Lovejoy takes on Quinlan Thursday 10/16 and Friday 10/17

Freshman Leopards - open week - no game

JV Leopards (6) vs Panthers (8)

Varsity Leopards(44) vs Panthers(34)

Junior Varsity 10-16-08

The Leopards hosted the Quinlan Panthers at Lovejoy Stadium.    Austin Hartter received the first kick off.  Tucker ran the next three balls for a 25 yard gain.  Britt Carmichael punted from the Panther's 35 down to their 7.  Parker Nevil tackled the next receiver at the 4.  An incomplete pass forced the Panthers to punt, which landed at their 30.  Josh Morgan received a pass under intense pressure for a gain of 12 yards.

Early in the second quarter Carmichael intercepted a Panther pass and ran 45 yards for a touchdown.  The Leopard defense really stepped up the pressure.  Sean Gordon, Kevin Thompson, and Walsh minimized the Panther advance.  The Panthers passed from the Lovejoy 30 when Tucker intercepted at the Leopard 1 yard line.  The Leopards were unable to advance the ball and Quinlan extracted a safety, making the score Lovejoy 6 Quinlan 2.

In the third quarter Quinlan received the kick off.  Brandon Henderson, Tucker, Carmichael and Thompson made great tackles.  The Panthers punted.  In the next 11 plays Tucker gained 12 yards, Cameron Seay's fancy footwork gained 8, and a pass completion to Cody Stevens gained 8 yards.  Unfortunately the Panther's intercepted the ball.

The battle intensified in the fourth quarter.  Seay intercepted a Panther pass, only to have a Lovejoy pass intercepted 2 plays later.  Walsh sacked the QB.  The Panthers eventually worked the ball down for a touchdown, making the final score Lovejoy 6 Quinlan 8.

Written by Daris Nevil

The Varsity Leopards Win Shootout 10-17-08

In their most exciting game of the year the Leopards beat the Quinlan Panthers on Friday 44 to 34. Lovejoy used the considerable moxie of receiver Hunter Jarvis the strong running of Blake Martin and opportunistic defensive plays to carry the day over the evenly matched teams. Lovejoy kicked off to start the game and stopped the Quinlan drive when a bad snap was recovered by Chris Rivas. On their first offensive possession the Leopards marched down the field and Blake Martin capped it off with a six yard run touchdown run. The two point conversion attempt was unsuccessful. Matt Kotecki's tackle on 3^rd down forced a Panther punt. Michael Means connected with Jarvis for a first down and a Means run set up a Field Goal attempt by Eddie Puskarich that was unsuccessful. The Panthers then sustained a drive that carried them to Lovejoy's two yard line when Tyler Provence scooped up fumble and raced 98 yards for a dramatic defensive touchdown. After the failed conversion attempt the lead was 12-0. Quinlan came back strong as they would all night. After returning the kickoff to the Lovejoy 34 the Panthers drove in for a touchdown and with the two point conversion, the lead was narrowed to four. Means returned the kickoff to the 49 yard line. Means then connected with Jarvis and Parker Norris twice for first downs and finally to Jarvis for the touchdown. Jarvis would be Means' huckleberry all game long. The Panthers corners simply couldn't handle him. Norris added two points with a conversion leaving the score 20- 8. In spite of strong play on defense by Clark Pitts, the Panthers drove down and scored on a ten yard pass. The two point conversion attempt was broken up by Blake Westback. On the following drive a long run by Means and a reception by Jarvis set up a successful Puskarich field goal. A sack by Andre Smith stopped the Panthers final drive of the half with the score 23-14.

Lovejoy received the kickoff in the second half and advanced the ball with two first down runs by Martin and a first down reception by Jarvis. However a sack by the Panthers stopped the drive. The Panthers drove down the field and scored but the two point conversion was broken up.  The score was 23 - 20. The big men in the harness on the offensive line for Lovejoy pulled the offensive wagon up the field as Lovejoy had six first downs on their next impressive drive before Means plowed in for a short run for a touchdown. The drive included three receptions by Jarvis, an 8-yard reception by Mike Wilson, a tough short yardage run by Martin for a first, and three first down runs by Means.  Puskarich kicked the extra point to extend the lead to ten. The Panthers answered with a touchdown drive that included a long pass and a couple of penalties on the Leopards. With a two point conversion the Lovejoy lead was 30-28 and the game got very interesting. The Leopards went three and out and the Panthers forced a hurried short punt.  With excellent field position the Panthers quickly scored a touchdown and with five minutes remaining, took the lead of 34-30 while all the fans were on their feet. Means returned the kickoff but Lovejoy was stymied when a 25-yard run by Martin was called back because of holding, followed by a sack, that had Lovejoy third and 18. Things looked very bleak. However, once again Means found Jarvis for a 35-yard first down strike up the left side of the field and the Leopards were in business. In fitting fashion Means connected with Jarvis for the touchdown on a 67-yard touchdown reception. The Puskarich extra point put the Lovejoy lead at 37-34. There was still work to be done though as Quinlan had 2:15 left on the clock. Dalton McFarling brought pressure as he successfully blitzed from the right edge on consecutive plays to hurry the Panther QB. However, in an amazing one handed catch, up the middle by a Quinlan receiver the Panthers appeared in position and had the momentum to take the score and the lead. A fumble recovery by Carson Cooper on the very next play saved the day and turned the ball back over to the offense. In a desperate attempt to get the ball back, the Panthers sent everyone across the line on defense and Martin made them pay as he shot up the middle of the field for an 75 yard touchdown run to preserve the Lovejoy win and leave the final score at 44-34. Matt Kotecki wrapped things up with an interception on the Panthers final drive.

Blake Martin had 25 carries for 202 yards and two touchdowns.  Hunter Jarvis had 12 catches for 189 yards and two touchdowns.  Michael Means had 20 carries for 95 yards rushing and completed 18of 22 passes for 273 yards and two touchdowns.

The win moves the Leopards to 1-1 in District 13-3A play and keeps them in playoff contention. Next week Lovejoy takes on Princeton at Lovejoy Stadium.

Written by Keith Wright

All Photos provided are compliments of Mark Tuck