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.

Their 26th straight regular-season victory — and ninth straight against Minerva — gives them their 11th 10-0 record in school history. And this one was especially sweet for Louisville, which likely will earn the Division II AP state poll title when voting is released Monday.

“To go 10-0 without Bobby, probably the best player in the county, gives our kids a lot of confidence,” Farrah said about Louisville’s do-everything senior quarterback.

It’s confidence they might need since Swigert’s right foot, which was surgically repaired after Week 4 because of ligament damage, was recasted Thursday. The Leopards had hoped to get him back for Week 12. Now, he’ll be reevaluated in three more weeks as the Leopards open the Division II playoffs at home next week.

“We’re going to live with what we got and keep going at it hard,” Farrah said.

That kind of resolve was needed Friday. The Leopards allowed an 80-yard TD pass from D.J. Marrah to James Hiles late in the first quarter and trailed, 7-0, as their own offense sputtered.

“We didn’t panic,” senior linebacker Jake Adkins said. “We maintained our confidence, did our own job. Coach Farrah said, ‘Just keep playing hard. Things will pay off.’”

Did they ever. After rendering Minerva’s running game non-existent, the Leopards cashed in on six sacks, including two from Adkins. Their relentless pressure also resulted in numerous holding penalties on Minerva.

“We pinned our ears back, manned up and sent everybody,” Farrah said. “They didn’t have an answer.”

The defense got in on the scoring when linebacker Michael Schooley intercepted a tipped swing pass and returned it 6 yards for a touchdown, opening up a 19-7 Louisville lead in the third quarter.

Minerva punted 12 times on the night, went 0-for-16 on third-down conversions and was flagged for 11 penalties, totaling 94 yards.

The Lions likely will fall short of the playoffs after a 7-3 season. They competed nose-to-nose with Louisville for most of the game as senior linebacker Damien Elfritz led a strong defensive effort.

“Our kids played hard the entire game,” Minerva coach Brett Yeagley said. “It just came down to we made too many mistakes to beat a team that good. They gave everything they had out there on the field.”

Louisville had a grand total of 25 yards of offense through its first six possessions. Enter junior QB Toby Minster with 3:13 left in the first half.

On his first snap of the night he hit Jeremy White on a sideline route for 13 yards. On his second play, he pump-faked and threw deep. White laid out in the end zone and made an amazing one-handed catch for a 31-yard TD.

A quick Minerva three-and-out followed by Mitchell Sluss’ 29-yard punt return set up the Leopards at the Lions’ 30.

Friday’s starting QB Chad Neff subbed back in for one play to pick up a fourth-and-1 conversion. Two plays later, Minster threw a fastball to Cody Stocker on a slant route for a 12-yard TD.

Just like that, the Leopards led 12-7. Minster’s precision passing sliced up a Minerva defense that had been geared to stop the running of Neff.

“Toby knows his role, that if a team’s going to do that to us, he’s going to come in and we’re going to throw,” Farrah said. “He was sharp.”

Minster put the game away in the fourth quarter with a 33-yard TD strike to Stocker. He finished 12-of-20 passing for 151 yards, three TDs and one interception. Stocker and White combined to catch six balls for 105 yards. Joe Stoffer had six receptions for 48 yards.

Out of 15 Minerva carries in the first half, four went for positive yardage. Out of 14 passes, three were completed. One of those was the 80-yarder to Hiles, who finished with five catches for 121 yards.

But take away that play and a late 54-yard run by Marrah, and Minerva gained 89 yards of offense all night.

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