Leopards Surge Past Green in 4th Quarter 49-34 – Varsity Football

Louisville 49, Green 34

The Louisville Leopards Varsity Football Team defeated the host Green Bulldogs 49-34 Saturday Morning at Green Memorial Stadium after weather suspended the game the night before. With the victory, Louisville improves to 2-1 on the season.

Quarterback Colton Jones threw for 422 yards and 5 touchdowns to lead the Leopards. Davis Burick and Grayson Beamer each hauled in a pair of touchdowns and Carter Rode had another. Burick also ran for a score from a yard away in the first half.

The Leopards defense picked off four passes after play resumed on Saturday. Ryan Pukys had a pair of interceptions including a 52 yard pick six with 8:40 to play to give Louisville a 49-34 lead. Pukys also pulled in a one handed interception in the endzone with 1:33 left to seal the win for LHS. Beamer and Dan Kennedy had the other interceptions as the Leopards shutout the Bulldogs after play resumed Saturday.

Fast Start Out of the Gate for Louisville and Green

Neither team wasted any time getting on the scoreboard Friday night as both teams found the endzone within the first 58 seconds of play. On the second play from scrimmage, Green Sophomore Quarterback Trevor Van Horn threw a short play action pass over the middle to Senior Wide Receiver Tyson Steele who sprinted into the open field for a 57 yard touchdown just 17 seconds into the contest.

Louisville answered right back when Senior Kick Returner Justin Broad took the ensuring kickoff 53 yards down the left sideline to the Bulldog 25. Two plays later, Jones lofted a pass to the front of the left side of the endzone splitting a pair of 5’8 defenders to find the 6’5 Beamer for a 21 yard touchdown reception. With 11:02 left in the first quarter the game was tied 7-7.

After a defensive stop at midfield, the Leopards offense got back to work starting from their own 9. Jones threaded the needle between three Green defenders to Burick for a 33 yard gain on the first play of the drive. Three plays later, Jones rolled right and threw back to his left to Connor Adelman. The Sophomore Runningback caught the screen pass and ran down the wide open sideline for a first down and a gain of 32 to the Bulldog 27. Jones went to his right on the next play to Rode who made a diving grab for a 23 yard gain to set Louisville up with goal-to-go from the GHS 4 yard line. A few plays later on 3rd-and-Goal Burick took a direct snap, faked a handoff, and ran right into the endzone for the go-ahead Leopards score that made it 14-7 with 6:21 to go in the first.

Back-to-Back Defensive Stops

Defense took over on the next two possessions. Louisville Senior Linebacker Max Stamey stormed into the backfield on 3rd-and-1 to stop the ball carrier for a two yard loss forcing a Bulldogs three-and-out. The Leopards offense drove the ball seemingly at will 70 yards to the Bulldogs 8 yard line in response. Jones found Rode for a gain of 21 yards  to convert a 3rd-and-5 and then went up top down the right sideline for Burick for a 35 yard completion to the Green 17. Louisville drove as far as the 8 yard line before Jones’ pass to the right side of the endzone was intercepted by Green Senior Defensive Back Colin Somerday and returned to the 3 yard line to end the Leopards threat.

Leopards and Bulldogs Exchange Scores on 4 Straight Possessions

The Bulldogs mounted a 13 play, 97 yard drive in response to tie the game up at 14-14. Green got out of the shadow of its own endzone via a 34 yard completion from Van Horn to Martin down the left sideline to the GHS 43. The Bulldog offense dinked and dunked down the field gaining 2 more first downs on short gains. They were also aided by an encroachment penalty by the Louisville defense on a 4th-and-2 from the 19 to move the chains again. Facing a 4th-and-1 from the 5 yard line, Green handed off to Senior Runningback Porter Flinn who powered his way to the endzone for the game-tying score.

The Leopards also scored on a 4th-and-1 on the ensuing drive to retake the lead 83 seconds later. Burick burned by the secondary and Jones delivered a wide open 29 yard touchdown pass on the fourth down play. Louisville received the gift of short field to start the drive after Junior JD Spitaleri recovered an uneventful onside kick at the LHS 48. Senior Runningback Nathan Guiley ripped off a 14 yard gain on the ground on the first play of the drive and Jones found Burick four plays later to make it 21-14.

The two teams exchanged scores once more prior to halftime. After a 28 yard kick return by Somerday, Green drove 59 yards on 7 plays to knot the game at 21-21 with 4:10 to play. Flinn scored his second rushing touchdown of the night from 7 yards away to finish off their scoring drive.

Two key plays sparked the Leopards methodic 11 play, 58 yard scoring drive before halftime. On the first series of the drive, Jones rolled to his left and bulleted a pass to Beamer for a 15 yard gain across midfield to convert a 3rd-and-11. After another first down, the pair connected again for a 12 yard completion to convert a 4th-and-10 to the Bulldog 11 yard line. Two plays later, Jones rolled to his right and completed a pass to Rode who broke free of a defender and dove inside the right pylon for the score to give Louisville a 28-21 lead with just 29 ticks remaining before halftime. 

Big Plays Continue After Half for Louisville and Green

The Leopards received the ball to start the second half and looked poised to take a two score lead. But a pass went wide of its intended receiver who was held up at the line of scrimmage and into the hands of Somerday for the second of his three interceptions for the game. The Senior Defensive Back took the pick 57 yards to the house and the game was tied at 28-28 with 10:03 left in the third quarter.

Green again tried an onside kick this time down the center, but Hunter Selander fell on it for Louisville at their own 44. It was the Jones to Burick show after that. The pair connected down the right sideline for 37 yards to the Bulldog 17 and then again for 14 yards to the 3 yard line. On the next play, Jones threw a quick strike to Burick in the front right corner of the endzone to put LHS back in front 35-28 with 7:55 to go in the third. The touchdown was Burick’s third of the game and the second time the combo hooked up for six in the game.

The Bulldogs needed just one play to counter on their next drive. The Leopards defense bit on the play action leaving Martin wide open in the middle of the field. Van Horn hit his target and Martin ran to pay dirt for a 68 yard touchdown pass. The extra point kick missed leaving the score 35-34 in favor of Louisville with 7:39 to go in the third.

Weather Delay Moves the Game to Saturday

The Leopards offense went three-and-out forcing a punt. The Bulldogs moved the sticks once before a holding penalty set them back. In addition, Seniors Blake Robbins and Stamey both made tackles for a loss to force Green into a 3rd-and-17. Then the game was suspended with 3:50 left in the third quarter just after 9:00 PM. The two teams waited the weather out for little over an hour before the contest was postponed to the next morning at 10:00 AM.

Leopards Record 4 Interceptions After Play Resumes

Despite being the away team and having to make the trip back up the next morning, Louisville owned the day on Saturday. The Bulldogs went deep on the first play to try to convert their 3rd-and-17, but they instead found the outstretched arms of Beamer in the Leopards secondary. He returned the pick 21 yards to to he Green 37 yard line setting LHS up with great field position. 

Determined to establish the running game, Louisville ran the ball eight straight times to start the new day. On the drive after the interception, the Leopard were stopped on 4th-and-1 for no gain. The Louisville defense returned the favor by forcing a three-and-out to give the offense the ball back. The next drive started with 4 straight runs by Guiley netting 25 yards. On the next play, Jones laced a pass between two defenders that was pulled in by Beamer and taken all the way for a 55 yard touchdown to put LHS up 42-34 with 10:28 left in the game. With the throw, Jones went over 400 yards for the third time in his career. His 422 passing yards marks the second most all-time only to his own record of 502 yards passing against the Lake Blue Streaks in 2018. 

It would be Jones’ final completion of the day as the Leopards went to the ground game on offense and left the rest up to the defense. Pukys stepped in front of Bulldogs pass on their next drive and took it 52 yards to the house for a pick six to put Louisville ahead 49-34 with 8:40 to play.  The Leopards defense came up big again in their next sequence. The Bulldogs faced a 4th-and-7 just across midfield. Van Horn tossed to his right to Flinn who went to throw with pressure from Junior Defensive Lineman Tony Brahler. The Leopard defense was not tricked by the halfback pass and Kennedy hauled in the interception at the the Louisville 31 yard line with 5:30 to go.

Guiley burst ahead for 27 yards on 2nd-and-7 to start the next Leopards drive. The Senior Runningback would finish as the game’s top rusher with 13 carries for 70 yards. Eventually Louisville faced a 4th-and-10 from the 39 yard line. Rather than punting, the Leopards passed deep down the left side of the field. Somerday snagged the ball out of the air for his third interception of the game and returned the ball 63 yards to the Leopard 27 with 1:51 remaining. 

The Bulldogs new life was quickly snatched away though as a pass attempt to the endzone on second down was intercepted by Pukys. In a truly athletic effort, he leapt into the air and pulled it in with one hand to ice the game. Louisville took a knee after that to clinch program win #634!

Just Missing Team History

The 49 points scored by the Leopards is the most since a 49-0 win at Carrollton in 2016. It is also the most points scored by Louisville against a non-conference opponent since defeating North Canton Hoover 50-7 at home in 2011. The 49 points is also the second most points ever scored by the Leopards against a non-league opponent on the road. Digging deep into the record books we find that the Louisville Blue Raiders went on the road to defeat North Canton 53-0 on October 8, 1926. 

The 83 combined points is tied for the third most in a single game in team history with the 2017 game at Alliance which the Leopards fell to the Aviators by the identical score of 49-34. The only road game with more points scored is when Louisville won at Marlington 62-22 on October 12, 1984. Had one more touchdown been scored on Saturday, the Leopards would have eclipsed the highest combined single game total set 56 years ago in a 78-8 homecoming win over Poland on October 11, 1963

Top 10 Highest Scoring Games in Louisville Leopards Football History

Combined	Date	Opponent	W-L	Louisville	Opponent
86	10/11/1963	Poland	W	78	8
84	10/17/1924	Waynesburg	W	77	7
84	10/12/1984	at Marlington	W	62	22
84	10/31/2008	Columbus Independence	W	60	24
83	9/22/2017	at Alliance	L	34	49
83	9/13/2019	at Green	W	49	34
81	11/12/1993	Vs. Lake	L	33	48
80	10/13/1972	at Fairless	W	80	0
79	10/8/2010	at Carrollton	W	45	34
78	10/20/2017	Salem	L	35	43

With the win, the Leopards are now 2-0 against the Bulldogs all-time. Louisville is also now 2-0 against Federal League teams this season with two more scheduled to play in Lake and Perry the next two weeks.

UP NEXT: The Leopards will travel to face the Lake Blue Streaks on Friday, September 20 at 7:00 PM. Freshman will also host Lake on Thursday, September 19 at 5:00 PM and JV will host the Blue Streaks on Saturday, September 21 at 10:00 AM. 

Game Statistics

Scoring Summary

LEOPARDS 49, BULLDOGS 34

Team 1-2-3-4–TOTAL

Louisville 14-14-7-14–49

Green 7-14-13-0–34

1st Quarter

GREEN – Tyson Steele 57 Yard Pass from Trevor Van Horn (Buzz Stokes Kick) | LHS 0, GHS 7, 11:43
2 Plays, 57 Yards

LOUISVILLE – Grayson Beamer 21 Yard Pass from Colton Jones (Myles Lab Kick) | LHS 7, GHS 7, 11:02
2 Plays, 21 Yards

LOUISVILLE – Davis Burick 1 Yard Run (Myles Lab Kick) | LHS 14, GHS 7, 6:21
8 Plays, 91 Yards

2nd Quarter

GREEN – Porter Flinn 5 Yard Run (Buzz Stokes Kick) | LHS 14, GHS 14, 7:46
13 Plays, 52 Yards

LOUISVILLE – Davis Burick 29 Yard Pass from Colton Jones (Myles Lab Kick) | LHS 21, GHS 14, 6:23
5 Plays, 52 Yards

GREEN – Porter Flinn 7 Yard Run (Buzz Stokes Kick) | LHS 21, GHS 21, 4:10
7 Plays, 59 Yards

LOUISVILLE – Carter Rode 11 Yard Pass from Colton Jones (Myles Lab Kick) | LHS 28, GHS 21, 0:20
11 Plays, 58 Yards

3rd Quarter

GREEN – Colin Somerday 55 Yard Interception Return (Buzz Stokes Kick) | LHS 28, GHS 28, 10:03
1 Play, 55 Yards

LOUISVILLE – Davis Burick 3 Yard Pass from Colton Jones (Myles Lab Kick) | LHS 35, GHS 28, 7:55
6 Plays, 56 Yards

GREEN – Trey Martin 68 Yard Pass from Trevor Van Horn (Kick Failed) | LHS 35, GHS 34, 7:39
1 Play, 68 Yards

4th Quarter

LOUISVILLE – Grayson Beamer 55 Yard Pass from Colton Jones (Myles Lab Kick) | LHS 42, GHS 34, 10:28
5 Plays, 80 Yards

LOUISVILLE – Ryan Pukys 52 Yard Interception Return (Myles Lab Kick) | LHS 49, GHS 34, 8:40
1 Play, 52 Yards

Records: Louisville 2-1, Green 1-2

Team Stats

First Downs:
Louisville: 19
Green: 14

Rushing:
Louisville: 32 carries for 67 yards, 1 touchdown
Green: 27 carries for 72 yards, 2 touchdowns

Passing:
Louisville: 23 of 34 for 422 yards, 5 touchdowns, 3 interceptions
Green: 15 of 26 for 267 yards, 2 touchdowns, 4 interceptions

Fumbles/Lost:
Louisville: 1/0
Green: 0/0

Penalties/Yds:
Louisville: 3 for 15 yards
Green: 4 for 25 yards

Punts/Avg:
Louisville: 1/33.0
Green: 3/40.0

3rd Down Conversions:
Louisville: 5/12
Green: 2/8

4th Down Conversions:
Louisville: 2/4
Green: 2/3

Individual Stats

Rushing

Louisville:
Nathan Guiley 13 carries, 70 yards
Davis Burick 1 carry, 1 yard, touchdown

Green:
Flinn Porter 21 carries, 59 yards, 2 touchdowns

Passing

Louisville: 
Colton Jones 23 of 34 for 422 yards, 5 touchdowns, 3 interceptions

Green:
Trevor Van Horn 15 of 25 for 267 yards, 2 touchdowns, 3 interceptions

Receiving

Louisville:
Davis Burick 8 catches, 156 yards, 2 touchdowns
Grayson Beamer 4 catches, 103 yards, 2 touchdowns
Carter Rode 7 catches, 91 yards, touchdown
Ryan Pukys 3 catches, 40 yards
Connor Adelman 1 catch, 32 yards

Green: 
Trey Martin 5 catches, 145 yards
Tyson Steele 3 catches, 74 yards (1st Half Only – 2nd Half N/A)