Sometimes when you go into a game with an Opponent that is having a tough season, you take for granted that the Game may be lopsided and do not consider how an Opponent may be Improving from Week to Week. Coach Paul Farrah was well aware that the Alliance Aviators would be a very Tough Test especially on the Defensive Side of the Football as our Mighty Leps Clawed and Scratched for Four Quarters in a 26 to 7 Victory over the Alliance Aviators at Mount Union Stadium.

Right from the beginning the Coach Nick Lewis led Defense set the Tempo with holding Alliance to a quick Three and Out. From there, Yards were Hard to come by for our Beloved Leopards. In saying that, our Leopard Faithful got to see just how Athletic our Middle Linebacker #24 Hunter Potts was as "Potter" darted 31 Yards on a Fake Punt putting Louisville in Great Field Position. As I stated earlier, the Alliance Defense was stiff and that gain from Scrimmage proved to be the longest of the first half for our Leopards. In the first Half, Yards were hard to come by so our Boys took advantage of Great Field position and another Interception by Junior CB #15 Jeremy White to set-up a 22 Yard Field Goal by #87 Jaron Lohmeyer to start the Second Quarter. One of the Biggest Plays of the First Half and Game was #5 Joe Stoffer taking a Punt at Midfield 44 Yards to the Alliance Six Yard Line. #5 Stoffer Knifed through Defenders and almost reached Paydirt. Moments Later, Quarterback #16 Chad Neff took a Zone Counter in for a 2 Yard Touchdown as #87 Jaron Lohmeyer nailed the PAT for a 10 to 0 Leopard Lead. On the ensuing Kickoff, #5 Joe Stoffer struck again as he hit a Patented Blast Double(Wrestling Move) at the Aviator 19 Yard Line. With the Dangerous Alliance athleticism putting up a Quick Score, our Offense had to find a Rhythm. With time running out in the First Half, Enter Quarterback #13 Toby Minster. #13 Minster marched our Mighty Leps 49 Yards with some Great Time Management in completing 3 Passes for 32 Yards moving Louisville to the Aviator 22 Yard Line with 2 Seconds Remaining in the Half. On the key Drive, Senior #25 Cody Stocker came up with two key Clutch catches for 32 Yards to keep Drives Alive. As coming to be expected, from the Hold of #13 Toby Minster and Snap of #50 Bobby Gothot, #87 Jaron Lohmeyer was clutch again as #87 Nailed a 40 Yard Field Goal as time expired. Kicking Coach Dustin Nicholas has our Kicking Game in Tip Top Form as Special Teams will prove to be a Key Factor as our Leopards make another Playoff Run.

Before we get to Second Half Action, a Shout Out has to go out to a Few of our Fall Sports that are continuing the Leopard Nation Domination! The Boys and Girls Cross Country Teams swept NBC Championships this past weekend as Curtis Hanle and Nick Fresenko Finished First and Second for the Boys and the Sister Act of Mattie Rankin and Mackenzie Rankin finished an impressive First and Third for the Girls. Best of Luck to our CC Teams as they prepare for District Action. The Young Girls Volleyball Team continue to be Impressive as they celebrated Senior Night for Jessica Lairson with another Victory. This time, The Lady Leps defeated Lake to move their Record to 16 and 5 on the Season. Josh Kwasnicka(Son of TD CLUB PREZZZZ) led our Soccer Team with Two Goals as well as Nick Katich(Wrestler!) and Logan Henkel(One Of Ours!) nailing a Goal each in an impressive 6 to 2 Victory over Lake Center Christian to even our Leps Record at 7-7-2 in the 2009 Season. Finally, Senior Heather Potts leads our Girls Soccer Team into Tournament Action as our Lady Leps take on the Green Bulldogs. Well Done, Fall Sports Teams!!! Now, On To The Second Half Of Action!

With our Leopards holding a 13 to 7 Lead, one area you can always rely on is our Stellar Leps Defense. This past Friday Night, proved No Different! Boy Is Our Defensive Line Impressive. Defensive Coordinator Nick Lewis along with Defensive Line Coach Mike Norris and Defensive End Coach Adam Burris have these Boys Chomping At The Bit. #55 Joe Poyser has been Absolutely Unstoppable all year long. #55 Poyser added Two more Sacks to his Total OF 14 and is creeping up on the Leps School Record of 17 Sacks. Go Get It Poyssssss! #51 Joe Henderson was all over the field with continuous Heat on the Alliance QB and Running Attack. #51 Henderson had a Sack along with Sacks from #36 Billy Kennedy, #61 Zac Whaley, and #49 Mat Wharmby. The Alliance Offense was Scrambling for their Lives the Entire Night. #81 Jake Sluss made his Debut at Defensive End as Sluss alternated with Senior #14 Dan Zavarelli at the other end position up front. As Alliance was Scrambling, this kept our Fine Defensive Backs and Linebackers Scrambling All Night and Our Boys were up for the Challenge. Senior #31 Kyle DeHoff led our DB’s with Great Coverage along with #15 Jeremy White and #44 Mitch Sluss. #44 Sluss has been an Unsung Hero of the Defense as the Safety Position has Tons of Responsibility in the Middle of the Defense. Now, let’s not forget the HEART of this Defense either as Coach Troy Davis has our Linebacking Core Dominating Offenses. #24 Hunter Potts has been Playing All-Ohio Football for our Leps and is Nothing Less than a Monster In The Middle of our Defense with continuous Tackles For Loss and Stifling Hits. Our Two Outside Linebackers, #34 Jake Adkins and #9 Michael Schooley have been the Model of Consistency Week In and Week Out. This unit has been asked to do Different Schemes Each Week and Each Week They have rose to the Occasion as Our Leopard Defense held Alliance Scoreless in the Second Half to ensure the Win!

After another Great Effort from our Defense, it was time for the Coach John DeMarco led Offense to go to work. The Offense came out Throwing a little bit in the Second Half as #16 Chad Neff found #5 Joe Stoffer on a couple First Down completions. The Receiving Core has been doing a Great Job Blocking the past Four Weeks as our Boys continue to put up 20+ Points. Led by Seniors #21 Jared Strasser and #22 Lee Ferguson, #9 Michael Schooley, #15 Jeremy White, and #25 Cody Stocker round out the Receiving Core. #5 Stoffer led the Leps with 4 Catches for 21 Yards as #25 Cody Stocker had Two Catches and #22 Ferguson added One Catch. Keep Battling Receivers! Believe Me, Your Number Will Get Called! Speaking of #16 Neff, the Offense started to find a Rhythm as Our "O" Started to Grind Up Yards. Coach Brian Beatty got a Taste of how Two Sophomores may respond in a Tough Game. Both Super Sophs came up Big in the Second Half. #7 Lucas Poyser continued to Grind Out Yards and Take Big Hits without Flinching. #7 Poyser ended the night with 49 Yards on 13 Carries. Neff again proved to be the Work Horse, as Neff found Paydirt from 25 Yards Out in the Third Quarter to put Our Leps up by Two Scores. This Game would not be complete without mentioning this Next Group! With 9:01 Remaining and the Game In The Balance, Offensive Line Coach Dan Radalia had the Boys Up Front HUNKER DOWN!!! In the Game Sealing Scoring Drive, our Leopards did not Throw One Time, as Captain #50 Bobby Gothot along with Seniors #59 Dan McDonald, #65 Dan Davis, #78 Tyler Radalia, and #73 Joe Neff opened up Holes and Seal Blocked to Perfection. Our Offense along with the Tim Tebow like running of #16 Chad Neff, put the Game out of reach with a 5 Yard TD Run to Seal The Victory. #62 Nick Case also contributed Up Front at Center. The Six Boys Up Front enabled #16 Neff to run for 129 Yards on 32 Carries and Three More Touchdowns for our Beloved Leps.

Well, the Table Is Set! Our Mighty Leopards moved to 8 and 0 and Amazingly Enough Senior Night Is Upon Us! That being said, a More Important Night Is On The Horizon! Last Weeks Win Sets Up An NBC Showdown with the 7 and 1 Marlington Dukes in The VILLE! This contest will determine the 2009 NBC Championship and has Playoff Positioning Implications for Both Teams. Yo Leps, Get This Freakin’ Done! Enough SAID!!!!!

GO LEPS!!!! Beat The DUKES!!!!!

Leopard Nation ’09! Back To Champs!! That Is STATE CHAMPS!!!