the Leopards leading receiver with 4 catches for 41 yards on the night.
On the next play, Dougherty ran right through the blocking of Roy Newell and Aden Norris before rolling over a defender into the endzone for an 11 yard touchdown. Aljancic converted the extra point to put Louisville ahead 40-14 with 1:35 to play.
The Streak Ends
Time ran out on the Aviators around midfield and the Leopards celebrated their first victory in 371 days. Louisville’s last victory came in a 22-0 shutout at Zanesville in week two of last season. Friday’s victory snapped a 9-game losing streak and 7-game home losing streak. The Leopards last home win came in a 24-17 double overtime thriller against Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin on October 14, 2022.
However, this felt like more than just a win to snap the streak. This felt like a re-birth of Leopard football. Louisville plunged into a 14-0 hole and came out of the water anew by scoring 40 unanswered points. A point total that the Leopards have not reached since winning at Point Pleasant (West Virginia) 40-21 on October 18, 2019.
The team celebrated and gathered with the band, cheerleaders, and students to sing the alma mater in the north endzone as the scoreboard held the 40-14 score for all in attendance to behold as they exited.
Leopards 12th win 14 Games Vs. Aviators
The Leopards have now come from behind to beat the Aviators in each of their last two meetings. LHS has also taken 10 out of the last 12 matchups overall.
Louisville is now 17-6-1 against Alliance all-time dating back to their first meeting in 1980. The Leopards are 8-3-1 against the Aviators when playing at home in the series.
<<< Previous 2021 | Alliance All-Time Series
UP NEXT: The Leopards will next travel to take on the Northwest Indians on Friday, September 6. Game time is set for 7:00 PM from Dr. Martin Smilek Stadium.
Upcoming Leopard Football Schedule
August 31 – Louisville JV At Alliance, 10:00 – Len Dawson Field
September 4 – Louisville 8th Grade At North Canton Hoover, 6:00 – North Canton Memorial Stadium
September 5 – Louisville Freshman Vs. Carrollton, 5:00 – Louisville Leopards Stadium
September 6 – Louisville Varsity At Northwest, 7:00 – Dr. Martin Smilek Stadium
September 7 – Louisville Vs. Alliance, 10:00 – Louisville Leopards Stadium
Louisville Opponents Week 2 Scores
Friday, August 30
Steubenville 27, at New Philadelphia 21
at Northwest 31, Marlington 14
North Canton Hoover 18, at Hudson 7
Canton Central Catholic 45, at Norwayne 7
at Canfield 20, Mansfield Senior 14, OT
at Green 17, Painesville Riverside 10
at South Range 35, Salem 0
at Wooster 31, Kent Roosevelt 14
40-14 Scorigami?
No scorigami! Two Leopard football games have ended in a 40-14 result previously:
- 8/28/2015 – Louisville 40, Canfield 14
- 9/23/2022 – Perry 40, Louisville 14
Obscure Record Broken
Tate Aljancic attempted a 57 yard field goal in the first quarter that amounted to the equivalent of a punt inside the 10 yard line. This eclipses the previous known longest field goal attempt by a Leopard set by Brad Lingenheol who missed a 47 yarder against GlenOak on October 28, 1983.
The 57 yard attempt also matches the longest field goal attempted in a Louisville football game by either team. NDCL’s Gianni Spetic missed a 57 yard try on October 14, 2022 after previously setting the Louisville Leopards Stadium record of 49 yards earlier in the game. Spetic is now kicking for the Ohio Bobcats.
Donate to Leopard Nation
Alliance at Louisville Football Game Statistics
Scoring Summary
LEOPARDS 40, AVIATORS 14
Team 1-2-3-4–TOTAL
Alliance 7-7-0-0–14
Louisville 0-7-19-14–40
1st Quarter
ALLIANCE – Kam Burton 98 Yard Interception Return (Jacob Schuette Kick) | LHS 0, AHS 7, 1:27
2nd Quarter
ALLIANCE – Grady Fast 5 Yard Pass from Bo Davis (Jacob Schuette Kick) | LHS 0, AHS 14, 5:22
12 Plays, 56 Yards
LOUISVILLE – Owen DiMarzio 26 Yard Run (Tate Aljancic Kick) | LHS 7, AHS 14, 3:04
6 Plays, 70 Yards
3rd Quarter
LOUISVILLE – Luke Seaman 22 Yard Interception Return (Tate Aljancic Kick) | LHS 14, AHS 14, 8:11
LOUISVILLE – Trevor Burick 73 Yard Interception Return (Kick Failed) | LHS 20, AHS 14, 3:39
LOUISVILLE – Owen Wilson 30 Yard Blocked Punt Return (Pass Failed) | LHS 26, AHS 14, 0:25
4th Quarter
LOUISVILLE – Tate Aljancic 6 Yard run (Tate Aljancic Kick) | LHS 33, AHS 14, 2:21
13 Plays, 73 Yards
LOUISVILLE – Cam Dougherty 8 Yard Run (Tate Aljancic Kick) | LHS 40, AHS 14, 1:35
2 Plays, 29 Yards
Records: Louisville 1-1, Alliance 0-2
Team Stats
First Downs
Louisville: 16 (9 Rushing, 5 Passing, 2 Penalty)
Alliance: 11 (3 Rushing, 6 Passing, 2 Penalty)
Total Offense
Louisville: 45 Plays, 271 Yards, 3 Touchdowns (6.0 Average)
Alliance: 51 Plays, 159 Yards, 1 Touchdown (3.1 Average)
Rushing
Louisville: 27 Carries, 166 Yards, 3 Touchdowns (6.1 Average)
Alliance: 30 Carries, 69 Yards (2.3 Average)
Passing
Louisville: 11 of 18 for 105 Yards, 1 Interception
Alliance: 13 of 21 for 90 Yards, 2 Interceptions
Fumbles/Lost
Louisville: 1/0
Alliance: 1/1
Penalties/Yards
Louisville: 6 for 60 Yards
Alliance: 6 for 70 Yards
3rd Down Conversions
Louisville: 3 for 8
Alliance: 4 for 13
4th Down Conversions
Louisville: 1 for 2 (50%)
Alliance: 3 for 3 (100%)
Punt Yards
Louisville: 2 Punts, 26 Yards (13.0 Average)
Alliance: 3 Punts, 100 Yards (33.3 Average)
Kick Return Yards
Louisville: 3 Returns, 66 Yards (22.0 Average)
Alliance: 3 Returns, 50 Yards (16.7 Average)
Punt Return Yards
Louisville: None
Alliance: None
Field Goal Attempts
Louisville: 0 for 1 (0%)
Alliance: None
Individual Stats
Rushing
Louisville
Owen DiMarzio 16 Carries, 80 Yards, 1 Touchdown
Tate Aljancic 9 Carries, 67 Yards, 1 Touchdown
Cam Dougherty 2 Carries, 19 Yards, 1 Touchdown
Alliance
Mykell Williams 7 Carries, 53 Yards
Ravhan Hawkins 13 Carries, 26 Yards
Jarrin Blair 1 Carry, -3 Yards
Bo Davis 8 Carries, -7 Yards
Passing
Louisville
Tate Aljancic 11 of 18 for 105 Yards, 1 Interception
Alliance
Bo Davis 13 of 21 for 90 Yards, 2 Interceptions
Receiving
Louisville
Owen DiMarzio 4 Catches, 41 Yards
Quin Burick 2 Catches, 32 Yards
Gabe Stoffer 3 Catches, 13 Yards
Ashton Marshall 1 Catch, 11 Yards
Luke Seaman 1 Catch, 8 Yards
Alliance
Taije Nicholson 2 Catches, 26 Yards
JR Jackson 3 Catches, 22 Yards
Brady White 1 Catch, 17 Yards
Jarrin Blair 3 Catches, 15 Yards
Grady Fast 1 Catch, 5 Yards, Touchdown
Ravhan Hawkins 3 Catches, 5 Yards
Kick Returns
Louisville
Owen DiMarzio 2 Returns, 41 Yards, 22 Long (20.5 Average)
Alliance
JR Jackson 3 Returns, 50 Yards, 20 Long (16.7 Average)
Punt Returns
Louisville
None
Alliance
None
Punts
Louisville
Gabe Stoffer 2 Punts, 26 Yards, 24 Long (13.0 Average)
Alliance
Bo Davis 3 Punts, 100 Yards, 46 (33.3 Average)
