Louisville Succumbs to Late Wooster Score 16-14 – Varsity Football
Wooster 16, Louisville 14
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The Louisville Leopards Football Team surrendered a late fourth quarter touchdown before falling to the visiting Wooster Generals 16-14 Friday Night at Louisville Leopards Stadium. With the loss, Louisville falls to 0-3 for the first time since 2017.
Miller to Seaman TD Puts Leopards in Front
Senior quarterback Caleb Miller hit senior wide receiver Zack Seaman just inside the front right pylon to give the Leopards their first lead of the season at 14-10 with 4:55 left to play in the game. The 10 yard touchdown reception erased a 10-0 halftime deficit and capped off a 14 play, 99 yard drive that began after senior Connor Adelman recorded his second interception of the night inside the 10 yard line.
Miller would finish 12 of 28 passing for 154 yards for the contest. Seaman was his top target with 5 catches for 65 yards, while Chase Mueller also hauled in 4 receptions for 52 yards. Runningback Riston Jobes also carried the ball 24 times for 80 yards.
Louisville Defense Nearly Seals the Game
Wooster senior Micah McKee ran back the ensuing kickoff 31 yards to the Louisville 38 to setup their next drive. On the second play of the drive, junior linebacker Jacob Davide made a leaping interception near the away sideline to set the Leopards up on the Generals 48 yard line.
After Louisville’s offense went three-and-out, Wooster took over on their own 19. On the first play of their eventual scoring drive, Mueller appeared to have made a diving pick to all but seal the deal for the Leopards. However, the ref ruled the pass incomplete much of the dismay of Mueller who put his hands on his helmet in disbelief.
The Generals again passed to the right on the next play and Seaman nearly made a diving interception that would have again put WHS on the ropes. The ball found the turf though bringing up 3rd-and-10.
3rd-and-10
3rd-and-10 seemed to rear its head time and time again all night long and both teams found success in the scenario. Wooster’s first touchdown came on a 3rd-and-10 play when senior quarterback Drew Becker threw over the top to senior wide receiver Jackson Williams for a 38 yard score to put the Generals in front 10-0 with 6:54 to go in the second quarter. The senior combination would pair up 5 times for 91 yards on the night as part of Becker’s throwing performance which had him finishing 22 of 38 with 282 yards through the air.
The Leopards converted a pair of 3rd-and-10’s on their opening 93 yard drive of the third quarter to setup their first touchdown of the night. It came via a 1 yard direct snap to senior Connor Adelman.
Then Wooster again used a 3rd-and-10 conversion on their next drive to setup 1st-and-goal at the 8. Two plays later, Adelman found himself at the same one yard line again making a touchdown saving fourth quarter interception.
With just two minutes remaining in the contest, Becker stepped back in the pocket and fired to Williams on a slant route between three Louisville defenders. The completion went for a gain of 17 to the Leopards 36, moved the chains, and kept the Generals hopes alive.
Wooster would finish the night 6 of 12 on third down and Louisville would go 10 for 17.
Adams Scores Go Ahead Touchdown with 1:04 Left
The Generals flipped the field on the next play as Becker went deep down the right side line to the 6’4 McKee for a 40 yard reception as the clock ticked down to 1:46.
Three plays later, Wooster faced a 3rd-an-1 from the 15 yard line. The Leopards blitzed and Becker flipped a short screen pass over to his left to senior Gregory Adams who found open turf. Adams broke a tackle and busted through two more while crossing the goal line to put the Generals in front 16-14 with 1:04 left on the clock.
The extra point was no good leaving the door open for a potential game-winning field goal for Louisville.
Holding Call Wipes Out Seaman’s Return
Hope remained alive for the Leopards as Seaman took the ensuing kickoff at the LHS 6 yard line. He ran left to right and found a seam down the right side before finally being tackled at the Wooster 38 yard line.
As the crowd roared with excitement, the cheers quickly became hisses of displeasure as a yellow marker lay on the other side of the field at the 30 yard line. The 56 yard return was wiped out by a holding penalty that backed Louisville up to their own 20.
The Leopards managed just two yards on the next three plays as the clock melted away. On 4th-and-8, a pass to the left was intercepted by McKee to seal the game for the Generals with just 13 seconds remaining.
Leopards Come Up Empty on 1st Half Drives
The Louisville defense forced a three-and-out on Wooster’s first possession of the game. In response, the Leopard offense drove 44 yards on 9 plays to the Generals 23 yard line. On the tenth play of the drive, 6’4 220 lbs. Wooster defensive lineman Grahm Dixon shot through the middle and made a stop for a 2 yard loss ending the Louisville drive on downs.
The Leopards had converted a 3rd-and-9 via a 22 yard Miller to Seaman completion and a 3rd-and-5 via a Jobes 7 yard run to make their way into General territory. However, Louisville was not able to able to overcome a delay of game call on first down despite a pair of runs for 14 yards by Jobes to setup 3rd-and-1 and 4th-and-1.
The Leopards were backed up again when they committed a holding penalty on the first play of their next drive. After a pair of incompletions, they faced 3rd-and-25 and that play resulted in an interception by senior cornerback Zachary Harpster. He returned the pick 24 yards to the Louisville 14. Davide made a tackle for a loss two plays later and Wooster was forced to kick a field goal as a result. Senior placekicker Drew Rader connected from 33 yards out to put WHS on the board 3-0.
The Leopards offense went on the march again starting from their own 26 after a 22 yard return by junior Brandon Jackson. Louisville ran the ball 10 times on the 11 play drive with the exception being an 11 yard completion from junior quarterback Daveion Cruse to Mueller to convert a 3rd-and-5. LHS was also helped out by an encroachment penalty against the Generals defense on a 3rd-and-1 at midfield.
On 4th-and-3 from the 27, the Leopards rushing attack was finally stopped for a 2 yard loss by junior middle linebacker Michael Howman-Williams and senior defensive end Kaleb Lamb. Senior defensive tackle Evan Fisher broke through with penetration on the play to force the ballcarrier to change direction. Wooster took over on downs at their own 29 following the 2 yard tackle for a loss.
Adelman and Seaman Keep the Deficit at 10-0
The Generals threatened to add to their 10-0 lead on two drives prior to halftime. After finding success through the air on their previous drive, Wooster went straight to the passing game on the first play of their next drive. The play resulted in Adelman picking off a deep pass at the Louisville 9 yard line.
The Leopards went three-and-out on offense and then punted out of their own endzone. Williams returned the punt 16 yards to the Louisville 26, giving the Generals great field position once again.
A false start and a holding penalty backed Wooster up to the 40 yard line and they eventually faced a 4th-and-15. Becker was able to complete a 19 yard pass over the middle to Harpster to move the chains down to the LHS 12. Two plays later, Davide blew up another second down play to push the Generals back to the 10 yard line and setup a 3rd-and-8. WHS would settle for a field goal attempt after a reverse on the next play only netted 2 yards.
Wooster burned their final timeout with 2 seconds remaining and lined up for a 23 yard field goal try. Seaman stormed in and blocked the kick to keep the score 10-0 as time expired in the first half.
LHS Opens 2nd Half with 93 Yard Scoring Drive
A holding penalty on the opening second half kickoff set the Leopards back to their own 7 yard line. Louisville then marched 93 yards on 15 plays to cut the Generals lead to 10-7. LHS moved the chains 5 times on the drive, which included 4 third down conversions. On 3rd-and-11 from their own 21, Miller found the reliable Mueller for a 16 yard completion to the 37. The pair connected again for a 3rd-and-10 conversion to the LHS 48 in the next series as well.
The Leopards biggest gain of the night came three plays later. On 3rd-and-2, Miller rolled to his right and hit 6’7 senior wide receiver AJ Lingenhoel who had a step on the coverage. Lingenhoel ran down the right sideline for a 33 yard completion to the Generals 11 yard line.
Louisville again faced 3rd-and-10 two plays later and Miller was able to hit Seaman on an out route to set up 1st-and-goal at the half yard line. Adelman took a direct snap out of the shotgun and plowed through a tackler at the 1 yard line plunging into the endzone for a score. The extra point boot by Myles Lab was up and good to cut the deficit to 10-7 with 8:09 to go in the third.
Momentum Crushing Roughing the Punter
The Leopards had all the momentum. Wooster was able to gain one first down, but the Louisville defense stopped them cold on the next series. Sophomore linebacker Will Ramsey dropped Becker for a 6 yard sack on 3rd-and-6 to setup a 4th-and-12.
The Generals punted, but held on the play and the Leopards took the penalty forcing a re-kick on 4th-and-30 from their own 17. That’s when disaster struck. Louisville aggressively went in for the block and roughed the punter in the process. The result was a 15 yard penalty and an automatic first down.
The penalty gave Wooster new life as they seemingly drove the ball down the field forever eating away the third quarter and into the fourth looking for a knockout score. Counting penalized plays, the Generals snapped the ball 25 times on the drive and marched all the way to the the Leopard 8 yard line. Wooster converted two fourth downs, one the roughing and the other a 13 yard Becker to Williams completion on 4th-and-13. The Generals also converted three other third downs through the air on the drive that milked 9:27 off the clock.
Louisville Takes 1st Lead After 99 Yard Drive
Despite Wooster’s monumental drive, it ended with Adelman recording his second interception of the contest at the Leopard 1 yard line.
Louisville faced a 3rd-and-6 on their first set of downs but were aided by a defensive pass interference call. Miller then hit Seaman for a 13 yard first down completion to the 33 yard line. The Leopards were sacked on a 3rd-and-3 from the 40, but bailed out again by a face mask call that moved the ball to the midfield stripe.
Jobes ran for 9 and a half yards on the next play and Miller rolled right out of bounds to move the chains on the following play. Miller then completed to Mueller for 14 yards to the Wooster 26 two plays later.
The final two plays of the drive were both Miller to Seaman 10 yard receptions. The last one resulted in a touchdown that gave the Leopards their first lead of the season at 14-10 in capping off a 14 play, 99 yard drive.
Louisville Vs. Wooster Football History
With the loss, the Leopards have lost their last three meetings against the Generals. Wooster now leads the all-time series 3-1 overall, which includes a 3-0 record when playing at Louisville.
<<< Previous 2020 | Wooster All-Time Series
UP NEXT: The Leopards will next host the North Canton Hoover Vikings on Friday, September 10 at 7:00 PM.
Schedule Opponents Week 4 Finals
September 3
@Barberton 34, St. Vincent-St. Mary 27, OT
Poland 27, @Howland 14
Mansfield Senior 21, @North Canton Hoover 17
@Lake 14, Akron East 2
North Royalton 21, @Perry 20, OT
@Green 33, Garfield Heights 0
Austintown Fitch@GlenOak, Cancelled Due to COVID-19
@Bedford 34, Alliance 13
September 4
@Linsly 31, Fairmont Senior 22
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Wooster at Louisville Football Game Statistics
Scoring Summary
GENERALS 16, LEOPARDS 14
Team 1-2-3-4–TOTAL
Wooster 3-7-0-6–16
Louisville 0-0-7-7–14
1st Quarter
WOOSTER – Drew Rader 33 Yard Field Goal | LHS 0, WHS 3, 1:43
4 Plays, 14 Yards
2nd Quarter
WOOSTER – Jackson Williams 38 Yard Pass from Drew Becker (Drew Rader Kick) | LHS 0, WHS 10, 6:54
7 Plays, 71 Yards
3rd Quarter
LOUISVILLE – Connor Adelman 1 Yard Run (Myles Lab Kick) | LHS 7, WHS 10, 8:09
15 Plays, 93 Yards
4th Quarter
LOUISVILLE – Zack Seaman 10 Yard Pass from Caleb Miller (Myles Lab) | LHS 14, WHS 10, 4:55
14 Plays, 99 Yards
WOOSTER – Gregory Adams 15 Yard Pass from Drew Becker (Kick Failed) | LHS 14, WHS 16, 1:04
7 Plays, 81 Yards
Records: Wooster 2-1, Louisville 0-3
Team Stats
First Downs
Wooster: 14
Louisville: 16
Rushing
Wooster: 19 Carries for 12 Yards
Louisville: 36 Carries for 82 Yards, TD
Passing
Wooster: 22 of 38 for 282 Yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs
Louisville: 13 of 30 for 165 Yards, TD, 2 INTs
Fumbles/Lost
Wooster: 0/0
Louisville: 1/0
Penalties/Yards
Wooster: 9 for 77 Yards
Louisville: 6 for 48 Yards
3rd Down Conversions
Wooster: 6 of 12
Louisville: 10 of 17
4th Down Conversions:
Wooster: 3/3
Louisville: 0/3
Individual Stats
Rushing
Wooster
Gregory Adams: 9 Carries, 13 Yards
Louisville
Riston Jobes 24 Carries, 80 Yards
Connor Adelman 2 Carries, 3 Yards, TD
Caleb Miller 4 Carries, -3 Yards
Daveion Cruse 4 Carries, -4 Yards
Receiving
Wooster
Jackson Williams 5 Catches, 91 Yards, 1 TD
Gregory Adams: 5 Catches, 56 Yards, TD
Louisville
Zack Seaman 5 Catches, 65 Yards, TD
Chase Mueller 4 Catches, 52 Yards
AJ Lingenhoel 2 Catches, 38 Yards
Brandon Jackson 1 Catch, 9 Yards
Connor Adelman 1 Catch, 1 Yard
Passing
Wooster
Drew Becker 22 of 38 for 282 Yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs
Louisville
Caleb Miller: 12 of 28 for 154 Yards, 2 TD, 2 INTs
Daveion Cruse: 1 of 2 for 11 Yards
