Going through an entire regular season without defeat is no easy task but the Louisville Wildcats have done it.
Despite playing a strong non-conference schedule and some competitive Class 4A, Region 3 teams, the Wildcats breezed through most of their schedule on the way to 10-0. The last of it was a final district game against Greenwood in which Louisville rolled 58-0 to close out the undefeated regular season.
For Tyrone Shorter, the goal last Thursday night was to win but it was also for his team to stay as healthy as possible heading into the 4A playoffs. They did just that.
“We came out of the game pretty healthy and this time of year when you have just about everybody back, that’s a plus,” Shorter said. “I thought our guys came out and played really well and we had a chance to see a lot of young guys play. You never know when you’ll need those guys.”
It was the third time this season that the Wildcats had produced 50 or more points in a contest as well as the third time they’ve held a team scoreless. More impressive, the Wildcats have now held six of the 10 teams they’ve played to single digits as they’ve yet to surrender 100 points combined on the year.
Thursday saw LHS make quick work of Greenwood. The Wildcats scored 21 points in the first quarter and another 23 in the second to get a running clock in the final 24 minutes. Starting quarterback Xavier Hunt was 4-for-8 for 72 yards with a touchdown and interception and backup Triston Edwards got to play a large portion of the game.
Freshman running back Korben Sanders led the team with eight carries for 35 yards and scored a touchdown and eighth grader Zaiden Jernigan got to score twice with seven carries for 25 yards. Kamron Triplett had three catches for 41 yards and a touchdown.
Kendon Sanders led the defense with 10 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss and 1.0 sack while Kahlin Macon had two forced fumbles and recovered another as he ran that one back for six points. Ayden Coleman blocked two punts and had an interception in the win.
Special teams had some big plays as well starting with Coleman’s blocked put that set up a Jaylin Jordan touchdown in the first 3 minutes of the ball game. He blocked another one on the following possession and that one was scooped up by Macon and returned for the score to make it 14-0.
A recovered fumble on the ensuing kickoff set up another short touchdown and Hunt would find Triplett for the score to make it 21-0 as the offense was still looking to have a long drive.
In the second quarter, LHS got a chance to put together one of those drives and it was capped off by Jernigan’s two-yard score. Just before the half, Jykevious Goss ran back a punt deep inside Greenwood territory after a defensive stop and Jayllun Hoskins scored from 5 yards away then a safety forced by Dyjaylen Miller made it 44-0 at the half.
The second half saw the bench clear out for LHS. Jernigan scored his second touchdown of the game in the third quarter as the clock rolled and then Sanders got his from 4 yards away late in the fourth quarter to cap it off.
With the regular season complete, the Wildcats finished off a 20th district championship over the course of 40 years. It was the fourth district title in five years for Shorter who is an incredible 23-1 in district play since he arrived at the school in 2019. He’s 58-8 overall.
“When I first came here, I knew the talent of the kids here in Winston County. I know the tradition of this program. It’s us coming in and my mentality of coaching these kids hard and getting the best out of them,” Shorter said. “It feels good to be around kids that want to win and have the attitude that they want to dominate every game. It makes our job easier because of the fight that they have. I enjoy coaching a bunch of young men that are playing for the tradition.”
With one more win, Shorter will already move into third in the history of the school in victories passing Mike Justice and behind MC Miller and Tony Stanford.
To get there, he’ll have to lead the Wildcats to victory at home on Friday night against Itawamba AHS in the first round of the playoffs. The Indians are just 4-7 on the year and don’t match up well against the Wildcats, but Shorter knows better than anyone how quickly a season can end if you overlook a team.
“Itawamba is a well-coached football team. The quarterback is a really good player, and they have some talented skill guys with a big offensive line. Going into the playoffs, I tell our kids that it’s more mental now. The weather is going to change, and you don’t know when it’s going to be cold, rainy or snowy. 90% is mental and we have to be ready to play in the playoffs,” Shorter said.
“My experience of going into this for so many years, you’ve got to be prepared. One bad night can end your season and we have to make sure that we have great practices and know our assignments. It’s win or go home, and we’ve been preaching to them we have to treat every game like it’s our last.”
