Leopards Blanked at Massillon 24-0 – Varsity Football
Massillon 24, Louisville 0
The Louisville Leopards Varsity Football Team was shutout by the host Massillon Tigers Friday Night at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. With the loss, Louisville falls to 5-4 on the season and has been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs according to Joe Eitel’s unofficial DIII, Region 9 Computer Rankings.
Junior Safety Dan Kennedy finished with 16 tackles (11 unassisted) and Senior Linebacker Max Stamey recorded 10 tackles to lead the Leopards on defense. Senior Defensive End Jason Goard made 7 tackles and broke through for Louisville’s only sack on the night. Senior Grayson Beamer also intercepted a pass on Massillon’s opening drive and Senior Nathan Guiley recovered a fumble on special teams.
Massillon Out-Gains Louisville 373-191
Quarterback Colton Jones finished 11 of 31 passing for 149 yards to lead the Leopards offense. Ryan Pukys was his top target making 4 catches for 77 yards for Louisville.
The Tigers out-gained the Leopards 373-191 for the game which included a 229-42 advantage on the ground. Senior Runningback Zion Phifer carried the ball 14 times for 78 yards and scored on a 1 yard touchdown run to put Massillon ahead 7-0 with 9:41 to go before halftime. He was only topped by fellow Senior Runningback Terrence Keyes who finished with 26 rushing attempts for 157 yards including an 11 yard touchdown run on the Tigers first drive of the second half to put them on top 14-0.
Tigers Add to Their Lead in the Fourth Quarter
The Tigers would tack on 10 more points in the fourth quarter. Alex Bauer made a 29 yard field goal after missing a 36 yard attempt earlier in the second quarter. Junior Wide Receiver Andrew Wilson-Lamp also caught a 22 yard touchdown pass from backup Junior Quarterback Zach Catrone with 2:41 left in the contest to put Massillon up 24-0. Wilson-Lamp finished as the game’s top receiver with 6 receptions for 99 yards.
Tiger Senior Starting Quarterback Aidan Longwell was 11 of 19 passing accumulating 111 yards through the air before walking off the field with an injury midway through the third quarter. The record-setting Massillon Senior Quarterback would not return in the game.
Leopards Own Time of Possession During Scoreless 1st
Louisville was successful in shrinking the game at the start. On the opening drive of the game, the Leopards travelled 30 yards on plays milking 6:43 off the game clock. Jones completed to Senior Wide Receiver Davis Burick for 9 yards on 3rd-and-3 and Guiley ran a sweep to the right for 8 yards to convert a 3rd-and-6 to begin the drive. LHS faced a 3rd-and-2 during the next series, but a delay of game doomed the drive. Jones was halted for a one yard loss on the ensuing 3rd-and-7 forcing Louisville to punt.
Aided by a Leopard personal foul, Massillon began on their own 42 and drove 16 yards to flip field position at the Louisville 42. On the next play, Longwell went deep looking for Junior Wide Receiver Jayden Ballard. However, Pukys tipped the pass in the endzone and Beamer pulled down the interception at the Leopard 2 yard line to end the threat.
On the next series, Louisville converted a 3rd-and-8 when Jones hit Beamer in the left flat. Three straight incompletions followed forcing another Louisville punt from their own 12. At that point the underdog Leopards led in time of possession 8:38 to 1:29.
Tigers Score Lone 1st Half Touchdown
Massillon put together a 12 play, 51 yard scoring drive in response. The Tigers faced 3rd-and-15 coming into the second quarter and Longwell left the pocket to pick up about 7 yards on the ground. Holding was called on the play and the Leopards elected to back the Tigers up into a 3rd-and-22 from the Massillon 49 instead of declining for a 4th-and-8 from the Louisville 37. A short pass from Longwell to Keyes went for 20 yards on the next play. Then Phifer ran ahead for 7 yards to convert a 4th-and-2 down to the Leopard 24.
Another holding call backed the Tigers up into a 1st-and-20. Phifer ran for a 10 yard burst to gain the penalized yardage back. Then Longwell found Wilson-Lamp wide open in the right flat for a gain of 21 on 3rd-and-8. Phifer ran through he center of the line from 2 yards away on the next play to put Massillon ahead 7-0 with 9:41 left before halftime.
Leopards Respond with Their Longest Drive of the Game
Louisville responded to the Tigers initial score with a promising 12 play, 52 yard drive that ate up 5:05 off the clock. The Leopards converted a pair of third downs in their own territory to keep the march alive. On 3rd-and-17, Pukys drew a pass interference call and Kennedy ran for 3 yards on the next play to convert a 3rd-and-2.
The next series of downs yielded a 3rd-and-11 for Louisville. Jones threw up a jump ball and Pukys came down with it at the Tiger 35. The 38 yard completion was the longest of the night on either side.
After a delay of game on the Leopards, Guiley ran the ball twice for 16 yards down the Massillon 24 yard line. That was the closest Louisville would get to the endzone all night long. The next run went for no gain and then Jones was sacked on second down to setup a 3rd-and-17. The next two passes fell incomplete and WHS took over on downs.
Failed Onside Kick Gives Massillon a Short Field
Being a 27 point underdog, according to Drew Pasteur’s Ohio Fantastic 50, Louisville elected to open the second half with an onside kick. The attempt failed to go the needed 10 yards and went out of bounds at the Leopards 48.
Massillon drove 48 yards on 10 plays to double their advantage. Phifer ran for 7 yards on a 3rd-and-1 on the first series of the drive. On the next series, the Tigers would overcome a pair of holding penalties that pushed them into a 1st-and-29. Longwell hit Wilson-Lamp for a 12 yard reception and Ballard for a 7 yard catch.
MORE TO COME…
Louisville Holds Top Ranked Massillon to Season Low
Despite the Leopards struggles on offense, their defense held the Division II #1 ranked Tigers to their lowest point total of the season by a significant margin. Massillon was averaging 50 points per contest coming into the night with their lowest output coming in a 44-14 season opening victory against the Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary Fighting Irish.
Massillon now leads the all-time series 2-0 with the Tigers outscoring the Leopards 65-0 in those contests. Louisville finishes the season with a 3-2 record on a the road.
UP NEXT: The Leopards will next host the Canton Central Catholic Crusaders on Friday, November 1 at 7:00 PM. Senior Night will take place beforehand at Louisville Leopards Stadium.
Louisville Leopards at Massillon Tigers Scoring Summary
TIGERS 24, LEOPARDS 20
Team 1-2-3-4–TOTAL
Louisville 0-0-0-0–00
Massillon 0-7-7-10–24
1st Quarter
None
2nd Quarter
MASSILLON – Zion Phifer 1 Yard Run (Alex Bauer Kick) | LHS 7, WHS 0, 9:41
12 Plays, 51 Yards
3rd Quarter
MASSILLON – Terrance Keyes 11 Yard Run (Alex Bauer Kick) | LHS 14, WHS 0, 9:44
4th Quarter
MASSILLON – Alex Bauer 29 Yard Field Goal | LHS 17, WHS 0, 11:51
MASSILLON – Andrew Wilson-Lamp 22 Yard Pass from Zach Catrone (Alex Bauer Kick) | LHS 24, WHS 0, 2:41
Records: Massillon 9-0, Louisville 5-4
Louisville Leopards Vs. Massillon Tigers Team Stats
First Downs
Louisville: 12
Massillon: 18
Rushing
Louisville: 30 Carries, 42 Yards
Massillon: 44 Carries, 229 Yards, 2 Touchdowns
Passing
Louisville: 11 of 32 for 149 Yards, 2 Interceptions
Massillon: 13 of 23 for 144 Yards, 1 Touchdown, 1 Interception
Fumbles/Lost
Louisville: 1/0
Massillon: 1/1
Penalties/Yards
Louisville: 10 for 76 Yards
Massillon: 11 for 99 Yards
3rd Down Conversions
Louisville: 8 for 16 (50%)
Massillon: 5 for 10 (50%)
4th Down Conversions
Louisville: 0 for 2 (0%)
Massillon: 1 for 1 (100%)
Louisville Leopards Vs. Massillon Tigers Individual Stats
Rushing
Louisville
Nathan Guiley: 12 Carries, 32 Yards
Daniel Kennedy 7 Carries, 27 Yards
Massillon
Terrance Keyes: 28 Carries, 155 Yards, Touchdown
Zion Phifer: 13 Carries, 77 Yards, Touchdown
Receiving
Louisville
Ryan Pukys: 4 Catches, 77 Yards
Grayson Beamer: 3 Catches, 31 Yards
Davis Burick: 2 Catches, 24 Yards
Carter Rode: 2 Catches, 17 Yards
Massillon
Andrew Wilson-Lamp: 6 Catches, 99 Yards, Touchdown
Jayden Ballard: 5 Catches, 21 Yards
Passing
Louisville:
Colton Jones: 11 of 31 for 149 Yards, 2 Interceptions
Massillon:
Aidan Longwell: 11 of 19 for 111 Yards, Interception
Zach Catrone 2 of 4 for 33 Yards, Touchdown
