Following his team’s 14-7 victory over Bishop Luers on Friday, Leo coach Jason Doerffler said it best when talking about the Week 1 showdown.
“We are pretty much mirror images of each other, so it came down to execution,” Doeffler said. “I think the strength of both teams are up front.”
Doerffler put in words what this journalistic-ish bear could, but in slightly more confusing fashion.
The margin between Leo and Bishop Luers is pretty thin, thus magnifying the little mistakes.
So when the Lions did not commit a turnover and only one penalty, shocking considering the expected miscues that go with the first game of the season, it put the pressure on Bishop Luers to be equally efficient.
It wasn’t. And in key moments it wasn’t.
With the game tied coming out of half, sophomore quarterback Tommy Reichert threw a ball over the middle that was cupped right above the turf by Nathan Foster for an interception. Minutes later, Paul Woods plunged into the end zone for the go-ahead score.
In the fourth quarter with Leo nursing a seven-point lead, Bishop Luers had opportunities to notch the tying score. Midway through the quarter, Reichert hit Nate Javins on 4th-and-long to move the chains inside the Leo 35-yard line. But the play was called back due to an ineligible man downfield. The Knights had to punt.
With just over a minute left in regulation, Bishop Luers seemingly got a defensive stop to get the ball back for one more chance. But the Knights lined up in return formation with 12 players on the field. Penalty. First down. Victory formation for Leo.
The Lions did a phenomenal job limiting the Knights on offense, keeping sophomore running backs Brandon Gaither and TJ Epperson from breaking loose for chunk plays. The special teams was a serious weapon for Leo, particularly Kellan Hulburt at punter. The senior dropped kick after kick inside the Knights’ 10-yard line, forcing a young offense to go the length of the field for points.
It isn’t as if Leo was able to do much offensively either, as Bishop Luers’ front line was darn near impenetrable, but it did more than the Knights and limited the big miscues that killed some of Bishop Luers’ chances.
“Because of our lack of execution on offense, we were pinned back multiple times and had to punt,” Doerffler said. “The punt team did an excellent job. It flipped field position and Hulburt was booming the ball. So that really gave our defense some breathing room.
“If we shank one and they only have 30-40 yards to go for a score, it could have been way different.”
Week 1 is always a learning experience for coaches and players alike. Regardless of a win or a loss, seeing where your team is at is the biggest lesson on the first Friday of the regular-season. Bishop Luers knows it will have some growing pains with the wealth of sophomores on the field, plus senior Jonas Muya, a 6-foot-8 transfer who started at guard in his first football game EVER.
It wasn’t pretty at times, but Leo has to be happy with how it was able to earn the season-opening win while looking to be in mid-season form in terms of limiting mistakes.
The rest will come in due time.
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