Week 1 was a disappointing start to the season for both Angola and Leo.
The question going in to Week 2 was: How would Leo respond to a gut-wrenching loss to Kokomo late?
To put it lightly, the Leo Lions are back.
Leo recorded its first win of the season in emphatic fashion on Friday, routing Angola, 42-10.
The star of the night was North Side transfer and Ohio University commit Kaden Hurst, who contributed 146 total yards on two major scoring plays that set the tone early on.
Leo’s answer to late disappointment against Kokomo started on the opening kickoff when Hurst, after initially bobbling the ball, found a hole to the left side, made a sharp cut and burst free past multiple Angola would-be for a 86-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. All it took was 13 seconds for Leo to have a lead that it would hold the entire night.
Leo controlled this game from the outset. It dominated the line of scrimmage, swarmed all over the Angola backfield and showcased athletic and physical power in its motion offense.
After a stop on the Hornets’ initial possession, the Lions would score again two plays into their next drive as senior quarterback Kylar Decker connected with junior tight end Brock Schott for a touchdown. It was. Schott’s first score of the season, and a Leo offense with Schott and Hurst both contributing to the cause makes the Lions a better team.
Throughout the first half, the Hornets tried to get as many players involved in the Pistol Option as possible. Despite sophomore quarterback Hawk Hasselman’s best efforts, the key guys that needed to be big-time players, led by senior tight end Lane King, were held in check by a physical Leo front line and a lights-out secondary.
When the first quarter ended, Angola had more punts (three) than it had first downs (one) and trail 21-0.
That quarter alone played a huge part in deciding the outcome of the game.
The second quarter played out much like the first quarter as hurst swept right for a 60-yard touchdown. A 19-yard TD catch from Decker to senior Kamden Zeisloft gave Leo a 35-0 lead with 4:23 left in the first half.
However, that’s when Hasselman picked up his play. On the ensuing Angola drive, Hasselman broke free of a tackle and found open space ahead for a 38-yard touchdown run.
The Hornets would put on a bow on the first half when they converted on a 26-yard field goal as time expired to make it 35-10.
Angola would start the second half on a lengthy drive that took close to six minutes off the clock, but a costly interception to Aidan Monds would set up the final scoring drive of the night by the Lions. Monds punched in his second touchdown of the game on the ensuing drive to cap the Leo scoring.
Angola would not go away quietly as Hasselman made another incredible effort on his second score. As a matter of fact, the sophomore sensation would go on to rush 24 times for 154 yards and two TDs and produced 192 of his team’s 219 total yards.
So, what can we take from a 25-point Leo win? It shows that when the Lions’ hybrid spread is firing efficiently and can pound the ball, they have all the depth and elite firepower to compete with anyone in the state. It shows why they’re the beasts in the NE8.
And the scary thing about this is, I’m not sure we’ve seen the best of the 2023 Leo Lions yet.
While Schott ended up with a sack and several big-time tackles, the junior missed out on what could have been his second touchdown of the game as a ball slipped through his fingertips. At times, the Lions had some breakdowns when Hasselman was able to break through tackles with his athletic burst of speed.
But that’s why you play the entire regular season schedule. Most nights you are what your record tells you, but some nights you’re not going to look so good.
Week 2 showed a frustrated Leo team that embraced the opportunity to send a message to their competition, rather than let the loss at Kokomo define what it is. Many times last year, people perceived the Lions as a team destined to fail in the big games when they started 1-2, only to go 8-3 and fall a blocked field goal short from what would have been a sectional title.
While we want to speculate on what that road to championship glory may look like, we still have to remember that this is only a small sample to what the rest of the season might be. As they say, it’s not how you start the race, it’s how you finish it.
So far, Leo has shown flashes of brilliance. But the team that made the trip down to Kokomo will certainly look different to what Leo wants to be in October: a team that brings a Northeast Eight title back to Leo and end a postseason drought of over a decade without a championship.
As for Angola, its story is a bit different as it shows an honest, but difficult, reality that graduation really took a toll, mainly on defense. No Jack Archbold, no Andre Tagliaferri, no Jake Land and no Ethan Miller. Sure, guys like Braden Toigo, Alex Thomas, and Tyler Blum might end up being standouts at season’s end, but the depth that made the Hornets a contender in 2022 is not present this season.
The one concern I have is, can the Hornets avoid the injury bug? As Coach Andy Thomas alluded to, they’re really counting on their seniors to contribute in a huge way this fall. So far, the positives seem to be more towards the growth of Hasselman at quarterback and the running back duo of Brayden Duke and Korbin Roan. Of course, King is a stud at tight end, but for Angola to succeed, it will need others to thrive as well.
Once the Hornets are able to iron out some things and play consistent football for two full halves, the
offense is good enough to win some games in the NECC’s Big School Division. But that debate will come at another time.
What’s more important right now is Lions Field saw their team win a football game and show at times just how good this year’s team can be.
For Leo and the other seven members of the NE8, conference play begins in Week 3. From here on
out, we will find out which teams are destined to contend for an NE8 title.
These opinions represent those of Sam Frick and Outside the Huddle. No opinions expressed on Outside the Huddle represent those of any of our advertisers.
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