Leopards Ride Neff’s 184 Yards, Timely Takeaways to 20-10 Win Over Quakers – Football
Louisville 20, New Philadelphia 10
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The Louisville Leopards Varsity Football Team opened the 2026 season with a 20-10 victory over the visiting New Philadelphia Quakers on Youth Night Friday at Louisville Leopards Stadium.
Junior running back Lucas Neff rushed for 184 yards and two touchdowns to lead a Louisville ground attack that piled up 297 yards. The Leopard defense also produced three takeaways, including a fumble recovery and an interception by junior Xavier Berdella during the second half.
Game Article | Game Stats | Scoring Summary | Team Stats | Individual Stats
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Neff Rushes for 184 Yards in Player of the Game Performance
Neff was named the Player of the Game after carrying the ball 25 times for 184 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged 7.4 yards per carry and delivered several of Louisville’s biggest offensive plays.
After New Philadelphia took a 7-3 lead early in the third quarter, Neff helped Louisville answer with a six-play, 31-yard touchdown drive. He accounted for 27 of the 31 yards, carrying for gains of 3 and 4 yards before junior quarterback Cody Zahler converted a 4th-and-1 with a 2-yard run.
Neff then gained 8 yards to reach the New Philadelphia 12 and scored on the following play to put the Leopards back in front. Junior placekicker Parker Daum added the extra point to give Louisville a 10-7 lead with 8:17 remaining in the third quarter.
Neff delivered another explosive run after Berdella recovered a New Philadelphia fumble at the Louisville 32. After opening the possession with a 6-yard gain, Neff broke loose for 38 yards to the Quaker 24 on the final play of the third quarter.
Junior running back Caden Kortis followed with runs of 5 and 6 yards before Zahler gained 9 yards to reach the 4. Neff finished the six-play, 68-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown run. Daum’s extra point extended Louisville’s lead to 17-7 with 10:12 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Neff helped deliver the final blow on Louisville’s next possession. Facing 2nd-and-9 from the Leopard 48, he ripped off a game-long 46-yard run to the New Philadelphia 6. The Quakers prevented Louisville from reaching the end zone, but Daum converted a 24-yard field goal to make it 20-10 with 3:07 remaining.
Louisville finished with 52 carries for 297 yards and two touchdowns. Fifteen of the Leopards’ 18 first downs came on the ground.
Zahler complemented Neff with 14 carries for 49 yards, including several important conversions with his legs. Kortis added 46 yards on nine attempts, highlighted by a 22-yard run during the first half. Senior running back Colton Dougherty contributed 18 yards on four carries.
Daum accounted for eight of Louisville’s 20 points. He opened the scoring with a 26-yard field goal with 7:48 left in the second quarter and also made both extra point attempts.
A View from the Endzone With Player of the Game Lucas Neff
Courtesy of Spotlight Media Network / YSN
Berdella Delivers Two Timely Second-Half Takeaways
Berdella was responsible for two of Louisville’s three takeaways, and both came at critical moments during the second half.
Late in the third quarter, New Philadelphia drove into Louisville territory before Caleb Crowthers gained 7 yards to the Leopard 32 and fumbled. Berdella recovered the loose ball at the 32 halting the Quaker momentum.
The takeaway also turned into points. Louisville drove 68 yards the other way in six plays, using Neff’s 38-yard run to move deep into Quaker territory before his 4-yard touchdown extended the lead to 17-7.
Berdella struck again on New Philadelphia’s final possession.
The Quakers moved from their own 20 to the Louisville 40 while attempting to overcome a 20-10 deficit. Parker Rieger then threw downfield, but Berdella intercepted the pass at the Leopard 29 and returned it 46 yards to the New Philadelphia 25. A penalty following the return moved Louisville back to the Quaker 40, but the Leopards picked up one final first down and ran out the remaining time.
Reynolds Return Answers Quaker Touchdown
The momentum shifted dramatically during the opening minutes of the third quarter.
Louisville received the second-half kickoff holding a 3-0 lead, but New Philadelphia’s Kolston Fox intercepted Zahler at the Leopard 28. After a 3-yard loss on the first play, Rieger connected with Fox for a 31-yard touchdown pass.
Noah Colletti made the extra point to give New Philadelphia a 7-3 lead with 11:02 remaining in the third quarter.
Junior Haiden Reynolds immediately changed the field position and snatched the momentum back for Louisville. Reynolds fielded the ensuing kickoff at the Leopard 7 and returned it 62 yards to the New Philadelphia 31.
The return allowed Louisville to answer without attempting a pass. Neff and Zahler combined for all 31 yards on six consecutive carries, capped by Neff’s 12-yard touchdown run at the 8:17 mark.
A View from the Endzone With Head Coach Jake Adkins
Courtesy of Spotlight Media Network / YSN
Touchback Proves to be Turning Point
New Philadelphia nearly responded with a touchdown of its own.
Starting at their own 20, the Quakers marched toward the Louisville goal line. The drive included a 28-yard run by Rieger and a 10-yard completion to TR Harriman that moved the ball to the Leopard 16.
Fox then gained 15 yards and appeared poised to put New Philadelphia back in front, but he fumbled the ball through the end zone. The play resulted in a touchback and gave possession to Louisville at its own 20 with the Leopards still leading 10-7.
The touchback served as the turning point in the game as the Leopards built a two-score advantage and would never surrender the lead again..
Rieger and Fox Lead New Philadelphia
Rieger led the New Philadelphia offense both through the air and on the ground. The senior quarterback completed 14 of 27 passes for 195 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He also led the Quakers with 70 rushing yards on 10 carries, giving him 265 combined yards of offense.
Fox contributed in all three phases. He rushed six times for 49 yards, caught two passes for 39 yards and a touchdown, and returned four kickoffs for 87 yards. He also intercepted Zahler early in the third quarter to set up New Philadelphia’s only touchdown.
TR Harriman led the Quakers with five catches for 63 yards. Nolan Rosneck made two catches for 51 yards, including a 44-yard reception that sparked New Philadelphia’s fourth-quarter scoring drive. Lincoln Murphy added five receptions for 42 yards.
The Rosneck completion helped New Philadelphia drive 67 yards and earn a 1st-and-goal at the Louisville 7. A tackle for a loss by Zander McCrobie pushed the Quakers back 2 yards on the next play before forcing consecutive incompletions. New Philadelphia settled for Colletti’s 25-yard field goal, cutting Louisville’s advantage to 17-10 with 7:52 remaining.
New Philadelphia out-gained Louisville 336-326 and averaged 7 yards per play. However, the Quakers ran only 48 offensive plays compared to Louisville’s 63 and were unable to overcome their three turnovers.
The Quaker defense limited Louisville to 29 passing yards and recorded an interception, but the Leopards’ 297 rushing yards ultimately proved to be the difference.
Jake Adkins and Aden Norris Interview on Saturday Morning Huddle
Louisville Vs. New Philadelphia All-Time Football Series
Louisville’s victory was its first at home against New Philadelphia and improved the Leopards to 3-4 all-time against the Quakers.
The Leopards are now 1-2 at home and 2-2 on the road in the series. Louisville’s 18-7 playoff victory at New Philadelphia in 2004 remains its only postseason meeting with the Quakers.
Louisville has now defeated New Philadelphia in consecutive seasons for the first time. The Leopards won 24-0 at Woody Hayes Quaker Stadium in last year’s season opener before earning Friday’s 20-10 home victory.
Louisville has outscored New Philadelphia 44-10 during its two-game winning streak. The Leopards also moved ahead in total points across the seven-game series, 114-107.
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UP NEXT: The Louisville Leopards will remain home to host Youngstown Ursuline on Hall of Fame Night Friday, August 28. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 PM at Louisville Leopards Stadium.
Cover Photo By Rick Everhart Photography
Leopard Opponent Schedule and Scoreboard – Week 1
at Columbus St. Francis DeSales 31, Youngstown Ursuline 7
at Dover 36, GlenOak 21
Youngstown 13, at Boardman 10
at North Canton Hoover 35, Akron Buchtel 8
at Lake 20, North Ridgeville 14
Garfield Heights 27, at Canfield 24
at Indian Valley 42, Green 13
20-10 Louisville Football Scorigami?
Yes! This is the first time a Louisville Football game has ended with a 20-10 score. It is the 387th unique score in 1,026 total Louisville Football games dating back to 1924. This is also the 508th distinct scoring combination when counting wins and losses by a score separately.
View Louisville Football Scorigami Chart
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New Philadelphia at Louisville Football Game Statistics
Scoring Summary
LEOPARDS 20, QUAKERS 10
Team 1-2-3-4–TOTAL
New Philadelphia 0-0-7-3–10
Louisville 0-3-7-10–20
1st Quarter
NO SCORING
2nd Quarter
LOUISVILLE – Parker Daum 26-Yard Field Goal | LHS 3, NPHS 0, 7:48
8 Plays, 43 Yards
3rd Quarter
NEW PHILADELPHIA – Kolston Fox 31-Yard Pass from Parker Rieger (Noah Colletti Kick) | LHS 3, NPHS 7, 11:02
2 Plays, 28 Yards
LOUISVILLE – Lucas Neff 12-Yard Run (Parker Daum Kick) | LHS 10, NPHS 7, 8:17
6 Plays, 31 Yards
4th Quarter
LOUISVILLE – Lucas Neff 4-Yard Run (Parker Daum Kick) | LHS 17, NPHS 7, 10:12
6 Plays, 68 Yards
NEW PHILADELPHIA – Noah Colletti 25-Yard Field Goal | LHS 17, NPHS 10, 7:52
9 Plays, 67 Yards
LOUISVILLE – Parker Daum 24-Yard Field Goal | LHS 20, NPHS 10, 3:07
9 Plays, 69 Yards
Records: Louisville 1-0, New Philadelphia 0-1
Team Stats
First Downs
Louisville: 18 (15 Rushing, 2 Passing, 1 Penalty)
New Philadelphia: 15 (5 Rushing, 10 Passing)
Total Offense
Louisville: 63 Plays, 326 Yards, 2 Touchdowns (5.2 Yards Per Play)
New Philadelphia: 48 Plays, 336 Yards, 1 Touchdown (7.0 Yards Per Play)
Rushing
Louisville: 52 Carries, 297 Yards, 2 Touchdowns (5.7 Average)
New Philadelphia: 21 Carries, 141 Yards (6.7 Average)
Passing
Louisville: 5 of 11 for 29 Yards, 1 Interception
New Philadelphia: 14 of 27 for 195 Yards, 1 Touchdown, 1 Interception
Fumbles/Lost
Louisville: 2/0
New Philadelphia: 2/2
Penalties/Yards
Louisville: 4 for 30 Yards
New Philadelphia: 4 for 35 Yards
3rd Down Conversions
Louisville: 6 for 13 (46%)
New Philadelphia: 5 for 9 (56%)
4th Down Conversions
Louisville: 3 for 4 (75%)
New Philadelphia: None
Punt Yards
Louisville: 2 Punts, 78 Yards (39.0 Average)
New Philadelphia: 4 Punts, 138 Yards (34.5 Average)
Kick Return Yards
Louisville: 2 Returns, 83 Yards (41.5 Average)
New Philadelphia: 4 Returns, 87 Yards (21.8 Average)
Punt Return Yards
Louisville: None
New Philadelphia: None
Field Goal Attempts
Louisville: 2 of 2 (Made 26, 24)
New Philadelphia: 1 of 1 (Made 25)
Sacks Against
Louisville: 1 for 10 Yards
New Philadelphia: None
Individual Stats
Rushing
Louisville
Lucas Neff 25 Carries, 184 Yards, 2 Touchdowns
Cody Zahler 14 Carries, 49 Yards
Caden Kortis 9 Carries, 46 Yards
Colton Dougherty 4 Carries, 18 Yards
New Philadelphia
Parker Rieger 10 Carries, 70 Yards
Kolston Fox 6 Carries, 49 Yards
TR Harriman 3 Carries, 14 Yards
Caleb Crowthers 1 Carry, 8 Yards
Passing
Louisville
Cody Zahler 5 of 11 for 29 Yards, 1 Interception, Sacked 1 Time for 10 Yards
New Philadelphia
Parker Rieger 14 of 27 for 195 Yards, 1 Touchdown, 1 Interception
Receiving
Louisville
Logan Galbraith 1 Catch, 13 Yards
Caison Grimm 1 Catch, 13 Yards
Xavier Berdella 1 Catch, 4 Yards
Caden Kortis 1 Catch, 1 Yard
Lucas Neff 1 Catch, -2 Yards
New Philadelphia
TR Harriman 5 Catches, 63 Yards
Nolan Rosneck 2 Catches, 51 Yards
Lincoln Murphy 5 Catches, 42 Yards
Kolston Fox 2 Catches, 39 Yards, 1 Touchdown
Kick Returns
Louisville
Haiden Reynolds 1 Return, 62 Yards
Drake Wilson 1 Return, 21 Yards
New Philadelphia
Kolston Fox 4 Returns, 87 Yards, 32 Long (21.8 Average)
Punt Returns
Louisville
None
New Philadelphia
None
Punts
Louisville
Hunter Fetrow 2 Punts, 78 Yards, 40 Long (39.0 Average), 1 Inside 20
New Philadelphia
Noah Colletti 4 Punts, 138 Yards, 40 Long (34.5 Average)
