Updated: Thursday, November 5, 2009
SITE Louisville Stadium, Friday, 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS Marion-Franklin 8-2, Louisville 10-0.
LAST WEEK Marion-Franklin 56, South Urban Academy 29; Louisville 25, Minerva 7.
LAST MEETING First meeting.
PLAYOFF HISTORY Marion-Franklin is making its sixth straight playoff appearance. The Red Devils are 1-5 all-time in the playoffs. Louisville is making its 13th postseason appearance, 10 in the last 11 years. The Leopards were state runners-up in 2007 and are 13-12 overall in the postseason.
WHAT TO WATCH With Marion-Franklin’s speed advantage and Louisville’s offense still a work in progress since QB Bobby Swigert has been injured, the Leopards will look to a defense that has overwhelmed just about everyone this season. Louisville has allowed a Stark County-low 80 points and yielded only 166.1 yards per game in the regular season. The first order of business is containing Red Devils QB Verlon Reed (6-3, 203), who is at his best throwing outside of the pocket and running. Reed, a Division I recruit, has rushed for 1,014 yards and 13 TDs, while throwing for 812 yards, 10 TDs and eight picks with a 45.3 completion percentage. RBs Chad Jones (5-8, 158) and Paul Harris (6-0, 185) also must be accounted for. Louisville LBs Hunter Potts, Jake Adkins and Michael Schooley have combined for 35 tackles-for-loss and 10 sacks. DT Joe Poyser has 17 sacks and 15 tackles for loss. The Leopards’ line will be counted on to give Toby Minster time in the passing game and Chad Neff and Lucas Poyser lanes in the running game. With Poyser and Neff, the running QB, bottled up by Minerva last week, Minster entered and threw for three TDs.
