When Deonte Yarbrough went down with an injury in Louisville’s season opener at Navarre (Fla.), the Wildcats turned to then-wide receiver Dre Shumaker to fill in at quarterback.
Shumaker has proven to be a steady hand at the position over the course of the season, and his play has helped Louisville to a No. 2 state-wide ranking in MHSAA Class 4A.
Shumaker again proved his worth Friday as he accounted for three touchdowns to help guide Louisville to a 49-3 win against Forest on a night when Louisville celebrated its homecoming.
“He’s getting better and better,” Louisville coach M.C. Miller said of Shumaker. “When we lost Yarbrough in the first game down in Florida, he struggled against West Point. But now, he’s getting better and better as time goes on… he’s doing great now.”
Shumaker completed six of nine passes for 147 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He added 35 yards rushing and one touchdown on three carries, and he caught one pass for 13 yards.
Playing for the second time in two weeks upon his return from injury, Yarbrough was 3 of 9 for 44 yards passing and one interception. Although Louisville (8-1, 2-0) has thrived with Shumaker under center, Miller said his true talent is at receiver, and he hopes to have both players on the same field at some point this year.
“We have to get to where we can play both of them, so we have both of them doing well,” Miller said. “Shumaker is a good receiver, and he’s our No. 1 receiver when Yarbrough is at quarterback.”
On offense, the Wildcats were about as balanced as they could be, as the team had totals of 191 yards passing and 190 yards rushing.
Louisville got on the scoreboard courtesy of an 8-yard run by Shumaker that gave Louisville a 7-0 lead following Elijah Wilkes’ PAT with 5:27 left in the first quarter.
Shumaker tossed an 18-yard touchdown pass to David Haynes with 1:14 left in the first quarter to extend Louisville’s lead to 14-0 after Wilkes’ extra-point kick.
Claretavious Triplett broke a 60-yard punt return for a touchdown 18 seconds into the second quarter, which Wilkes followed with a successful PAT to send the Wildcats into halftime with a 21-0 lead.
Forest kicker Alejandro Aguilar booted a field goal with 8:59 remaining in the third quarter to trim Louisville’s lead to 21-3.
Alvius Haynes pulled in a 60-yard touchdown reception on a pass from Shumaker with 7:43 left in the third quarter to make the score 28-3 following Wilkes’ PAT.
With 7:23 remaining in the third quarter, Derius Hopkins scooped up a Forest fumble and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown to give Louisville a 35-3 lead after the extra-point kick from Wilkes.
Meyon Sanders rushed for a 45-yard touchdown with 11:09 left in the fourth quarter, and Wildcats backup quarterback Jace Hudspeth ran for a 6-yard score with 6:50 left in the game. Wilkes converted both PATs.
Kristian Hopkins accumulated a team-high 14 tackles, and Derius Hopkins finished with 13 tackles, including one sack. Charles Moore tallied 10 tackles and a half sack. Shemar Eiland recorded an interception, and Omari Macon was credited with a forced fumble.
Alvius Haynes had 76 yards receiving and one touchdown on two receptions, while David Haynes contributed with 60 yards receiving and one touchdown on two receptions.
Triplett led the Wildcats in rushing, as he ran for 51 yards on eight carries. Hudspeth ended with 43 yards rushing and one touchdown on two carries, and Sanders tallied 40 yards rushing and one touchdown on one carry.
Wilkes was 7 of 7 on extra-point attempts.
Louisville travels to Kosciusko (3-5, 2-1) Friday for a contest that pits No. 1 and No. 2 in Region 4-4A. Louisville carries a seven-game win streak into the game.
“I’m expecting it to be a good game because they played Noxubee County in a tough game last week in the first half, and I think that was at Noxubee County, too,” Miller said. “We have to go there, and you know they’re going to play better when they’re at home. So we just have to get over there and get ready to play them and get up early. Because if we don’t, and we play around and hang in there with them, we might be in trouble.”
