Dominant, efficient first quarters are facets of the game Louisville coach M.C. Miller has stressed to his players all year.
Even he had to be pleased with Louisville’s start Friday.
The Wildcats used a 21-point first quarter to close out the regular season with a 43-0 win against Leake Central. The shutout was the fourth by Louisville’s defense this year.
“They came out, offense and defense, and did a good job right off the bat,” Miller said. “They didn’t play as hard as they could have played, but they played good right off the bat – both of them.”
Louisville, which is on a nine-game win streak, clinched the Region 4-4A crown and enters the postseason as the No. 1 seed. The Wildcats host Byhalia Friday in the first round.
Louisville (10-1, 4-0 Region 4-4A) quarterback Deonte Yarbrough appeared to be back to near full speed. He completed three of seven passes for 84 yards with one touchdown, and he added 25 yards rushing and one touchdown on five carries.
“He’s coming along better,” Miller said. “That’s why we’re playing him a lot now, to get him ready for the playoffs. The more we play him at quarterback, the more he’s getting back into things, and that’s what we’re trying to do, getting him back ready.”
Wildcat backup quarterback Camden Sanders was 5 of 8 passing with 68 yards and two touchdowns.
Menyon Sanders tallied a team-high 52 yards on six carries. Drea Shumaker returned to his natural position at receiver and posted a team-high 47 yards receiving and one touchdown on two catches. David Haynes pulled in one catch for 45 yards and one touchdown. Eleven Louisville receivers accumulated catches.
Defensively, Louisville forced three Leake Central turnovers. Derius Hopkins had a fumble return for a touchdown and AJ Hardin recovered a fumble. TJ Graham recorded an interception.
Laquarrious Taylor tallied six tackles, while Charles Moore had five total tackles, including one for a loss. Jy’Kevious Hibbler had three total tackles, including a sack.
The Wildcats set the tone and flow of the game early.
With 8:57 remaining in the first quarter, Hopkins pulled the football from a Leake Central ball carrier and returned it 72 yards for a touchdown to give the Wildcats a 7-0 lead after the PAT by Elijah Wilkes.
Yarbrough threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Haynes with 2:15 left in the first quarter, and Wilkes kicked the PAT to extend Louisville’s lead to 14-0.
For the first time this season, Yarbrough connected with Shumaker for a 25-yard touchdown with 30 seconds left in the first quarter. Wilkes’ PAT gave the Wildcats a 21-0 advantage.
A Leake Central punt went into the end zone and the Louisville defense recovered the football for a safety with 11:47 left in the second quarter.
Yarbrough flashed his speed when he dashed 23 yards for a touchdown with 10:47 left in the second quarter. The extra-point attempt was no good, but Louisville extended its lead to 29-0.
The Wildcats went to their bench in the second half to give their starters a bit of a respite before the playoffs.
Sanders tossed a 6-yard touchdown to Kirk with 4:47 remaining in the third quarter to give Louisville a 36-0 lead following Wilkes’ PAT.
With 2:25 left to play, Terrance Luckett hauled in a 5-yard touchdown pass from Sanders. Wilkes’ PAT rounded out the night’s scoring at 43-0.
Byhalia (6-5, 2-3 Region 1-4A) enters the playoffs on a two-game win streak and defeated Tishomingo County 33-0 last week. The Indians have outscored their opponents 68-10 during the two-week span. Miller said his team is taking the playoffs on a week-by-week basis, and it surely isn’t taking any opponent lightly.
“We have to play a team one game at a time,” Miller said. “Byhalia is coming in as the No. 4 team… We have to get ready to play them like we’re supposed to. We have to play them hard… we can’t let them get their momentum going. This is the playoffs; all the weak are at home. Anybody can beat you on a given night.”
