Freshman Football Defeats Canfield in Season Opener
Louisville 36, Canfield 24
The Louisville Leopards Freshman Football team opened up the season with a 36-24 victory over the 
visiting Canfield Cardinals Thursday Evening at Louisville Leopards Stadium.
Wide Receiver Davis Burick finished with 4 catches for 155 yards and 2 touchdowns receiving to ignite the Leopards offense. Burick turned two bubble screen plays into 60 and 80 yard touchdown receptions. Both passes came via Quarterback Colton Jones who finished with 281 yards through the air.
Louisville built a 22-0 first half lead to open the game. Runningback Jimmy Ashcraft plowed in from 4 yards out to break the ice late in the first quarter. A 26 yard completion from Jones to Wide Receiver Hunter Selander and a 22 yard connection from Jones to Wide Receiver Ryan Pukys keyed the Leopards first scoring drive.
The Cardinals drove to the edge of the redzone on their next drive, but could navigate no further. Selander intercepted an overthrown pass at the Louisville 15 to give the possession back to the Leopards. After an incompletion, a screen pass from Jones to Pukys netted 25 yards to the Louisville 40. On the next play Jones and Burick connected for a 60 yard touchdown pass and then connected again for the two-point conversion.
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After a Canfield three-and out, Louisville’s Nathan Guiley broke free down the left sideline for what 
would have been a 71 yard touchdown run on the first play of the Leopards next drive.. However, a block in the back was called bringing the ball back to the Cardinals 42. Guiley would later score on a conversion run and finished as Louisville’s leading rusher with 50 yards on the ground.
The same Leopard drive continued and received new life when Jones rolled to his right and hit Selander for a 30 yard gain on 3rd-and-13. On the next play, Pukys reached paydirt on a 15 yard jet sweep to put Louisville ahead 20-0. Jones found the arms of Pukys on the right side of the endzone to tack on the conversion as well.
The Cardinals matched the Leopards efforts 30 seconds later. Quarterback Nick Crawford threw a 53 yard touchdown pass to Peyton Kostelic to get Canfield on the board. Crawford also ran in the conversion attempt to cut the Louisville lead to 22-6 at the break.
The pesky Cardinals made things interesting in the second half when they scored 16 unanswered points 
to cut the Leopards lead to a single touchdown. Anthony D’Alesio scored on a 9 yard run and Crawford added the conversion to make it 30-16 by the end of the third quarter.
Crawford would score again on a 1 yard touchdown run and run in the conversion attempt later on in the fourth quarter. The scores made it a one possession game at 30-24 with just 3:25 left to play.
Canfield attempted an onside kick following the touchdown. But the sure hands of Brayden Renfrees came up with the ball for Louisville at the Cardinal 42 yard line. The Leopards shrunk the clock and 7 plays later Jax Leonard exploded up the middle for the game-clinching 5 yard touchdown with 1:10 left in the game.
UP NEXT: The Leopards will next host the North Canton Hoover Vikings on Thursday, September 1 at 5:00 PM.
Scoring Summary
Team 1-2-3-4–TOTAL
Canfield 0-8-8-8–24
Louisville 6-16-8-6–36
1st Quarter
Louisville – Jimmy Ashcraft 4 Yard Run (Run Failed) | LHS 6, CHS 0, 1:46
2nd Quarter
Louisville – Davis Burick 60 Yard Pass from Colton Jones (Davis Burick Pass from Colton Jones), LHS 14, CHS 0, 5:29
Louisville – Ryan Pukys 15 Yard Run (Ryan Pukys Pass from Colton Jones) | LHS 22, CHS 0, 1:13
Canfield – Peyton Kostelic 53 Yard Pass from Nick Crawford (Nick Crawford Run) | LHS 22, CHS 8, 0:43
3rd Quarter
Louisville – Davis Burick 80 Yard Pass from Colton Jones (Nathan Guiley Run) | LHS 30, CHS 8, 4:56
Canfield – Anthony D’Alesio 9 Yard Run (Nick Crawford Run) | LHS 30, CHS 16, 2:15
4th Quarter
Canfield – Nick Crawford 1 Yard Run (Nick Crawford Run) | LHS 30, CHS 24, 3:25
Louisville – Jax Leonard 5 Yard Run (Run Failed) | LHS 36, CHS 24, 1:10
Records: Louisville 1-0; Canfield 0-1
