Posts Tagged "Leopards"

The Ravens now have a 2-1 record while Louisville dropped to 1-2.

At the delay, the Ravens had just scored 14 unanswered points to take a 17-6 lead with 1:01 left in the third period. Before the period was over, Ravenna had 28 unanswered points.

D.J. Jones, Ravenna’s star running back, had 158 yards rushing in 24 carries. Quarterbqack Brandon Holt added 142 yards rushing and completed 6-of-13 for 80 yards, with 6-foot-5 junior Jermaine Justice hauling in four catches for 75 yards.

The delay forced the teams to sit for two hours. At 10:40, Louisville had a first-and-10 at the Ravenna 31 with 1:07 left in the third period. Ravenna held Louisville on downs, taking over on the 35.

On second down, Holt went into the shotgun with an empty backfield. He ran a sprint draw, covering the distance for a TD to push the Ravens’ lead to 24-6.

On the ensuing possession, Dylan Fox intercepted a pass and returned it to the 6. Holt added his third TD to move the score to 31-6.

Ravenna opened the second half with a vengeance. Gaining possession at the 35 after the kickoff was out-of-bounds, Ravenna used eight plays to march for the go-ahead touchdown.

With Jones ripping off gains of 16 and seven yards, plus a seven-yard pass from Holt to Justice, Ravenna had the ball at the 26. Justice followed with a hook-and-go, and was held while trying to break open as Holt tossed the ball deep, causing Louisville to be called for pass interference.

Holt executed a fake to Jones and out-sprinted the Louisville defense to the left side of the end zone. Mark Van Hoose made the PAT for the 10-6 lead.

Ravenna force Louisville to punt six plays later.

This time the Ravens kept the ball on the ground. Six plays later, Jones bounced to the right, cut back to the middle and outraced the defense for a 44-yard score and a 17-6 lead.

Louisville responded by going to the air and moved the ball to the Ravenna 32 when lightning caused a 30-minute delay with 1:07 left in the third period.

The Ravens struck first after a fumble on first down by Louisville was recovered by Ravenna’s Auston Reaser at the Louisville 27. Eight plays later after moving the ball to the 5, Van Hoose made a 22-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.

Louisville marched down to the Ravenna 10, but turned the ball over on downs as the Leopards were without the services of star running back Lucas Poyser, who was injured on the first play of the game.

Ravenna marched out of the hole to the Louisville 37, where a decision was made to attempt a fourth-down conversion on a fourth-and-10 situation. The effort failed on a trick play, and the Leopards had decent field position at the 37.

Louisville quarterback Chad Neff gained 24 yards on the first play, then completed a 14-yard pass to Trent Ohman. Another completion to Gavin Lovejoy put the ball on the Ravens 3, and three plays later Ohman burst over for a touchdown.

The PAT failed but Louisville led 6-3 with 5:40 left in the second period.

Original article can be found at: http://recordpub.com/news/sports_article/5093947

Ravenna senior quarterback Brandon Holt ran for 152 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Ravens over Louisville.

RAVENNA 31, LOUISVILLE 6.At Ravenna, after trailing 6-0 at halftime and enduring a lengthy rain delay, the Ravenna Ravens found a way to blow out the Louisville Leopards.Ravenna (2-1) erupted for 28 fourth-quarter points as they head into conference play.

Quarterback Brandon Holt led the way. The senior scored touchdowns on runs of 13, 65 and 6 yards, all in the third quarter. Superstar tailback D.J. Jones added a 44-yard touchdown run in the quarter to put the game well out of reach.

Holt carried the ball 16 times for 152 yards, while Jones gained 151 on 25 attempts.

Ravenna senior wide receiver Jermaine Justice had four receptions for 75 yards.

Louisville’s only score came on a 2-yard run by Trent Ohman in the second quarter. Ravenna blocked the extra-point attempt.

The Ravens play at Crestwood on Sept. 16.

Original article can be found at: http://sportsink.com/259/3904/kent-roosevelt-ravenna-football-teams-roll-to-victory/Default.aspx

The Ravenna Ravens lost to Mentor Lake Catholic, 21-14 on Saturday night in front of a rowdy crowd at Mentor’s Jerome Osborne Stadium and it was one tough play that sealed the defending Metro Division champions’ fate.

Tied 14-14 and with the ball on the Mentor 44-yard line, Ravenna senior quarterback Brandon Holt dropped back to pass with 3:38 to go in regulation. On a third-and-7 play, Holt was pressured as he released and his pass was intercepted by Lake Catholic’s Aaron Phillips, who took the ball back to the Ravenna 34-yard line.

Two plays later, Lake Catholic cashed in when junior quarterback Mark Baniewicz hooked up with Zach Hawkins for a 32-yard touchdown pass to lift the Cougars back into the lead at 21-14 — and the game’s eventual final score.

“We’ll have to go back and watch the film on that play because it looked like a blitz came,” Ravenna coach Jim Lunardi said. “We talked about a run on third-and-7 and then we might be able to get a few yards and maybe a few more (on fourth). Obviously, that’s the call now.”

Ravenna got into position to win the game when they pulled even at 14-14 with 7:28 left in the fourth quarter. On third down at the Lake Catholic 11, Holt hooked up with senior Matt Thomas for a touchdown pass. The score capped off a 10-play drive that started at the Ravens’ own 12-yard line.

Lake Catholic got on the board first, scoring after a 14-play drive that began at its own 13-yard line. seniors Evan Gormley and Lou Vettel split the carries as Lake Catholic only took to the air twice during the drive.

Unfortunately for Ravenna, both passes were big ones as Baniewicz found Phillips for 32 yards and Kyle Schinke for 10 more to extend the drive. With 30 seconds remaining in the first quarter , 6-foot-3, 230-pound John Stepec pounded it it from the 1-yard line to give the Cougars an early 7-0 lead.

Baniewicz had an effective night under center for the Cougars, finishing 8-for-14 for 104 yards and one score. Baniewicz also led Lake Catholic on the ground, rushing for 71 yards as part of a 223-yard team rushing effort.

Ravenna answered back midway through the second quarter when Holt hooked up with junior receiver Jermaine Justice for a 36-yard pitch and catch. Faking a handoff to senior running back D.J. Jones, Holt looked to the Ravenna sideline, where he found a streaking Justice with a step on his man.

The score capped off a six-play, 65-yard drive that began at the Ravenna 35. Holt’s touchdown pass was set up by five straight handoffs to Jones, who went up against a stout Lake Catholic defensive line.

Jones finished the evening with 134 yards on 27 carries after nearly reaching the 300-yard plateau in Week 1.

“D.J. is our horse, and we go to him,” Lunardi. “We didn’t rush Brandon as much because we wanted him to throw the ball. There was a few forced passes, but we felt pretty good about the way (Holt) passed tonight.”

While Holt was not a big part of the team’s running game, he did have a nice night through the air, completing 8-of-19 for 135 yards and two TDs.

Lake Catholic took the lead back with 1:55 left in the second quarter when Gormley burst into the endzone from three yards out. Gormley’s score capped off another long drive — this time a 10-play effort that began at the Ravenna 36 — to give his team a 14-7 lead.

Ravenna had a shot before the half to tie things up, moving the ball 51 yards down to the Mentor 24 in under a minute. Holt hooked up with Thomas three times for 25 yards to facilitate a drive that ultimately ended on a turnover on downs after three straight incomplete passes.

The Ravens will host Louisville on Friday. The Leopards will come into Ravenna after dominating North Canton Hoover in Week 2 by a final score of 50-7.

“It doesn’t get any easier, because we have another contender in Louisville next week,” Lunardi said. “But that’s what you want to do. You want to schedule tough teams like this because this is how you get ready for the playoffs, if we’re fortunate to be in that position.”

Original article can be found at: http://recordpub.com/news/sports_article/5091278

On Friday night at the inaugural game at the new Louisville Leopard Stadium, a capacity crowd of close to 6,000 screaming fans saw the previously winless Leopards (1-2) pull out a 37-34 victory over Ravenna (1-2) when Jaron Lohmeyer kicked a 25-yard field goal with 13 seconds left in the game.

In the first week of the season, Tallmadge eked out a 29-28 victory over the Ravens by scoring a touchdown with 30 seconds left in the game and adding the 2-point conversion for the win.

Last week, Ravenna had to turn back a potential game-tying drive by Streetsboro at the Ravens 5-yard line to take a 14-7 victory.

The loss to Louisville was a bitter pill to swallow, as the Ravens missed a 23-yard field goal with 1:45 left in the game. The Ravenna bench thought the kick was good, but the back judge ruled the ball was wide right. Had it been good, the Ravens would have led 37-34.

“I thought that our kids played their butts off,” said Ravenna coach Jim Lunardi. “I just can’t comment on anything else.”

Looking back at the game, it was the special teams that caused the Ravens the most trouble. A fumble, a botched snap on an extra point and a missed field goal were opportunities that went by the wayside. Then on defense, allowing Louisville to score a 2-point conversion to tie the game at 34-34 put added pressure on the Ravens.

A fumble on the opening kickoff by Ravenna gave Louisville the ball at the Ravens 25. Two plays and 36 seconds later, the Leopards scored on a 24-yard pass from Chad Neff to Mitch Sluss. Lohmeyer kicked the PAT for a 7-0 lead.

Ravenna bounced back with a six-play drive. Stephen Wilmington scored on a 21-yard run, and Trevor Stankavich kicked the PAT to tie the score at 7-7.

With Neff ripping off big gains, the Ravenna secondary became a victim to a 37-yard pass reception for a TD from Neff to Sluss. The PAT failed, and Louisville led 13-7.

Wilmington put the Ravens in good field position on the ensuing kickoff with a 37-yard return to the Louisville 44. Nine plays later, quarterback Brandon Holt scored from the 1 and Stankavich split the uprights on the PAT for a 14-13 Ravenna lead.

The scoring onslaught continued in the second period.

Louisville put together a long 78-yard drive, with Lucas Poyser running in from the 5. A 2-point conversion failed, but the Leopards still led 19-14.

D.J. Jones countered with a 63-yard touchdown run for Ravenna. Jones, who would end up with 221 yards rushing on 17 carries, then ran in a 2-point conversion for a 22-19 Ravens lead.

Then Wilmington took in a 9-yard TD pass from Matt Thomas on a fake field goal that caught the Leopards flatfooted. However, a botched snap led to a failed PAT as Ravenna led 28-19.

Louisville produced the last score of the half when Dillon Stertzbach caught a 14-yard scoring pass from Poyser. Lohmeyer’s PAT cut the lead to 28-26.

Wilmington scored early in the third period on a 12-yard scamper to increase the margin to 34-26.

After an interception by both teams, Louisville settled down and tallied on a 24-yard pass play from Neff to Jeremy White. Neff faked a pass and ran in for the 2-point conversion to tie the game at 34-34.

Ravenna amassed 295 yards on the ground and 54 yards through the air, while Louisville had 184 yards rushing and passed for 130 yards.

Original article can be found at: http://recordpub.com/news/sports_article/4892870

Ravenna received the opening kickoff and promptly fumbled the ball, but kept possession on its own 3-yard line. It was a preamble to the rest of the first half as the Ravens trailed 16-0 at the intermission.

The game was eventually called because of lightning with 1:11 left on the clock, and the Panthers went home with a 28-0 victory. It was a joyous occasion for the 1,500 fans that followed perennial state power Louisville 22 miles to Ravenna.

On the Ravens side of the field, parking was not a problem as anticipated by school officials as only approximately 300 fans showed up to cheer the ’09 edition of the Ravens.

“We schedule Ravenna because they are a quality opponent,” said Louisville coach Paul Farrah. “They have a number of good athletes and they will win most of their remaining games. We’re going to continue to play them in the future.”

For Ravenna coach Jim Lunardi, the loss will be used as a learning experience.

“We lost a lot of lettermen to graduation, and it showed,” said Lunardi. “But we’re not going to use that as an excuse. We have to change some things to improve. We’re going to watch film, make adjustments and prepare for Streetsboro (next Friday).”

Two glaring errors that the Ravens made were bad snaps from the center. One resulted in a safety, and the other gave Louisville the ball on the Ravenna 17 after the snap sailed over the Ravens punter’s head.

The first half was especially tough for Ravenna, as the offense was held to 28 yards while the team was assessed 50 yards in penalties. Things didn’t improve much in the second half, as the Ravens finished the game with 24 yards rushing and 44 yards passing.

Louisville’s defense was stifling. The Leopards played a 5-2, and their linemen controlled the line of scrimmage.

“We played the defense almost perfectly,” said Farrah. “We didn’t give their good backs any room to cut back. As a result we had good field position for most of the game.”

On offense, the Leopards had an ace in quarterback Bobby Swigert, who gave a great impersonation of Michael Vick. Swigert would fade back to pass, scramble for a while, then find a hole in the defense for a gain. He rushed for 64 yards on 13 carries and completed 11-of-20 passes for 151 yards.

“We had some great catches tonight,” said Farrah. “We had been struggling in the preseason.”

Louisville’s first score came on a 3-yard run by running back Preston Massey with 40 seconds to go in the first period. Then in the second period, Jaron Lohmeyer added a 33-yard field goal.

Then as the first half ended, Swigert hit Joe Stoffer on an 8-yard pass to give the Leopards a 16-0 halftime lead.

Lohmeyer added a 30-yard field goal in the third period, Massey scored another touchdown in the fourth period, and Matt Wharmby tackled Ravenna quarterback Josh Chechak in the end zone for a safety.

“Louisville is a good football team,” said Lunardi. “We feel that if we want to play like the good teams, we have to play them and not fill our schedule with weak teams.”

•••

Don Dreger can be contacted at ddreger@recordpub.com

Original Article can be found at: http://recordpub.com/news/sports_article/4657514

Seaman completed 21 of 31 passes for 230 yards.  Mathie had nine receptions for 134 yards.

The tandem hooked up on scores of 25, 23 and 20 yards.  Louisville senior Dane Mathie rushed for a 35-yard touchdown and had 135 total yards on 26 carries.

The Leopards led 14-0 at halftime, but the Ravens closed the deficit to 21-15 heading into the fourth quarter.

Seaman and seniors Bryan Kuhn and Marcus Samblanet each had an interception for Louisville.

Ravenna Senior Blayre Davis rushed for one touchdown.  He was limited to 29 yards on 11 carries. He had 71 receiving yards on four catches.

Expect the gloss to come off the win, though, sometime this morning.

“We’re happy until we get to look at the film,” Louisville head coach Paul Farrah said.

Carrying unbelievably high expectations into the high school football season, the Leopards looked the part of state title contender — at times. But at other times they also looked like a team playing its first game of the season.

“We’re going to get better,” Farrah said. “We’ve got to get better. But that’s a good team, and I’m glad we got out with a ‘W.’ ”

Ravenna, a Division II playoff team a year ago, has size and speed, making the Ravens a tough opener. But to get where they want to go this season, the Leopards know tougher tests are in store for them.

Coming off last year’s trip to the Division II state finals, Louisville returns a loaded offense, which looked the part — at times. But the Leopards also struggled to finish drives. They needed a Neal Seaman to Brandon Mathie touchdown pass, their third TD hookup, to ice the win with 37 seconds left.

Louisville dominated the stat sheet, outgaining Ravenna, 435-227. Farrah only could shake his head at scoring just 29 points on 81 plays.

“When you run that many plays, you’ve got to score more than we did,” he said. “Too many turnovers. We missed the one field goal. We’ve got to get the ball into the end zone.”

The Leopards had no trouble moving the ball, amassing 26 first downs. Seaman passed for 230 yards, going 21-for-31. Mathie caught nine passes for 134 yards. Bobby Swigert added 81 yards rushing and receiving. Dane Mathie, Brandon’s cousin, rushed for 135 yards on 26 carries.

Defensively, the Leopards were their usual aggressive, hard-hitting selves. What’s new, though, is most of the starting unit, especially up front.

“They were real active and got to the quarterback really well,” Farrah said of the defensive front.

Louisville briefly knocked Ravenna quarterback Zach Thomas from the game. The Leopards also came up with four turnovers.

But they also got burned on a couple of pass plays. That enabled Ravenna to erase a 21-0 third-quarter lead and get to within 21-15 by the end of the third.

“We figured things out there and started playing,” Ravenna head coach Jim Lunardi said.

Two Seaman-to-Mathie TD passes gave Louisville a 14-0 lead at the half. Both scores came after Ravenna turnovers, including an interception by Louisville defensive tackle Bryan Kuhn at his own 5 late in the first quarter.

That pick triggered a quarter-plus stretch where the Leopards outgained the Ravens, 212-15.

Dane Mathie increased Louisville’s lead to 21-0 with a 35-yard TD run on a fourth-and-3. He took a pitch around left end, got a block from Swigert, eluded two defenders and was gone down the sideline.

“He gives us breakaway speed and the (ability to) cutback,” Farrah said.

But two Louisville turnovers, some costly penalties, a missed field goal and few defensive breakdowns allowed Ravenna to rally. It also reminded the Leopards they have work to do.

From the opposite sideline, though, Lunardi, knows Louisville will be a handful.

“They’re a great football team,” Lunardi said. “They’re a veteran team. … I see them going a long way.”

Louisville looks the part on opening night Pegged as title contenders, Leopards stumble at times but get a win
Friday, August 22, 2008
BY CHRIS BEAVEN
chris.beaven@cantonrep.com
http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=427208&Category=17&subCategoryID=29

Despite a valiant effort from a young defense, the Leopards’ vaunted spread attack and veteran leaders eventually proved too much to handle as defending Division II state runner-up Louisville earned a 29-15 victory over the Ravens.

Leopards starting quarterback Neal Seaman threw for 242 yards and three scores, all of which found their way to wide receiver Brandon Mathie. In addition to his three scores, Mathie recorded 134 yards on nine grabs.

Senior running back Dane Mathie provided the ground game for the Leopards, rushing for 126 yards on 25 carries and a score.

“Louisville is a veteran team that knows how to work its gameplan,” Lunardi said. “They’ve got the timing down offensively, and I see them going a long way this year.”

The contest got off to an inauspicious start for the Ravens as their first two drives resulted in turnovers, including a Jamiran Mack fumble on first down off a Zach Thomas screen pass that put the Leopards in great field position at the Ravens 25-yard line.

It did not take long for the Louisville offense to capitalize on Ravenna’s misfortune, putting together a three-play, 25-yard drive that culminated in a touchdown pass in the back of the end zone from Seaman to Mathie with 7:41 remaining in the first quarter.

Ravenna seemed to get on track on the next possession, when running back Blayre Davis took a handoff, planted his feet and bombed a 51-yard pass to Mack to set the Ravens up with first down at the Louisville 10-yard line.

The smiles from the Ravenna faithful would quickly turn to frowns, however, as Thomas was picked off two plays later on an ill-advised throw into the middle of the Louisville line.

The Leopards would again capitalize on Ravenna’s turnover, putting together a 13-play, 83-yard drive that ended in another Seaman-to-Mathie touchdown pass that gave the Leopards a 14-0 halftime lead.

After beginning the third quarter with another scoring drive, this time ending on a 35-yard rushing touchdown by Dane Mathie, the Leopards seemingly had the game in control with a commanding 21-0 lead.

The Ravens bounced back, however, putting together a six-play scoring drive of their own, highlighted by a 42-yard bomb from Thomas to Davis that brought Ravenna to the Louisville 7. Ravenna stuck to its ground game this time, with Davis pounding the ball in from the 1 three plays later for the score. A successful 2-point conversion brought the Louisville lead down to 21-8 with 5:58 remaining in the quarter.

Ravenna’s defense stiffened, forcing a turnover on downs on Louisville’s next possession. However, that excitement would be momentarily halted as a hard sack on Ravenna’s first offensive snap forced Thomas to the sidelines with an apparent wrist injury.

Thomas’s replacement, sophomore Josh Chechak, entered the game and calmly led the Ravens down the field on three plays before cashing in on a 25-yard touchdown pass to Mack to cut Louisville’s lead down to 21-15 with 1:48 remaining.

Mack was the lone offensive weapon on the night for Ravenna, catching three balls for 78 yards and a score.

Although Ravenna clearly had taken control of the momentum, Louisville kept its head and ate into a large chunk of time during the resulting 12-play drive — converting on three third-down attempts.

While the drive ultimately ended in a Louisville fumble, Ravenna proved unable to find the one final big play it needed to take the lead.

Louisville sealed the contest with 37 seconds remaining on another Seaman-to-Mathie score. A successful 2-point conversion attempt extended the lead to 29-15.

Following the contest, Lunardi expressed his appreciation with the effort his team put forth against an experienced and tested opponent.

“I’m proud of my guys because they fought hard tonight,” Lunardi said. “The final score said 29-15, but there’s a lob ball here and a lob ball there and that made for a much different end result.”

Original Article can be read at: http://www.recordpub.com/news/sports_article/4278311
By Colin Harris
Record-Courier staff writer

Only the Field Falcons and Norton Panthers completed Week 1 with victories, while the other six teams all were dealt defeats in non-division matchups.

Week 2 again includes a schedule of non-divisional games, and the same for Week 3 before division play begins on September 14.

*

In Week 1 those expectations became reality in a dominating 42-6 victory over the Waterloo Vikings.

Senior tailback Seth Koosed highlighted the night for the Falcons by rushing for 226 yards on only 17 carries for an impressive 13.3 yards-per-carry average.

Koosed scored on touchdown runs of 2 and 60 yards, while also catching a 29-yard touchdown pass from fellow senior quarterback Nathan Clark.

Clark also found senior Ronnie Adkins for a 17-yard second-quarter touchdown as the Falcons built a 21-0 lead by halftime.

Newcomer Anthony Palumbo, a senior, also got in on the action when he scored on a 1-yard run in the third quarter.

Palumbo, a Brimfield resident, had previously attended St. Thomas Aquinas for his first three years of high school before enrolling at Field for the 2007-08 school year.

*

FEATHERS RUFFLED — Opening night for the Ravenna Ravens last Friday against Louisville turned sour by halftime as Ravenna found itself in a 28-7 hole against the Leopards.

The Ravens remained composed and were able to mount a comeback by outscoring Louisville 21-7 in the final two quarters, but it was not enough to walk away with a victory.

Senior quarterback Brandon Pesicek injured a finger on his non-throwing hand, but never missed any game action.

Following the game, Ravenna head coach Jim Lunardi said it was difficult to say Pesicek’s finger was broken for sure, but that the injury did create quite a bit of swelling.

Pesicek finished the game 13-of-25 passing for 235 yards, along with touchdown passes of 5 yards to Mike Petrone and 4 yards to Bobby Clemente.

The Ravens scored another touchdown through the air when senior Johnathan Davis stepped into the quarterback role and sent a 44-yard pass to Blayne Boykin in the fourth quarter.

With all the success within the passing game for Ravenna, the opposite could be said about the team’s rushing attack.

With a backfield that includes three talented runners in senior Johnathan Davis, senior Roy Davis and junior Blayre Davis, the Ravens ran for minus-14 yards on 23 carries.

In Ravenna’s defense, the Louisville defense may be the best they will see all season long.

*

FRIDAY NIGHT FOCUS — With the start of divisional contests still two weeks away, real rivalries that will determine title runs are on hold.

In the meantime, two Metro Division schools will play the host in a pair of interesting matchups.

Manchester at Field — The Falcons are looking to continue their success from a week ago against one of the most respected programs in the area. For Field, it could be a great measuring stick and a chance to build confidence.

Streetsboro at Ravenna — The only game on the slate that features two Portage County teams doing battle. Both teams are looking to rebound from Week 1 losses, while both teams feature talented backfields.

For Streetsboro, the decision to move junior Cory Lanterman to the running back position provides a big-play threat with each Lanterman carry.