Louisville has dominated just about every team in its path over the course of the last eight weeks, but perhaps its toughest opponent was coming in the second round of the Class 4A playoffs last Friday. The Wildcats were welcoming in a Ripley team that had an identical 10-1 record on the season and was coached by legendary Perry Liles. It was slated to be a tough matchup for LHS, but this team is built different in 2022. For the fourthstraight game, LHS completely shut out the opponent, and the offense came through with more big plays on the way to a dominating and impressive 35- 0 win. Coach Tyrone Shorter could sense from his players early in the day that they were going to handle their business at R.E. Hinze Field. “Once those kids came down to the complex at 1:30, I saw in their eyes they were focused and ready to play. They came out from the beginning to the end, and they just dominated,” Shorter said. “They really are starting to play some really good football right now, and we’ve been doing that since the Starkville game. The focus and maturity after last year is impressive.” A 20-point first quarter was enough to take over the ball game for the Wildcats, and the team cruised the rest of the way. Defense put up one of its most dominating performances of the season considering the quality of opponent. Kenneth Hill led the team with nine tackles, and the crew combined for 7.0 tackles for loss with 2.0 of those coming from Gabriel Moore. Hill also had a huge night in the secondary with two interceptions while Jacari Owens got a third for the team. It's continued what’s been as dominant a stretch of defense as has been seen in LHS. The Wildcats have now shut out seven of the 12 opponents this season including four-straight shutouts, and the team has averaged five points a game surrendered during an eightgame winning streak. It’s a school known for its defense led by a coach that prides himself in it. Even with the strong defenses Shorter has coached over the years at Noxubee County and at LHS, this one is up there among the best. “I’ve had some really great defenses over the years, and this defense is up there with some of the best,” Shorter said. “What I like about this defense is no one is selfish. Everyone plays together. It’s a top five defense that I’ve had. These kids continue to work hard and play together, and they want to be better than they were last year.” The defense set the tone early in the game on Friday as Hill picked off a pass and set up a 35-yard touchdown catch and run from Jaden Tripplett for a 6-0 lead. The offense was back on the ground on the next possession as quarterback Keyarrion Jackson took off for a 50-yard score. After another stop on defense, Jackson found Swahili Earby for the 40-yard pass, and it was 20-0 before the first quarter had even come to an end. Kendon Sanders started the second quarter off with a touchdown run of his own to take the 28-0 lead, and that’s where things would stand going into the second half. Sophomore Kamron Tripplett got a touchdown himself in the third when he hauled in a 13-yard pass from Xavier Hunt and began the running clock that would end the game quickly. It was another wellbalanced attack for the offense as Jackson was 7-of-11 for 106 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. Hunt was 5-of-10 for 56 yards and a score of his own. Jackson also ran five times for 79 yards with a score as the Wildcats put up 191 yards on the ground. “Our offensive coaches are doing an amazing job and both quarterbacks are doing a great job. I can’t say enough about the four sophomores and freshman on the offensive line either,” Shorter said. “Right now, we’re playing really good football in all three phases.” Another challenge awaits LHS (11-1) this weekend when the team travels to Caledonia on Friday night. It’s the thirdstraight season that these two teams will meet in the playoffs as the Cavaliers have had a historic rise under Winston Academy graduate Michael Kelly. Two seasons ago, Kelly put a charge in the Wildcats at R.E. Hinze when Caledonia gave the eventual 4A state champs a tough game in the first round. Last year, the team broke through and ended the LHS season at Caledonia with a 27- 7 triumph that punched their ticket to their first-ever North State championship. Shorter’s team knows how dangerous this squad can be, and the 6-6 record doesn’t tell the story of a squad that has won four of five games and just had a 26-0 victory over a solid Clarksdale team. “Coach Kelly and his coaches have done a great job. We played this team the last couple of years, and I told people that they would be scary and here they are,” Shorter said. “They struggled at the beginning of the year, but now they’re playing their best football. What makes them dangerous is they’re wellcoached and play assignment football. They want to slow the ball game down because they know that we want to go fast. It takes us out of our rhythm, but I think our guys will be better prepared.”
