Louisville Earns 1st Win at Alliance 28-27 – Varsity Football
Louisville 28, Alliance 27
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The Louisville Leopards Football Team edged the host Alliance Aviators 28-27 Friday Night at Mount Union Stadium. With the win, Louisville is now 1-8 on the season.
Game Story | Scoring Summary | Team Stats | Individual Stats
Miller Accounts for 215 Total Yards & 3 TDs
Senior quarterback Caleb Miller finished 15 of 21 passing for 138 yards and threw three touchdown passes to lead the Leopards. His top target was senior wide receiver Zack Seaman who made 7 catches for 90 yards and caught 2 touchdowns. Junior wide receiver Charlie Roberts also had 4 catches and junior wide receiver Chase Mueller hauled in a 21 yard touchdown reception in the second half.
Miller was Louisville’s leading rusher with 24 carries for 77 yards. Senior runningback Connor Adelman also ran the ball 18 times for 67 yards and scored a touchdown.
Alliance Take 1st Quarter Lead
The Aviators opened the game with a 6 play, 73 yard drive that needed only 1:08 to get them on the board first. Quarterback Brendan Zurbrugg scampered for a 24 yard gain on the second play of the drive to put Alliance across midfield. Three plays later, Zurbrugg connected with sophomore wide receiver K’vaughn Davis down the left sideline for a 36 yard completion to the Leopards 3 yard line.
Junior runningback Kayden Davis scored on the next play to give AHS an early 6-0 lead with 1:08 to go in the first. Zurbrugg’s extra point attempt would miss its mark leaving the deficit at six for Louisville.
Back-to-Back Interceptions
Mueller returned the ensuing kickoff 62 yards across midfield down to the Alliance 30 yard line to setup the Leopards in prime field position. They failed to take advantage of it though as Aviator freshman Nino Hill forced Miller out of the pocket and sacked him for a 3 yard loss on the first play of the drive. Louisville faced 3rd-and-11 two plays later and a pass to the right sideline was picked off by senior Gage Ford giving AHS the ball back on their own 25.
Just two plays later, Alliance returned the favor as Zurbrugg’s pass to the left sideline was deflected by sophomore linebacker Will Ramsey and found the hands of Roberts out of his defensive back position. Roberts returned the interception 21 yards and the Aviators were called for a personal foul tacking on more yardage to setup the Leopards 1st-and-goal on the 7 yard line.
On 3rd-and-goal, Miller dropped back and fired a bullet to Seaman on the right edge of the endzone. Seaman caught it and toe-tapped for his sixth receiving touchdown of the season. Senior kicker Myles Lab kicked through the extra point to give Louisville its first lead at 7-6 with 7:44 to go in the opening quarter.
Another Quick Scoring Drive for the Aviators
Alliance answered back with an 8 play, 58 yard scoring drive that only took 2:35 to complete. In similar fashion to their first drive, first downs came on a Zurbrugg 16 yard run and a Zurbrugg to K’vaughn Davis 14 yard first down completion.
The Aviators faced a 4th-and-1 from the LHS 19 and handed the ball to Hill up the gut. He plunged through the line and sprung free for a 19 yard touchdown run that put Alliance in front 13-7 with 5:50 to go in the first quarter.
The last time these two teams met at Mount Union Stadium in 2017, 83 points were scored in a 49-34 Aviator victory. To this point the game had the makings of another shootout, but that was quickly about to change.
23 Play, 86 Yard Drive in 12:13
The Leopards slowed down the game and took control of the contest with a mammoth 23 play, 86 yard drive that ate over a quarter’s length in game time. An illegal block in the back erased a 22 yard kick return by junior Brandon Jackson and pinned Louisville back on their own 14.
Chunk-by-chunk the Leopards slowly moved down the field netting no more than 9 yards on a single play. Louisville converted three consecutive third-and-shorts just to get across midfield as the first quarter ended. A handoff to Adelman up the gut converted a 3rd-and-1, a handoff to Adelman to the left converted a 3rd-and-3, and a toss to Adelman to the left converted another 3rd-and-1.
Nine plays and nearly five minutes into the drive and LHS had only just crossed the midfield stripe to the Alliance 48. It was the perfect recipe to both exhaust the the Aviator defense as well a shrink the game and put more pressure on an Alliance team built for a shootout.
The drive continued on and concluded with three fourth down conversions. On 4th-and-4 from the 42 Adelman ran through a hole paved by a shield of blockers to pick up just enough to move the chains. On 4th-and-3 from the 31, Miller hit Seaman to his right for a 9 yard reception to move the sticks again.
Adelman ran for the Leopards sixth first down of the drive two plays later to set up 1st-and-goal at the 10. On 4th-and-goal from the 1 yard line, Louisville lined up with Adelman in the shotgun with only junior center Nate Curry to run behind. Receivers and lineman were spread out across the width of the field. Adelman took the snap, stutter stepped to the right before juking back left. That was just enough to get the Alliance nose tackle to swim the wrong way and Adelman easily scored from a yard out. The rushing touchdown is his team leading sixth of the year.
Lab’s extra point kick split the uprights putting the Leopards back in the lead at 14-13 with 4:44 to go in the second quarter. The drive encompassed 12:13, which is undoubtedly the longest drive in terms of time on record in Louisville football history.
Leopards Add to Their Lead Before Halftime
It nearly had been a half hour of real time since the Aviators offense took the field and the rested Leopard defense took advantage of the lull. Louisville’s defensive front stuffed the middle of the line for no gain on the first play of the next drive. On 2nd-and-10, Zurbrugg dropped back to pass but couldn’t escape senior linebacker Carson Rode who dropped him for an 18 yard loss. Senior defensive lineman AJ Lingenhoel busted through the middle of the line forcing Zurbrugg to pedal backward and to his right where Rode met him. Alliance would punt two plays later.
The Leopards started from their own 45 after a fair catch by Mueller. Miller ran for 9 yards on the first play from scrimmage and got the Aviators to jump offsides on 2nd-and-1 to give Louisville a fresh set of downs.
Three plays later, the Leopards found themselves facing a 3rd-and-4. Miller faked a handoff to Adelman, dropped back, and fired deep to Seaman for a 35 yard touchdown pass. The score put Louisville in front 21-13 with 1:01 to go before halftime.
The Leopards look poised to add to their total before the second quarter ended. Junior linebacker Clay Chambers shot in from the left and jarred the ball free on the second play of Alliance’s next drive. Fellow junior linebacker Jacob Davide was there to pounce on it at the AHS 39.
Louisville went for the kill shot on the next play as Miller hit Seaman deep again for a 39 yard touchdown pass. However, it was wiped away by a procedure penalty and the Leopards were unable to recover. As a result, they took their 21-13 lead into the break.
Louisville Overcomes Kickoff Blunder
The Aviators pooched the opening second half kickoff high into the air and the ball was muffed by Louisville. Junior Caden Nicholson was Johnny-on-the-spot and recovered the fumble for Alliance on the Louisville 29.
The Leopards defense stood firm and made the Aviators earn every yard. Hill was able to bust through the line to convert a 4th-and-1 on the first series of downs. However, Alliance faced 4th-and-8 four plays later and a pass to the right side of the endzone fell short of its intended receiver and incomplete.
Louisville took over on their own 16 and marched 84 yards on 9 plays to extend their advantage to 28-13. An 11 yard run by Adelman followed by a 13 yard run by Miller got the Leopards moving. Later on 3rd-and-7, Miller ran a quarterback sweep to the right for a 9 yard gain into Aviator territory. He followed that with a QB sweep to the left for 11 yards and another first down.
Adelman ran for 9 yards on the next play to put Louisville just outside of the redzone. On the next play, Miller faked a toss to the right and rolled to his left. With lots of green in front of him he could have easily ran for the first down or passed to Roberts who was wide open short in the left flat. Instead Miller went for broke and connected with Mueller in the endzone for a 21 yard touchdown reception. Lab converted on his fourth straight extra point attempt and the Leopards found themselves in the driver’s seat leading 28-13 with 3:49 to go in the third.
Morley Blocks PAT to Keep Deficit Two Possessions
Alliance wasted no time in answering back. Louisville kicked off deep for the first time all game and the Aviators nearly made them pay for it. Kayden Davis ran the kick back 45 yards across midfield to the Leopard 48. Davis would have been gone down the right sideline if it weren’t for a last defense shoe-string tackle by Lab to trip him up as he headed into Louisville territory.
Alliance scored five plays later anyways, as Zurbrugg found Ford in the middle of the endzone for an 8 yard touchdown reception. A 27 yard Zurbrugg to K’Vaughn Davis completion two plays earlier helped setup the Aviators score. Davis would finish as the Aviators leading receiver with 9 catches for 108 yards on the night.
The extra point kick was blocked by junior Connor Morley who bolted in from the defensive right side to deflect the attempt. This was a key play in the game as it left the score at 28-19 and still a two possession contest with 1:31 to go in the third quarter.
Aviators Shrink Deficit to 28-27
The Leopards were able to march 68 yards on 12 plays in their drive that followed and took 5:26 off the game clock. Facing 4th-and-2 on the AHS 28, Louisville attempted a 24 yard field goal from the far left hash but it missed wide to the right leaving their advantage at nine.
The quick strike Aviators responded with 6 play, 80 yard drive needing just 87 seconds of game time to find the endzone. Facing 3rd-and-6 on their own 24, Zurbrugg hit Kayden Davis on a short screen pass to the right for 7 yards. On the next down, the two connected again running the same play to the left for a gain of 22 across midfield.
Two plays later, Zurbrugg went deep down the left sideline to sophomore Ramhir Hawkins for a 46 yard touchdown pass to cut the Alliance deficit to 28-25. Zurbrugg ran a quarterback sweep to the left for the two-point conversion to trim the margin to 28-27 with 8:18 to go.
Zurbrugg would finish the evening 21 of 28 passing for 202 yards and was also the Aviators leading rusher with 7 carries for 45 yards.
Fake Punt Extends Leopards Next Drive
A false start penalty nearly doomed the Leopards on their next series. Instead of converting a short first down they faced 3rd-and-9 and then lined up to punt on 4th-and-4. Seaman took the snap directly and the sea parted as he ran untouched through the middle of a line of blockers. Seaman sprinted ahead 25 yards and flipped field position to the AHS 36 yard line.
Louisville would not obtain another first down as a 4th-and-8 pass was stopped short of the marker. However, Seaman’s surprise run allowed the Leopards to milk an additional 2:39 off the clock and left the Aviators 3:25 to work with from their own 35.
Louisville Defense Preserves Victory
Time didn’t appear to be a factor early on for Alliance’s offense as they marched across midfield with 2:03 to spare. Zurbrugg hit Kayden Davis in the right flat and Davis broke several tackles to move the chains on 3rd-and-3. On the next play, Zurbrugg fired a dart to junior Carter Bugara who hauled the pass in for a 12 yard gain to the Louisville 41 yard line.
The Aviators netted 2 yards on the next two plays and were called for holding on third down. On 3rd-and-18, senior nose tackle Cameron Brazek busted through the center of the line forcing Zurbrugg to his right as Ramsey charged in from the same side. Zurbrugg threw the ball to the right sideline incomplete with no receiver in the area. The referees huddled to discuss the play and made a late intentional grounding call against Alliance which backed them up into 4th-and-28.
The Aviators ran a hook and lateral on the next play, but it only gained half the yardage needed as Mueller pulled down the ball carrier at the LHS 48. Louisville took over on downs with 1:01 left in the game. The Leopards ran the clock out after that to clinch their first win of the season.
Leopards Snap 12-Game Losing Streak
After Louisville’s final kneel down the LHS student section stormed the field to celebrate the Leopards first victory in 385 days, the longest time between wins in Louisville football history. The win snapped the Leopards record 12-game losing streak dating back to last year when they won 34-20 at Canton Central Catholic in week 5.
Louisville Vs. Alliance Football History
The Aviators had won the previous two matchups in the series prior to Friday’s game, but the Leopards have now won 11 of their last 13 meetings against AHS overall since 2007. Louisville now leads the all-time series 16-6-1 overall, which includes a 9-3 record when playing at Alliance. The Leopards have now taking 7 out of their last 8 matchups against the Aviators when playing at Mount Union Stadium.
This is the first time any game in the series was decided by a single point. The only game closer between Louisville and Alliance occurred in their first ever meeting on Halloween Night 1980 when the two teams tied 19-19.
<<< Previous 2020 | Alliance All-Time Series
UP NEXT: The Leopards will next travel to Wheeling, West Virginia to take on the Linsly Cadets on Saturday, October 23. Game time is slated for 1:30 PM.
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Louisville at Alliance Football Game Statistics
Scoring Summary
LEOPARDS 28, AVIATORS 27
Team 1-2-3-4–TOTAL
Louisville 7-14-7-0–28
Alliance 13-0-6-8–27
1st Quarter
ALLIANCE – Kayden Davis 3 Yard Run (Kick Failed) | LHS 0, AHS 6, 10:52
6 Plays, 73 Yards, 1:08
LOUISVILLE – Zack Seaman 4 Yard Pass from Caleb Miller (Myles Lab Kick) | LHS 7, AHS 6, 7:44
3 Plays, 7 Yards, 1:08
ALLIANCE – Nino Hill 19 Yard Run (Brendan Zurbrugg Kick) | LHS 7, AHS 13, 5:05
8 Plays, 58 Yards, 2:35
2nd Quarter
LOUISVILLE – Connor Adelman 1 Yard Run (Myles Lab Kick) | LHS 14, AHS 13, 4:44
23 Plays, 86 Yards, 12:13
LOUISVILLE – Zack Seaman 35 Yard Pass from Caleb Miller (Myles Lab Kick) | LHS 21, AHS 13, 1:01
4 Plays, 55 Yards, 2:04
3rd Quarter
LOUISVILLE – Chase Mueller 21 Yard Pass from Caleb Miller (Myles Lab Kick) | LHS 28, AHS 13, 4:32
9 Plays, 84 Yards, 3:49
ALLIANCE – Gage Ford 8 Yard Pass from Brendan Zurbrugg (Kick Blocked) | LHS 28, AHS 19, 3:11
5 Plays, 84 Yards, 1:13
4th Quarter
ALLIANCE – Ramhir Hawkins 46 Yards Pass from Brendan Zurbrugg (Brendan Zurbrugg Run) | LHS 28, AHS 27, 8:18
6 Plays, 80 Yards, 1:27
Records: Louisville 1-8, Alliance 2-7
Team Stats
First Downs
Louisville: 19 (Rushing 12, Passing 5, Penalty 2)
Alliance: 14 (Rushing 4, Passing 10, Penalty 0)
Total Yards
Louisville: 50 Plays, 331 Yards
Alliance: 50 Plays, 321 Yards
Rushing
Louisville: 29 Carries, 193 Yards, 1 Touchdown
Alliance: 21 Carries, 92 Yards, 2 Touchdowns
Passing:
Louisville: 15 of 21 for 138 Yards, 3 Touchdowns, 1 Interception
Alliance: 22 of 29 for 229 Yards, 2 Touchdowns, 1 Interception
Fumbles/Lost:
Louisville: 1/1
Alliance: 1/1
Penalties/Yards:
Louisville: 3 for 20 Yards
Alliance: 6 for 41 Yards
3rd Down Conversions:
Louisville: 6 for 14 (43%)
Alliance: 3 for 8 (38%)
4th Down Conversions:
Louisville: 4 for 5 (80%)
Alliance: 2 for 4 (50%)
Punt Yards
Louisville: 1 Punt, 35 Yards
Alliance: 1 Punt, 32 Yards
Kick Returns
Louisville: 4 Returns, 96 Yards
Alliance: 4 Returns, 59 Yards
Punt Returns
Louisville: None
Alliance: None
Individual Stats
Rushing
Louisville
Caleb Miller 24 Carries, 77 Yards
Connor Adelman 18 Carries, 67 Yards, Touchdown
Zack Seaman 3 Carries, 39 Yards
Charlie Roberts 2 Carries, 10 Yards
Alliance
Brenden Zurbrugg 7 Carries, 35 Yards
Kayden Davis 10 Carries, 27 Yards, Touchdown
Nino Hill 2 Carries, 21 Yards, Touchdown
Ramhir Hawkins 1 Carry, 8 Yards
Carter Fast 1 Carry, 1 Yard
Passing
Louisville
Caleb Miller 15 of 21 for 138 Yards, 3 Touchdowns, 1 Interception
Alliance
Brendan Zurbrugg 21 of 28 for 202 Yards, 2 Touchdowns, 1 Interception
Kayden Davis 1 for 1 for 27 Yards
Receiving
Louisville
Zack Seaman 7 Catches, 90 Yards, 2 Touchdowns
Chase Mueller 1 Catch, 21 Yards, Touchdown
Charlie Roberts 4 Catches, 21 Yards
AJ Lingenhoel 1 Catch, 5 Yards
Connor Adelman 2 Catches, 1 Yard
Alliance
K’Vaughn Davis 9 Catches, 108 Yards
Ramhir Hawkins 6 Catches, 54 Yards, Touchdown
Kayden Davis 4 Catches, 42 Yards
Carter Bugara 1 Catch, 12 Yards
Gage Ford 1 Catch, 8 Yards, Touchdown
Tyion Miles 1 Catch, 5 Yards
Kick Returns
Louisville
Chase Mueller 1 Return, 62 Yards
Brandon Jackson 2 Returns, 34 Yards
Zack Seaman 1 Return, 0 Yards
Alliance
Kayden Davis 1 Return, 45 Yards
Louie Antonosant 1 Return, 11 Yards
Carter Bugara 1 Return, 3 Yards
Nino Hill 1 Return, 0 Yards
Punting
Louisville
AJ Lingenhoel 1 Punt, 35 Yards
Alliance
Brendan Zurbrugg 1 Punt, 32 Yards
Tackles (Stats from Alliance/Mount Union)
Louisville
Chase Mueller 7 Tackles, 7 Solo Tackles, 1 Tackle for Loss
Jacob Davide 6 Tackles, 4 Solo Tackles
Connor Morley 5 Tackles, 4 Solo Tackles
Seth Anderson 3 Tackles, 3 Solo Tackles
Alliance
Carter Bugara 9 Tackles, 8 Solo Tackles
Tyrik Mason 9 Tackles, 6 Solo Tackles
E. Williamson 7 Tackles, 6 Solo Tackles, 1 Tackle for Loss
Marqwayil Greer 6 Tackles, 6 Solo Tackles, 1 Tackle for Loss
