Josh Weir
The Repository

MINERVA When they realized they’d be without their star player for the final six weeks of the regular season, the Louisville Leopards didn’t go searching for excuses.

Rather, they issued guarantees.

“When (Bobby Swigert’s surgery) happened, (defensive tackle) Joe Poyser came up to me and said, ‘Coach, our defense will make you 10-0,’ ” Louisville coach Paul Farrah said. “My God, they did.”

Led by another dominating defensive effort, the Leopards finished their fourth perfect regular season of the decade with a 25-7 high school football win against Minerva on Friday night at Hines Stadium.

SITE  Hines Stadium, Friday, 7 p.m.
RECORDS  Louisville 9-0, 6-0; Minerva 7-2, 4-2.
LAST WEEK  Louisville 28, Marlington 14; Minerva 51, Carrollton 14.
LAST MEETING  Louisville won, 27-0, last year.

WHAT TO WATCH  The Lions bring something new to the Louisville game this year: Balance. QB D.J. Marrah is a run-pass threat in Minerva’s first-year spread offense. RBs Drew Prendergast and Clint Ford are dangerous. Four separate Lions — Levi Fleming, Jeremy Fick, James Hiles and Prendergast — have at least 17 receptions, 243 yards and three TD grabs. Of course, none of this matters if Minerva can’t block the front five of Louisville’s defense. Led by interior linemen Joe Poyser, Joe Henderson and Bob Gothot, Louisville’s front can be overwhelming with its speed and aggressiveness. “That front five is bringing constant pressure, and then you have their linebacking corps led by (Hunter) Potts, who is just fantastic,” Minerva coach Brett Yeagley said. “To me, Louisville always has been and still is a defensive football team.” The Leopards have allowed the fewest points in Stark County. Job No. 1 for Minerva is finding some blocking schemes to give Marrah a little time. Marrah’s mobility helps. He’s rushed for 434 yards and six TDs, while passing for 1,308 yards and 16 TDs. “Their QB is very good, very athletic and he comes from a great family,” Louisville coach Paul Farrah said. Led by senior LT Joe Neff, the Louisville running game has flourished behind an ever-improving line. QB Chad Neff and RB Lucas Poyser, both sophomores, combine for 1,341 rushing yards and 19 TDs. With Fick, a safety, walking up more like an extra linebacker, the Minerva 3-3 stack defense actually triggered the Lions scoring 51 unanswered points last week. Fick had a sack for a safety and totaled 4 1/2 tackles-for-loss. Expect Minerva to play up and dare Louisville to throw the ball.

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John Seaburn
The Repository

LOUISVILLE The football gods smiled upon Matt Wharmby on Friday night. Lord knows he deserved it.

Last year, just like his Louisville High School teammate Joe Henderson, he left the Marlington game on a stretcher with a severe leg injury. The sound of the ambulance marked the end of his junior season.

This year, his soundtrack for the Marlington game was the Leopards’ student section chanting his name after he returned a fumble recovery for a game-clinching touchdown.

The contrast only seems fitting in a game of two completely different halves for the Leopards, who came back from a two-touchdown deficit to clinch the NBC title with a 28-14 win against the Dukes on a rain-soaked, mud-caked Senior Night.