WEEK 2 PREVIEW: Louisville Leopards at North Canton Hoover Vikings

Louisville Leopards (1-0) at North Canton Hoover Vikings (1-0)

WHEN: Friday, August 31 at 7:00 PM

WHERE: North Canton Memorial Stadium (Click for Directions)

RADIO: WHBC 1480-AM – Stadium Show begins at 6:05

TV REPLAY: WIVM TV 39.1 – Replay at 9 AM-12 AM on Saturday, September 1 and 8 PM-11 PM on Sunday, September 2

IN-GAME UPDATES: Follow Us On Twitter @LouisvilleLeps or Text “Follow LouisvilleLeps” to 40404

HIGHLIGHTS: Will be available following the game late Friday night or early Saturday morning right here on louisvilleleopards.org

SERIES

ALL-TIME SERIES: Louisville holds a 53-31-5 record over Hoover

LAST MEETING: Louisville took a 44-7 lead over visiting Hoover in the second quarter before winning the game 50-7 on September 2, 2012.  FULL RECAP

LAST MEETING AT HOOVER: The Vikings defeated the Leopards 25-20 at Memorial Stadium on September 3, 2010.

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PREVIEW

The air is a little different, the atmosphere has a little more edge, and the play is a little fiercer when Louisville and North Canton meet.  This time the two squads are meeting for the 90th time since 1924.  The Leopards have won 4 out of the last 5 against Hoover and look to continue their dominance over their arch-rival.  The Vikings are looking for payback from a 50-7 defeat at Louisville a year ago and they have the weapons for revenge.  It’s Louisville, it’s North Canton, and it’s a rivalry game that you are not going to want to miss at North Canton Memorial Stadium Friday night.

LEOPARDS

OFFENSE: Louisville’s offensive attack centers around Junior Quarterback and DI College Recruit Joey Duckworth.  Duckworth was 19 of 33 passing against Canfield for 283 yards and two touchdowns vs. 1 interception.  Duckworth also led the team in rushing carrying the ball 9 times for 41 yards.  His main target is WR Trent Ohman who picked up right where he left off last year by having another monster performance in Week 1 in catching 6 passes for 113 Yards and a touchdown.  Alex Schooley was also a key target in the passing game catching 4 passes for 67 yards and touchdown.  These two wide receivers compliment one another well as Ohman is very elusive & dangerous in the open field, while Schooley has the ability to bust through defenders and make catches in the tightest of coverages which was proven last week.  Also catching three passes each last week were Alex Hollifield, Trevor Hostetler, and Jeremy McQuilkin.  Offensive lineman Aaron Carter, Jonah Dawson, and Nate Terry will look to continue to provide great pass protection against the Vikings as they did last week against Canfield.  Louisville’s Lucas Poyser ran for 202 yards against Hoover last season and runningback Trey Hayford will also look for big gains when the Leopards are not passing.

DEFENSE: Defensive Back Garrett Yoder led the defense last week with an a key interception and also the fumble recovery that sealed the game against the Cardinals.  Junior defensive end Dylan Kline and Senior Linebacker Charles Beamer each recorded sacks last week.  Look for Cory Neff to have a simliar impact this week on a richly talented defensive line.  Alex Schooley and Jeremy McQuilkin will also look to make big plays in the Leopards secondary that allowed just 124 yards passing to the Cardinals last week.

SPECIAL TEAMS: The Louisville kicking game was superb last week as Kicker Merrick Storlie was 3 of 3 on extra points and also kicked a textbook onside kick that just eluded the hands of the Leopards to begin the season.  Storlie can hit from 50 yards away and is right leg could decide the outcome of this rivalry battle.  The last time Louisville converted a field goal on the road was at Memorial Stadium two seasons ago when Jaron Lohmeyer kicked a 28 yarder through in the opening minutes.  Alex Schooley had 3 punts last week for 105 yards for an average of 35 yards per boot.  Schooley also has the wheels to run if a hole opens or the play breaks down.  Trent Ohman and Garrett Yoder will look to make an impact in the return games.  Each were given just one opportunity last week to showcase their abilities as Canfield kicked away from Louisville.  Canfield recovered an onside kick against Louisville’s special teams last week, but after a week of preparation the hands team will be ready.

VIKINGS

OFFENSE: The Vikings had no problem putting up points against Stow last week in their 52-14 win.  It was the most points a North Canton team scored in a game since 2002 when they beat Alliance 56-0.  The Hoover offense centers around Senior quarterback Dom Iero who was 9 of 16 for 220 yards and had a touchdown passing last week to go along with 52 yards rushing and a 23 yard touchdown scamper.  His main target is wide receiver Austin Feinberg who caught 5 passes for 99 yards in last week’s game against Stow.  He will also look to Alex Binnie who is another reliable receiver for North Canton.  When they are not running the spread offense, the Vikings plan to run out of the I-Formation behind offensive lineman Dave Johnson and up-and-coming lineman Nathan Hinderer (6-1, 230) and Josh Smith (5-11, 285).  Runningback Alex Welsh led everyone in the ground last week carrying the ball for 52 yards and 2 touchdowns, Sam Woods also ran in a touchdown and caught another for the Viks, and Xavier Hogan should see some carries to round out the three-headed monster.

DEFENSE: Co-Captain Linebackers Joe Howard, Sam Woods, and John Zucal should lead the Vikings defense Friday night, while Dave Johnson will anchor the defensive line.  Defensive back Alex Shingleton had a 22-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown that accounted for 1 of Hoover’s 3 takeaways.  Nick Graham and Jake Garfield, also in the secondary, look to make a big impact in an attempt to stop the Leopards potent passing offense.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Kicker Andre Zalewski converted on 7 of 7 extra point attempts in Week 1 and connected on a 26 yard field goal in the third quarter.  The Leopards will not want to leave the Vikings in field goal range with the game on the line.  Xaver Hogan scored a punt return touchdown last week against Stow as well.

ALL-TIME SERIES:

Number of Shutouts: Louisville-21, Hoover-6

Leopards Highest Margin of Victory: 1949 they won 49-0

North Canton’s Highest Margin of Victory: 1945 they won 45-0

Total Points Scored: Louisville-1599 Hoover-1129

Average Score: Louisville-18, Hoover-13

Overtime: Louisville is 2-0 when going to overtime (1996 and 2002)