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Leopards Plunder the Pirates on Homecoming, 47-21
BY Matthew Costa, Staff Writer
LUCAS -- The start of Lovejoy's (4-0, 1-0 in District 13-4A) quest for a district title took a few strange bounces during Friday's Homecoming matchup versus Wylie (0-4, 0-1), but ultimately went in the home team's favor, 47-21.
"They did a great job tonight," said Matt Green, Lovejoy head coach. "Tonight, not one player took a play off."
The Leopards used a strong first half and 24-7 lead to capitalize on the Pirates, and stopped any momentum from being gained at the start of the third quarter.
Saffle was not the starting quarterback on the evening, but contributed heavily in his role as he rushed three times, passed once and scored four touchdowns. The senior also added 101 yards on punt returns, showing his versatility on special teams.
"We're told to come out on every play and try to score," Saffle said. "Our tempo is very fast and that just means we're out-working people."
A comeback may have been too far out of reach, but Wylie still attempted to force its way back into the game by returning the following kickoff 105 yards for its second touchdown in the game. T'Kevian Rockwell's decision to take the ball out from deep within his end zone seemed unwise at first, but cut the Leopards' lead to 30-13.
Momentum was up for grabs as the fans were still in awe of the lengthy touchdown return.
What they didn't expect was to see their Leopards return the favor on the next play as senior wide receiver Cullen Greene answered the call and scored the third touchdown in under a minute. Greene took any hope from the Pirates on an 84-yard kickoff return to put his team back in front, 36-13.
"We told our kids it was 0-0 (at halftime)," Green said. "They came out and hit them in the mouth."
From that point on, Lovejoy controlled the clock with a powerful running game that featured two backs that went over the 100-yard mark in junior Dan Sefcik and senior Nick LaSane. The duo helped the Leopards finish off their opponents, scoring 11 points in the final 14 minutes.
"The biggest part of the game was that we blocked up front," Green said. "We created some big holes between the tackles and that's tough to do against a team like Wylie. When you dominate the line of scrimmage you've got a great chance to win."
Lovejoy's first score was the result of an 11-play drive that covered 89 yards. Saffle charged in from 2 yards away and crossed the goal line, giving the Leopards a 7-0 lead.
After stopping the Pirates on the next drive, Saffle set his Leopards up for another score with a 26-yard punt return. His reward was a 14-0 lead after a pass from Saffle to senior receiver Drew Scolaro.
A quick fumble recovery and 39-yard field goal by junior kicker Mick Ellis increased Lovejoy's lead to 17-0, but the team would not stop scoring before halftime.
Another long punt return by Saffle put the Leopards deep inside Wylie territory. Freshman quarterback Bowman Sells needed only two passes, including the scoring toss to junior wide out Justice Luce, to establish a 24-0 advantage. Wylie responded before the end of the second quarter, marching 71 yards in under two minutes to put the Pirates' first points up at 24-7 after a 44-yard run by quarterback Leland Dotson.
Dotson was well spotted on the night, passing 31 times, but only completing 13 for 150 yards along with 121 yards rushing and two touchdowns.
"[Dotson] was making some plays on us," Saffle said. "Overall though, we did a really good job containing him."
Wylie was unable to answer for the remainder of the game as Lovejoy continued their unbeaten, 47-21.
Next up for the Leopards is a 7:30 p.m. road game Friday against Greenville.
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