The online student news source of Lovejoy High School

The Red Ledger

The online student news source of Lovejoy High School

The Red Ledger

The online student news source of Lovejoy High School

The Red Ledger

Football to open up district play against defending state champions

Team looks to make adjustments from non-district season
Senior+Nick+Garcia+looks+for+open+space+at+the+line+of+scrimmage.+The+football+team+looks+to+execute+after+a+loss+to+Frisco+Lonestar.+
Kelsey Carroll
Senior Nick Garcia looks for open space at the line of scrimmage. The football team looks to execute after a loss to Frisco Lonestar.

With three non-district games now in the rearview mirror, the football team (0-3 overall) will face the defending state champion Highland Park Scots (2-1 overall) to open up district play.

The Leopards will host the Scots on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. at Leopard Stadium. The game will have some added significance, as a big turnout is expected to celebrate “Leopard Friday.”

Senior linebacker and tight end Bumper Pool said that he isn’t concerned about the slow start to the season.

“We know we have a good team,” Pool said. “We have guys who can make big plays. We’re going to be one of those teams that puts it together at the right time. No one is winning state championships in the first three weeks; all the big things happen during district season.”

The Leopards are familiar with Highland Park, as the two teams squared off on Sept. 16 of last year. The Leopards played a competitive game against the Scots and even enjoyed a 6-point lead in the second quarter, but they were unable to score in the second half. The Scots offense added two unanswered touchdowns and held on to defeat the Leopards, 27-20.

No one is winning state championships in the first three weeks; all the big things happen during district season.

— Senior Bumper Pool

Highland Park will head into this matchup after playing a tightly-contested non-district game against Mansfield Timberview. The Scots found themselves in a 13-0 hole in the first quarter, but they were able to ride quarterback John Stephen Jones’ four passing touchdown to pull off a 34-32 victory.

Although some players still remain from last year’s state-championship team, Pool explained that Highland Park is still trying to fill some senior vacancies on the defensive side of the ball, which could give the Leopards an advantage.

“They had 10 guys graduate on defense last year,” Pool said. “That’s not to say they’re not a good defense, but they’re a young defense, and that’s a point we need to take advantage of.”

In the Leopards’ matchup last week, they fell by a score of 35-3 at the hands of the Lone Star Rangers. The team was without starting quarterback Carson Collins, but Collins is expected to be back on the field this week after recovering from a knee injury.

“I’m at 100 percent,” Collins said. “I’ll have a brace on [my knee] just to protect it, but there’s nothing wrong with my knee.”
Collins also said that he is excited to take on Highland Park, considering the expectations for the Leopards heading into the match.

“I’m really motivated,” Collins said. “I feel like we have nothing to lose. Since they’re the state champions, they’re expected to win, so we really have nothing to lose. We just need to go out there and execute and do what we do.”

Collins said the team will make some adjustments on the offensive end by changing the pace of play calling.

“Last week we did a full-on huddle, but this week we’ll call it a sugar huddle,” Collins explained. “Our receivers will line up in their positions, while the offensive line, quarterback, and running backs will huddle in the backfield. The receivers will get signals from their coach, and I’ll get signals from my coach. Then I’ll tell the linemen the play, and we will go line up and run it.”

Pool said that he is looking forward to having the opportunity of finally breaking through with a home win for the first time since Sept. 2 of last year.

“I definitely think we have a great shot to win one here,” Pool said, “Of course, we’ve played a lot of tough teams at home in the past, and so we’re excited to get some wins here at home. I think it’s been too long because we’ve usually had a big winning record at home over the previous years, but I think if everyone does what they need to do and continues to buy in, we’ll continue to get wins and hopefully get one this Friday.”

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About the Contributors
Benjamin Nopper, Section Editor
 After joining staff and becoming an editor his sophomore year, Benjamin Nopper is enthusiastic to spend his senior year in the newsroom he considers to be his home away from home. Benjamin walked into room E103 two years ago feeling overwhelmed by the pressure of the unknown‒writing for an award-winning publication without much previous experience. Hundreds of articles and dozens of close relationships later, he now understands that writing enables an individual to have a meaningful impact in his community. A disciple of his former boss, Nick Smith, Nopper retains his position as sports editor for the third consecutive year while also contributing as an opinion writer. However, if it were up to him, he would run his own satire department. Outside of the newsroom, Nopper plays baseball and serves as an FCA leader. Nopper is also a member of Student Council, NHS and Spanish Club. He enjoys embarking adventures with his three dogs, spending afternoons on the golf course, and feeding his unhealthy coffee obsession. Nopper also loves to watch Impractical Jokers, the show that admittedly inspires some of his lighthearted interactions with his friends. Upon graduating, Nopper intends to study business and eventually attend law school.
Bradley Davis, LNN Reporter
Senior Bradley Davis joined the Lovejoy News Network in 2016 and has been re-shooting footage ever since. Whether it was being on the wrong audio setting or forgetting to change off of autofocus, plenty of mistakes were made in Bradley’s first year as a staffer. However, his love for broadcast journalism overcame these lapses, allowing him to consistently produce quality stories in each of the Leopard Spotlights, including two that went on to win first place prizes in the ILPC 5A state competition. Outside of LNN, Bradley lives his life on the run. Bradley is a varsity captain on the Lovejoy cross country team and part of the 2016 State Championship team. He is an all-region athlete in both track and cross country. Bradley has also been a part of boy scouts since the first grade, reaching scouting’s highest rank of Eagle. After his senior year, Bradley plans to attend the University of Missouri to study broadcast journalism, hoping that one day he can combine this with his passion for sports.  
Kelsey Carroll, Section Editor
Senior Kelsey Carroll has never owned a dog or a cat, but she’s the proud caretaker of two mini cacti living their life on her windowsill, and she thinks that’s just enough. She never forgets to water them weekly, as she’s a fond planner user who prides herself on writing down just about any task, even “write staff bio,” which she just proudly accomplished. When she’s not strumming twangy ukulele chords in her bedroom on the weekends or attempting to play a cello countermelody in class during the week, Kelsey can be found dancing to whatever plays in her earbuds (which are constantly on her) while editing photos until her laptop battery dies each night. Her days start before the sun’s up at swim team, and end with her furiously deciding which of her 16 pairs of Harry Potter socks to wear the next day. Whether she’s shooting sideline photos and dodging officials on the football field, or manning a jumbotron camera for the fans to see, Kelsey loves to be involved in any visual coverage she can get her hands on. Although she’s soft spoken, Kelsey hopes to share stories through her photos and writing as she tackles her roles as photographer, community editor, and social media editor during her fourth and final year on staff.

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