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Proving Growl: Leopards atop 13-4A after upending Sherman
BY Matt Welch, mwelch@starlocalnews.com
Consider the District 13-4A Championship officially within reach for the Lovejoy football team.
With only two district unbeatens remaining prior to Friday night's kickoff between Lovejoy and Sherman, the Leopards (8-0, 5-0) now sits alone atop that throne after turning away the Bearcats (6-2, 4-1), 35-27.
"It was a big for us," said Matt Green, Lovejoy head coach. "Sherman is a good football team and they've had a lot of success at the (Class) 4A level. For our team to beat a team like Sherman is big for our kids and we got a lot of confidence out of it."
Despite posting 532 yards of offense, Sherman came away empty-handed on its final two drives -- most notably failing to answer Saffle's score after quarterback Dru Smith was picked off by Lovejoy junior Nicholas Larsen to abruptly end the Bearcats' ensuing possession. The Leopards required just one play to capitalize on Larsen's takeaway as freshman Bowman Sells connected with junior Justice Luce for a 43-yard touchdown that rounded out Lovejoy's scoring ledger at 35-27 with 4:56 remaining.
Sherman's potential game-tying drive stalled in the Lovejoy red zone, after a fourth-and-5 completion from Smith to J.T. Luper covered just 4 yards.
"I feel like we wore them down and got them tired," Green said. "As I reviewed the film and looked things over, you could tell their kids were tired. Our kids played really hard and executed when they had to."
Among those was Luce, whose 43-yard score was complemented by a 42-yard touchdown late in the third quarter to knot the count at 21-21. Luce led the Leopards with 118 receiving yards and two touchdowns on just three catches.
"[Luce] ran some great routes," Green said. "He did a great job of getting open on those touchdowns. We play-actioned on those and their defense really sold out to the run, so we were fortunate they committed to stopping the run and [Luce] was wide open."
Those high-yardage completions were par for the course for Sells, who threw for 270 yards, three touchdowns and one interception on just 10 completions.
Sherman had some big plays of its own Friday, especially in the early going when the Leopards were tasked with overcoming a 14-0 deficit one minute into the second quarter. The Bearcats snagged that lead courtesy of a 92-yard touchdown catch by Joseph Harvey and an 8-yard run by Tre Mask.
Sherman would outgain Lovejoy, 532-365, in the setback.
"I think the yardage is a little bit misleading because we only gave up 27 points," Green said. "That's ultimately what matters most ... Giving up 27 points to Sherman is a pretty good night for our defense."
The Leopards countered with two touchdowns from junior Daniel Sefcik on a 3-yard run and 34-yard reception to tie the action at 14-14 with 7:35 left in the third.
Lovejoy outscored the Bearcats, 21-13, the rest of the way.
"I don't think any one win over an opponent is a statement win," Green said, "but I do think what this does is validate in our kids' minds that we can play with anybody when we play good football."
The win put Lovejoy in sole possession of first place in 13-4A, while the Bearcats now share second place with Wylie East at 4-1. The Leopards will get their crack at East on Nov. 9, but not before a 7:30 p.m. kickoff Friday at Royse City.
"[Royse City] isn't going to give up and that's a tribute to their kids and coaches," Green said. "Our kids know Royse City is a very viable threat this Friday night. We don't want to lose a game in district and the only game we can control is that one."
For continued news and coverage on the local sports scene, follow @MWelchSCN on Twitter.
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