The Louisville High School football team’s run-through sign told all in attendance Friday evening to “Get Ya Popcorn — It’s Gonna Be a Show.”
Louisville delivered on that promise by capitalizing on big plays all night en route to a 54-0 victory against New Hope in the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 4A, Region 4 opener at Trojan Field.
Louisville (6-1, 1-0) racked up 521 yards of total offense — 270 rushing and 251 passing — while its defense allowed less than 150 yards.
“It was pretty much an all-around team effort,” Louisville coach M.C. Miller said. “Offensively we made a living on big plays, and defensively we may not be as big (physically) as we have been in the past, but we’re still aggressive and these kids will definitely hit you.”
Six of Louisville’s eight touchdowns covered 27, 47, 51, 52, 60, and 67 yards.
Adding insult to injury, a pair of so-called “trick plays” figured prominently in the Wildcats’ first and last scores of the first half — a fake punt on their first offensive series that extended a nine-play, 60-yard drive for a touchdown and an old-fashioned hook-and-ladder pass-run play that resulted in a 55-yard score with 23 seconds left in the first quarter.
“They made the big plays, that’s for sure,” said New Hope first-year head coach Wade Tackett, whose team fell to 0-7. “They’re definitely a good team, the standard right now on the field in our area.”
Starting at its 40-yard line after New Hope’s opening kickoff sailed out of bounds and despite four incomplete passes, Louisville scored its first touchdown less than two minutes in on a 12-yard keeper by quarterback Drea Shumaker followed by Claretavious Triplett’s kick. The score was set up by a fake punt that resulted in a 10-yard pickup by Ashanti Cistrunk on a fourth-and 7 play from the Wildcats’ 40.
New Hope quickly mounted its longest drive of the game from its 35 to the Louisville 19, but it missed an opportunity to tie the game when Triplett made an interception at the 5.
Shumaker, who missed six of his first seven passes, hooked up with Alvius Haynes for a 16-yard gainer near midfield. Kevon Jackson then sprinted 51 yards for the touchdown with eight seconds to play in the first quarter. Triplett’s kick gave the visitors a 14-0 lead.
After a three-and-out by New Hope, Shumaker connected on five of his next seven passes, the first two of which covered 14 yards to the New Hope 39. The second went for 37 yards to the Trojan 2 from where Jackson scored. Triplett’s third kick made it 21-0 with 8 minutes, 17 seconds to play in the second period.
Down by three scores, New Hope gambled on its ensuing possession, but Omari Macon and Antrous Glenn stuffed Kobe Matthews on a 2-yard loss on a fourth-and-2 from the Trojans’ 39.
Two plays later, it was a 28-0 game after Shumaker completed a 10-yard pass to Haynes followed by a 27-yard touchdown pass to David Haynes and Triplett added his fourth extra point.
A 19-yard pass completion from New Hope quarterback Ryan Burt to Braylen Miller set the Trojans up at the Louisville 47 on its next possession. But an offensive pass interference call on the Trojans and a 3-yard tackle for loss pushed them back to their 35 and brought on Burt to punt the ball away. His punt was partially blocked, however, and an 11-yard return by Cistrunk gave Louisville field position at the Trojan 37.
After two incomplete passes and a 10-yard mark-off for holding, Shumaker connected with Josiah Goss on a 53-yard screen pass and Triplett added the point after to give Louisville a 35-0 lead with 1:48 left before halftime.
New Hope failed to pick up a first down on its next possession and Burt’s fourth-down punt was returned to the Trojan 20, but a blindside block nullified the return and Louisville took possession at its 45 with 28 seconds left in the half.
Five seconds later, it was a 41-0 game when Shumaker completed a short pass to Niselbyion Kirk, who flipped the ball to Jackson to complete the 55-yard hook-and-ladder play for the score.
Yet another Trojans’ three-and-out on their initial possession of the second half brought Burt on for the punt, which Triplett returned 76 yards for a touchdown. But a second blindside block wiped out the score and pushed Louisville back to its 33.
Undaunted, Jackson streaked 67 yards down the sideline on the next play and Triplett came through with his sixth kick to make it 48-0.
The second half was played with a running clock, which limited New Hope to 14 plays and Louisville to nine. A long drive by both teams ate up most of the clock in the fourth quarter, as Louisville tacked on its eighth touchdown on a 60-yard scoring pass from backup quarterback Jace Hudspeth to Jamar Haynes. New Hope’s drive was stopped at Louisville’s 10 with seconds left to play.
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