Leopards Wipe Out Wooster 50-7, Clinch First Playoff Berth Since 2015 – Varsity Football
Louisville 50, Wooster 7
<<< Vs. La Salle | Football Schedule | Vs. Westerville South >>>
The Louisville Leopards Varsity Football Team walloped the visiting Wooster Generals 50-7 on Senior Night Friday at Louisville Leopards Stadium. With the victory, Louisville finishes the regular season with a 6-4 record, their first winning season since 2018.
The Leopards win, plus a combination of losses confirmed just before 10:00 PM Friday enabled Louisville to clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2015. Massillon’s 21-14 victory at Canton McKinley on Saturday solidified positioning in Division II, Region 7 according to joeeitel.com. Unless the OHSAA makes an unaccounted for ruling, #12 seed Louisville will play at #5 Westerville south on Friday, October 31 at 7:00 PM in the first round of the Division II, Region 7 playoffs.
Game Stats | Scoring Summary | Team Stats | Individual Stats
Live Stream Courtesy of YSN Live
Zahler Throws 3 TDs in First Start, Connects with Burick
Sophomore quarterback Cody Zahler was 10 of 12 passing for 178 Yards and threw three touchdown passes in just one half of play in his first varsity start. His top target was Quin Burick who made 7 catches for 98 yards, including a 24-yard touchdown pass to open up the scoring fest. Burick intercepted an ill-advised Wooster pass on defense to setup the Leopards’ with prime field position at the Wooster 23.
Zahler later found senior running back Owen DiMarzio on touchdown passes of 50 and 12 yards to open up a 27-0 lead early in the second quarter.
DiMarzio and Seaman Spark Leopards
DiMarzio finished with 122 yards of offense and scored 3 touchdowns. In addition to his 2 touchdown catches for 62 yards, DiMarzio was the Leopards’ top rusher with 11 carries for 60 yards. He also reached pay dirt on the ground from 5 yards out on Louisville’s second drive.
That drive was setup by a blocked punt by fellow senior Luke Seaman, which DiMarzio pounced on at the Wooster 41. Two plays before that, DiMarzio recorded a sack to put the Generals into a 3rd-and-25 before the Leopards’ defense forced a punt.
Seaman was also a menace n both sides of the ball. He scored on his only carry on an 11-yard jet sweep, diving just inside the left pylon. Later, Seaman put an exclamation point on the first half with a 46-yard interception return touchdown to make it 50-0 Louisville with 2:22 remaining before halftime.
Stoffer Dominates on Defense Despite Injury
Senior quarterback Gabe Stoffer left last week’s game against Cincinnati La Salle with a first-half injury. Despite not being able to play quarterback week 10, Stoffer still made his presence known on defense.
Stoffer intercepted a pass at midfield and returned it 37 yards using some shifty moves to setup Louisville at the General 12 yard line. Two plays later, Zahler rolled right drawing several Wooster defenders which left DiMarzio wide open at the 6-yard line and he took it in for a score. In a kicking formation, sophomore holder Drake Wilson took the snap then stood up and flipped the ball to junior Colton Dougherty for the two-point conversion making it 29-0 with 9:40 remaining in the second quarter.
Later, with less than three minutes left in the half, Stoffer came in for Zahler at quarterback. In his final regular season snap at quarterback, Stoffer faked a pitch and then shuffled a pass behind the line of scrimmage. Dougherty snagged it and then was sprung by blocks from sophomore Zander McCrobie and senior Roy Newell into the open field. Dougherty found a seam down the center of the field. One final downfield block by Wilson and Dougherty was into the end zone for a 53-yard touchdown to make it 43-0 Louisville with 2:48 remaining.
Team Record 36-Point Quarter
The Leopards scored 29 of their 50 points off turnovers. Seaman’s final pick six just before half tied the record for most points in a quarter set in the second quarter against Alliance in 2014. Sophomore placekicker Parker Daum booted through the extra point to break the record as Louisville scored 50 points in the first half for the first time since that same Alliance game. Daum finished 6-of-6 on extra points on the night.
Just before halftime, Isaiah Bragg forced a fumble on a 4th-and-3 play and Caden Kortis scooped it and returned it to the General 45. Louisville took a knee to run out the final 16 seconds of the first half and the clock ran the entire second half via the 30-point mercy rule. Bragg also had a pair of sacks on defense.
Wooster Breaks the Shutout in the Third Quarter
The Generals broke the shutout late in the third quarter. Freshman quarterback Griffin Siegenthaler found freshman wide receiver Hudson Baxstrom open over the middle for an 11-yard touchdown reception on 3rd-and-goal. Jake Vermaaten booted home the extra point to make the score 50-7 with 3:43 remaining in the third quarter.
Siegenthaler finished 12 of 20 passing for 101 yards. Sophomore wide receiver Cameron Chaney was his top target with 5 catches for 73 yards. On their lone scoring drive, Siegenthaler also went over the middle to Chaney on 4th-and-8 for an 18-yard completion to setup goal-to-go.
Louisville Defense Dominates
Louisville out-gained Wooster 356-102 in total yardage despite running one less play. This included a 125-3 edge in rushing yards. The Leopards defense suffocated the Generals running game in the opening half, holding them to -23 yards on 16 carries. Louisville pulled most of their starters at halftime, which allowed Wooster to finish with 23 carries for 3 yards on the ground.
73 of the Generals 102 net yards of offense came on their third-quarter scoring drive. The Leopards tripled them up in terms of first downs 18-6 for the game as well.
Louisville Vs. Wooster All-Time Football Series
Louisville has now won two straight against Wooster evening the all-time series at 3-3. This was the Leopards first win at home against the Generals. Louisville’s other wins in the series both came at Wooster, including a 20-17 victory in the last year’s season finale. The Leopards are now 1-3 at home when facing the Generals.
Wooster finishes the season 0-10 for the first time since 1991.
<<< Previous 2024 | Wooster All-Time Series
Righting the Ship on Senior Night
Senior Night has been a miserable experience for Louisville Football recently. They had dropped their last eight Senior Night games coming into the night. The Leopards had been outscored 321-119 over those eight games dating back to 2017 prior to Friday’s explosive victory. Louisville’s last senior night win was their final week 10 home NBC game in 2016, a 41-14 victory against Canton South.
The Leopards will look to carry this momentum into the postseason as they look to win their first playoff game in a decade. The Leopards 42-7 win at Poland in 2015 serves as their only playoff victory in the past 16 seasons.
UP NEXT: The #12 seed Louisville Leopards will travel to take on the host #5 seed Westerville South Wildcats on Friday, October 24 in the first round of the Division II, Region 7 playoffs. Game time is set for 7:00 PM from Westerville South Stadium.
Louisville Opponents Week 10 Schedule
at Dover 35, New Philadelphia 28
Alliance at Marlington
at Manchester 21, Northwest 7
at North Canton Hoover 35, Jackson 14
Canton Central Catholic 54, at St. Thomas Aquinas 0
at Boardman 22, Canfield 21, OT
at Green 34, Lake 27, OT
La Salle 54, at Mount Healthy 7
50-7 Scorigami?
No Scorigami! Louisville also defeated North Canton Hoover 50-7 in 2011 at home.
Donate to Leopard Nation
Wooster at Louisville Football Game Statistics
Scoring Summary
LEOPARDS 50, GENERALS 7
Team 1-2-3-4–TOTAL
Wooster 0-0-7-0–07
Louisville 14-36-0-0–50
1st Quarter
LOUISVILLE – Quin Burick 24-Yard Pass from Cody Zahler (Parker Daum Kick) | LHS 7, WHS 0, 5:00
3 Plays, 23 Yards
LOUISVILLE – Owen DiMarzio 5-Yard Run (Parker Daum Kick) | LHS 14, WHS 0, 0:34
5 Plays, 41 Yards
2nd Quarter
LOUISVILLE – Owen DiMarzio 50-Yard Pass from Cody Zahler (Parker Daum Kick) | LHS 21, WHS 0, 10:23
1 Play, 50 Yards
LOUISVILLE – Owen DiMarzio 12-Yard Pass from Cody Zahler (Colton Dougherty Pass from Drake Wilson) | LHS 29, WHS 0, 9:40
2 Plays, 12 Yards
LOUISVILLE – Luke Seaman 11-Yard Run (Parker Daum Kick) | LHS 36, WHS 0, 5:24
6 Plays, 65 Yards
LOUISVILLE – Colton Dougherty 53-Yard Pass from Gabe Stoffer (Parker Daum Kick) | LHS 43, WHS 0, 2:48
1 Play, 53 Yards
LOUISVILLE – Luke Seaman 46-Yard Interception Return (Parker Daum Kick) | LHS 50, WHS 0, 2:22
3rd Quarter
WOOSTER – Hudson Baxstrom 11-Yard Pass from Griffin Siegenthaler (Jake Vermaaten Kick) | LHS 50, WHS 7, 4:17
10 Plays, 73 Yards
4th Quarter
NO SCORING
Records: Louisville 6-4, Wooster 0-10
Team Stats
First Downs
Louisville: 18 (9 Rushing, 9 Passing)
Wooster: 6 (1 Rushing, 4 Passing, 1 Penalty)
Total Offense
Louisville: 42 Plays, 356 Yards, 6 Touchdowns (8.5 Yards Per Play)
Wooster: 43 Plays, 102 Yards, Touchdown (2.4 Yards Per Play)
Rushing
Louisville: 27 Carries, 125 Yards, 2 Touchdowns (4.6 Average)
Wooster: 23 Carries, 3 Yards (0.1 Average)
Passing
Louisville: 11 of 15 for 231 Yards, 4 Touchdowns
Wooster: 12 of 20 for 101 Yards, 1 Touchdown, 3 Interceptions
Fumbles/Lost
Louisville: 1/1
Wooster: 2/1
Penalties/Yards
Louisville: 4 for 55 Yards
Wooster: 2 for 14 Yards
3rd Down Conversions
Louisville: 6 for 6 (100%)
Wooster: 0 for 9 (0%)
4th Down Conversions
Louisville: None
Wooster: 2 for 5 (40%)
Punt Yards
Louisville: None
Wooster: 2 Punts, 55 Yards (27.5 Average)
Kick Return Yards
Louisville: 3 Returns, 2 Yards (0.7 Average)
Wooster: 8 Returns, 82 Yards (10.3 Average)
Punt Return Yards
Louisville: None
Wooster: None
Field Goal Attempts
Louisville: 0 of 1 (Missed 25)
Wooster: None
Individual Stats
Rushing
Louisville
Owen DiMarzio 11 Carries, 60 Yards, Touchdown
Lucas Neff 6 Carries, 16 Yards
Scott Hickinbotham 2 Carries, 15 Yards
Colton Norris 1 Carry, 11 Yards
Luke Seaman 1 Carry, 11 Yards, Touchdown
Caden Kortis 1 Carry, 7 Yards
Ryan Rush 3 Carries, 7 Yards
Gabe Stoffer 1 Carry, -1 Yards
Cody Zahler 1 Carry, -1 Yards
Wooster
Darrius Howard 5 Carries, 3 Yards
Griffin Siegenthaler 14 Carries, 1 Yard
Landen Bird 1 Carry, 0 Yards
Sam Schantz 3 Carries, -1 Yards
Passing
Louisville
Cody Zahler 10 of 12 for 178 Yards, 3 Touchdowns
Gabe Stoffer 1 of 1 for 53 Yards, 1 Touchdown
Jake Baker 0 of 1
Aden Norris 0 of 1
Wooster
Griffin Siegenthaler 12 of 20 for 101 Yards, 1 Touchdown, 3 Interceptions
Receiving
Louisville
Quin Burick 7 Catches, 98 Yards, Touchdown
Owen DiMarzio 2 Catches, 62 Yards, 2 Touchdowns
Colton Dougherty 1 Catch, 53 Yards, Touchdown
Colton Norris 1 Catch, 18 Yards
Wooster
Cameron Chaney 5 Catches, 73 Yards
Hudson Baxstrom 1 Catch, 11 Yards, Touchdown
Darrius Howard 3 Catches, 7 Yards
Landen Bird 1 Catch, 6 Yards
Logan Gattuso 1 Catch, 6 Yards
Sam Schantz 1 Catch, -2 Yards
Kick Returns
Louisville
Owen DiMarzio 1 Return, 3 Yards
Bryce Johnson 1 Return, 0 Yards
Wooster
Javon Mosley 3 Returns, 54 Yards, 37 Long (18.0 Average)
Darrius Howard 3 Returns, 17 Yards, 14 Long (5.7 Average)
Sam Schantz 2 Returns, 11 Yards, 11 Long (5.5 Average)
Punt Returns
Louisville
None
Wooster
None
Punts
Louisville
None
Wooster
Hudson Baxstrom 2 Punts, 55 Yards, 31 Long (27.5 Average)
