Louisville Rolls Past Point Pleasant in 1st Interstate Battle – Varsity Football
Louisville 40, Point Pleasant 21
The Louisville Leopards Varsity Football Team earned a 40-14 road win over the host Point Pleasant Big Blacks at Ohio Valley Bank Stadium in West Virginia Friday Night. With their third straight victory, Louisville improves to 5-3 on the season.
Runningback Nathan Guiley carried the ball 14 times for 118 yards and scored 3 first half touchdowns to lead the Leopards on offense. Guiley reached the endzone on runs of 12, 29, and 10 yards as Louisville built a 26-0 halftime advantage.
Louisville Builds 40-0 Lead in the 3rd Quarter
The Leopards compiled 260 yards and scored 5 touchdowns on the ground via 44 attempts. Sophomore Runningback Connor Adelman also ran for 54 yards and second string Junior Quarterback Tyler Jackson came off the bench to rush for 50 yards in the second half. Both Adelman and Jackson scored on third quarter touchdown runs that allowed Louisville to pull ahead 40-0.
Starting Senior Quarterback Colton Jones finished 13 of 17 passing for 172 yards. His lone touchdown pass was a 27 yard pass to a wide open Davis Burick on 4th-and-7 that gave the Leopard a 13-0 lead with 7:42 left in the second quarter. Burick was Louisville’s leading receiver with 6 catches for 97 yards.
Leopards Score 3 Touchdowns Off Takeaways
The Leopards defense and special teams produced 3 takeaways leading to 20 points. Point Pleasant drove to midfield on their opening drive and faced a 3rd-and-6. Louisville Seniors Blake Robbins and Max Stamey stormed in to drop the ball carrier behind the line of scrimmage forcing a punt. The snap was fumbled by the punter and Junior Dan Kennedy fell on the ball at the Big Blacks 40 yard line.
The Leopards followed the takeaway with a 7 play, 40 yard scoring drive in response. Keyed by a 7 yard run by Burick on 4th-and-2 from the 19, Louisville capped off its first scoring drive when Guiley went untouched into the endzone from 12 yards out. Senior Center Austin Griggy, Junior Left Guard Tony Brahler, and Robbins paved the wide open path for Guiley’s first of three trips to pay dirt.
The punting woes continued for Point Pleasant a few drives later. The Leopards defense forced a three-and-out around midfield after the Big Blacks recovered an onside kick attempt to start the drive. Senior Defensive End Jason Goard shot straight through the middle and blocked the punt attempt. The punter fell on the ball at the 29 yard line setting Louisville up in prime field position. On the Leopards first play from scrimmage, Guiley took the handoff and ran through another huge hole paved by Sophomore Right Tackle Cameron Brazek, Griggy, Robbins, and Senior Wide Receiver Carter Rode. He ran right and cut back left for the 29 yard touchdown run that put LHS ahead 20-0.
On the next Big Blacks drive, Senior Runningback Brady Adkins broke loose for a 45 yard run to the Louisville 16. After a false start, a short pass to the left was picked off by Stamey at Linebacker and returned 32 yards to midfield. A personal foul was called against Point Pleasant at the end of the play and 15 more yards were tacked on again giving the Leopards prime field position 36 yards away from the goal line. Four straight runs by Guiley with the final carry coming from 10 yards out put LHS up 26-0. It was Louisville’s third touchdown in a span of 3:45 of game time.
Late Down Efficiency Keys Long Scoring Drives
A big key to the Leopard win was their efficiency on third down on offense, while shutting down the Big Blacks on third down on defense. Louisville converted 6 of 9 third down plays and even when they were stopped went 2 for 2 when going for it on fourth down. In comparison, the Leopards defense only allowed 3 of 10 third down conversions and produced 3 three-and-outs.
Louisville’s efficiency on late downs was best displayed on their second scoring drive. The Leopards started from their own 6 after a holding penalty and drove 93 yards on 13 plays. On 3rd-and-11 from their own 8, Jones rolled to his right and hit Burick near the right sideline for a gain of 14 to move the chains. The pair connected again several plays later for a 28 yard downfield completion that converted a 3rd-and-7 into Point Pleasant territory down to the 30. Jones was sacked for a 10 yard loss on the next play, but a pair of runs by Guiley net 13 yards setting up a 4th-and-7. On the ensuing play, Jones lofted a pass over the top to a wide open Burick who had burned the secondary for a 27 yard touchdown pass that made it 13-0 Louisville.
The Leopards opening drive of the second half operated in similar fashion. LHS drove 77 yards on 12 plays and converted on all three third downs they faced on their journey. From their own 24, Jones left the pocket and went to his right again to find Senior Wide Receiver Ryan Pukys down the right sideline for a gain of 19 on a 3rd-and-10 play much to the dismay of the Big Black faithful. Later a screen pass on 3rd-and-4 from Jones to Rode netted 9 to give LHS a first down on the Point Pleasant 36. Jones then hit Burick for 17 yards to setup goal to go. On 3rd-and-goal, Adelman took direct snap up the middle for a 1 yard touchdown to put Louisville ahead 33-0 with 5:51 to go in the third quarter.
Bend But Don’t Break Leopards Defense
The Leopards defense shutout the Big Blacks until the second string surrendered a touchdown with just 2 seconds left in the third quarter. In addition to 3 three-and-outs, the Louisville defense slammed the door shut 3 other times when Point Pleasant drove inside the LHS 30.
The Big Blacks first entered the redzone in the second quarter, but quickly exited it on a 5 yard false start. Stamey made an interception for the Leopards ending the drive on the next play.
Later on in the second quarter, Point Pleasant strung together an 11 play drive traveling down to the Louisville 23. On 3rd-and-9, Burick and Goard chased the quarterback out of bounds for no gain. On fourth down, a pass to the left fell short and incomplete as the Leopards defense held again.
The Big Blacks final threat against the Louisville first string defense came in the third quarter. Point Pleasant drove to the LHS 26 and faced 4th-and-2. The Big Blacks ran a sweep to the right and Leopards Senior Linebacker Nick Granitsas blew it up for a 2 yard loss giving the ball back to Louisville.
Jackson Leads Scoring Drive to Put Leps Up 40-0
Following the Leopards final fourth down stop, Jackson replaced Jones at Quarterback. The Junior second string Quarterback ran wild going for 35 yards to his right on the second play of the drive to the Big Black 35. Adelman ran for 12 yards on the next play and then Jackson finished off the drive with a 23 yard endzone scamper to put Louisville ahead 40-0 with 2:38 left in the third quarter.
Robbins threw down a pancake block on the play creating a hole for Jackson who followed the blocking of Junior Left Tackle Josh Stafford, Sophomore Wide Receiver Zack Seaman, and Senior Wide Receiver Hunter Selander on his way to six.
Freshman Roach Scores 3 Late Touchdowns
The Leopards put in the backups and shifty Freshman Quarterback Evan Roach led Point Pleasant on three scoring drives in the final 12:02. Those three scoring drives of 67, 50, and 71 yards accounted for over half of the Big Blacks 364 total yards of offense on the night. Roach would end up scoring on runs of 4, 9, and 11 in his debut to cut into the Louisville lead.
Point Pleasant out-rushed Louisville 279-271 for the game on 40 rushing attempts. Roach was the Big Blacks leading rusher with 20 carries for 139 yards. Senior Runningback Brady Adkins also had 9 carries for 81 yards before leaving the game with an injury after the second half’s first play of scrimmage.
Roach was also 12 of 19 passing for 93 yards while throwing an interception. His top target was Junior Runningback Zane Wamsley who hauled in 7 catches for 53 yards.
Senior Cornerback Logan Southall also snagged an interception for the Big Blacks on the Leopards opening drive. A pass went off the fingertips of a Louisville receiver and deflected into the arms of Southall at the 6 yard line. He returned it 14 yards to the Point Pleasant 20.
The Leopards offense wouldn’t be stopped again until they ran out of time at the end of the first half. Following that pick, Louisville scored touchdowns on four straight possession in the first half, both of their possessions in the third quarter, and didn’t punt until the fourth quarter.
First Trip Out of State in Team History
This was the first ever meeting between the two schools and first time the Leopards played an out of state team in their 96 year history. The 178.4 mile trip breaks the record for the longest distance traveled to play a Louisville football game. The previous longest distance traveled was 132.3 miles to Tiger Stadium in Pickerington, Ohio back on October 31, 2003. The #7 Seed Leopards upset the #2 Seed Pickerington Central Purple Tigers 35-34 in the opening round.
The road has been kind to Louisville as they are 5-0 when traveling a distance of 80 miles or more with all but Friday’s Point Pleasant game coming in the playoffs. The previous longest distance traveled for a regular season game was 54.9 miles to Wintersville in a 16-7 win on September 7, 1990. The trip to West Virginia was over three times the distance in mileage in comparison. The Leopards 49 mile trek to Youngstown State’s Stambaugh Stadium to beat Cardinal Mooney the week prior ranks the third longest in regular season history and tenth longest overall.
Longest Road Trips for Louisville Football in Team History
| Distance (Miles) | Location | Stadium | Date | Opponent | Result |
| 178.4 | Point Pleasant, WV | Ohio Valley Bank Stadium | 10/18/2019 | Point Pleasant | W 40-21 |
| 132.3 | Pickerington, OH | Tiger Stadium | 10/31/2003 | Pickerington Central | W 35-34 |
| 96.1 | Zanesville, OH | Sulsberger Memorial Stadium | 11/7/2008 | Logan | W 7-0 |
| 81.2 | Lexington, OH | Lexington Minutemen Stadium | 11/16/2007 | St. Francis DeSales | W 25-20 |
| 81.2 | Lexington, OH | Lexington Minutemen Stadium | 11/11/2005 | Dublin Scioto | W 28-23 |
| 73.7 | Mansfield, OH | Arlin Field | 11/14/2008 | St. Francis DeSales | L 21-38 |
| 67.3 | Coshocton, OH | Coshocton Stewart Field | 11/7/2003 | Col. Independence | L 26-49 |
| 64.3 | Berea, OH | George Finnie Stadium | 11/27/1992 | Fostoria | L 7-48 |
| 54.9 | Wintersville, OH | Kettlewell Memorial Stadium | 9/7/1990 | Wintersville | W 16-7 |
| 50.7 | Bedford, OH | Bearcat Stadium Stewart Field | 11/23/2007 | Mayfield | W 41-13 |
| 49.0 | Youngstown, OH | Stambaugh Stadium | 10/11/2019 | Cardinal Mooney | W 20-14 |
| 46.1 | Warren, OH | Mollenkopf Stadium | 11/18/2005 | Canfield | L 0-7 |
UP NEXT: The Leopards will next travel to house that Paul Brown built to take on the Massillon Tigers on Friday, October 25. Game time is set for 7:30 PM from Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. The Freshman will host Massillon on Thursday, October 24 at 6:00 PM and JV will also host the Tigers on Saturday, October 26 at 10:00 AM.
Louisville at Point Pleasant Scoring Summary
LEOPARDS 40, BIG BLACKS 21
Team 1-2-3-4–TOTAL
Louisville 7-19-14-0–40
Point Pleasant 0-0-7-14–21
1st Quarter
LOUISVILLE – Nathan Guiley 12 Yard Run (Myles Lab Kick) | LHS 7, PPHS 0, 2:45
7 Plays, 40 Yards
2nd Quarter
LOUISVILLE – Davis Burick 27 Yard Pass from Colton Jones (Kick Failed) | LHS 13, PPHS 0, 7:42
13 Plays, 93 Yards
LOUISVILLE – Nathan Guiley 29 Yard Run (Myles Lab Kick) | LHS 20, PPHS 0, 6:25
1 Play, 29 Yards
LOUISVILLE – Nathan Guiley 10 Yard Run (Kick Failed) | LHS 26, PPHS 0, 3:57
4 Plays, 36 Yards
3rd Quarter
LOUISVILLE – Connor Adelman 1 Yard Run (Myles Lab Kick) | LHS 33, PPHS 0, 5:51
12 Plays, 77 Yards
LOUISVILLE – Tyler Jackson 23 Yard Run (Myles Lab Kick) | LHS 40, PPHS 0, 2:38
4 Plays, 72 Yards
POINT PLEASANT – Evan Roach 4 Yard Run (Ellie Wood Kick) | LHS 40, PPHS 7, 0:02
9 Plays, 67 Yards
4th Quarter
POINT PLEASANT – Evan Roach 9 Yard Run (Ellie Wood Kick) | LHS 40, PPHS 14, 8:04
6 Plays, 50 Yards
POINT PLEASANT – Evan Roach 11 Yard Run (Ellie Wood Kick) | LHS 40, PPHS 21, 4:23
4 Plays, 71 Yards
Records: Louisville 5-3, Point Pleasant 1-4
Louisville at Point Pleasant Team Stats
First Downs
Louisville: 26 (16 Rushing, 9 Passing, 1 Penalty)
Point Pleasant: 18 (13 Rushing, 4 Passing, 1 Penalty)
Rushing
Louisville: 44 Carries, 260 Yards, 5 Touchdowns
Point Pleasant: 40 Carries, 279 Yards, 3 Touchdowns
Passing
Louisville: 13 of 17 for 172 Yards, Touchdown, Interception
Point Pleasant: 12 of 19 for 93 Yards, Interception
Fumbles/Lost
Louisville: 1/0
Point Pleasant: 3/2
Penalties/Yds
Louisville: 5 for 31 Yards
Point Pleasant: 5 for 45 Yards
3rd Down Conversions
Louisville: 6 for 9 (67%)
Point Pleasant: 3 for 10 (30%)
4th Down Conversions
Louisville: 2 for 2 (100%)
Point Pleasant: 1 for 3 (33%)
Louisville at Point Pleasant Individual Stats
Rushing
Louisville
Nathan Guiley 14 Carries, 118 Yards, 3 Touchdowns
Connor Adelman 9 Carries, 54 Yards, Touchdown
Tyler Jackson 8 Carries, 50 Yards, Touchdown
Creed Patterson 4 Carries, 13 Yards
Riston Jobes 2 Carries, 9 Yards
Davis Burick 1 Carry, 7 Yards
Dan Kennedy 2 Carries, 6 Yards
Colton Jones 3 Carries, 3 Yards
Point Pleasant
Evan Roach 20 Carries, 139 Yards, 3 Touchdowns
Brady Adkins 9 Carries, 81 Yards
Passing
Louisville
Colton Jones 13 of 17 for 172 Yards, 1 Touchdown, 1 Interception
Point Pleasant
Evan Roach 12 of 19 for 93 Yards, 1 Interception
Receiving
Louisville
Davis Burick 6 Catches, 97 Yards, Touchdown
Grayson Beamer 3 Catches, 39 Yards
Carter Rode 3 Catches, 17 Yards
Jake Pukys 1 Catch, 19 Yards
Point Pleasant
Zane Wamsley 7 Catches, 53 Yards
