By JOHN JAMES MARSHALL, Journal Sports
LEESVILLE – If the Loyola Flyers didn’t already know what they were up against in Leesville running back Xavier Ford, they found out on the first play of the game Friday night.
And the second play.
And for the rest of the night.
Ford, the state’s leading rusher, put on an impressive display in leading the Wampus Cats to a 42-24 win over the Flyers in the second round of the Division II (select) playoffs as he rushed for 297 yards on 30 carries and scored four touchdowns.
Leesville opened the game in the Wildcat formation and Ford took the direct snap and ran 13 yards on the first play.
On the next play, the Wampus Cats did it again, but this time Ford made it to the end zone on a 49-yard run.
For the rest of the night, any time Leesville needed a big play to keep a drive alive, you knew who was going to get the ball.
“They weren’t playing around,” Loyola coach John Sella said of the Wampus Cats. “They got in that Wildcat (formation) and said that No. 24 (Ford) is going to be the best player on the field. And that offensive line is really good. There’s little room for error when we aren’t causing any punts.”
Leesville didn’t punt the entire game which was part of Loyola’s frustration because the Flyers moved the ball well, gaining 327 yards in total offense.
The way the game started, it looked as if the two teams were going to match each other score for score. After’s Ford opening TD, the Flyers went on an impressive scoring drive of their own, converting three third downs before getting a 24-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Bryce Restovich to fellow sophomore Brock Geter on fourth down.
The Wampus Cats answered that with a 25-yard pass from Trel Broom to Michael Davis and when the Flyers couldn’t counter, Leesville seized the opportunity as Ford caught a 9-yard pass from Broom for a two-score lead.
But late in the second quarter, the Flyers had a chance to make it a one-possession game at halftime when senior linebacker Carter Doyal had an interception in Wampus Cat territory. The Flyers got the Leesville 25 but two incomplete passes ended the drive.
“You’ve got to come up with points there when the defense gives you good field position,” Sella said. “But they made the plays and we didn’t.”
To make matters worse, Leesville then went 77 yards in seven plays – Ford ran for 29 yards on 3rd-and-11 – and scored with 13 seconds to go before halftime to make it 28-6.
It felt like the death blow to the Flyers’ chances, but Loyola kept hanging around. Mason Drake opened the second half with a 5-yard scoring run, but that was the start of alternating touchdowns between the two teams.
Still Sella was pleased with how his team hung in the game. “You never know how teenagers are going to react,” he said. “We told them to just keep fighting and that’s a complement to them. To get a stop on fourth down with three minutes left shows that they kept playing hard to try to make a game out of it.”
Restovich led the offense for the Flyers, completing 21 of 40 for 262 yards and three touchdowns. In addition to Geter, wide receivers Jake Black (21 yards) and Ben Brewer (17 yards) also had touchdown receptions.
Leesville (9-2) will advance the quarterfinals to play Booker T. Washington of New Orleans. The Flyers finish their season at 7-5.
Contact JJ at johnjamesmarshall@yahoo.com
LEESVILLE 42, LOYOLA 24
SCORING SUMMARY
Lee – Xavier Ford 49 run (pass failed)
Loy – Brock Geter 24 pass from Bryce Restovich (run failed)
Lee – Michael Davis 25 pass from Trel Broom (Broom run)
Lee – Ford 9 pass from Broom (Christian Delapp kick)
Lee – Ford 5 run (Delapp kick)
Loy – Mason Drake 5 run (run failed)
Lee – Julius Brown 11 pass from Broom (Delapp kick)
Loy – Jake Black 21 pass from Restovich (run failed)
Lee – Ford 16 run (Delapp kick)
Loy – Ben Brewer 17 pass from Restovich (pass failed)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Loyola Rushing: Drake 18-77-1TD, Restovich 8-minus-11, Brewer 1-minus-1
Loyola Passing: Restovich 40-21-1-262-3
Loyola Receiving: Black 8-90-1TD, Brewer 5-80-1TD, Geter 4-57-1TD, Colby Hamilton 2-21, Drake 2-14.