Louisville got its revenge Friday night. The No. 7 seed Leopards defeated rival North Canton Hoover 21-7 at home in a Division II, Region 7 first-round playoff game, avenging a Week 5 loss to the Vikings and advancing in the Ohio High School Athletic Association postseason, the Canton Repository reported.
It was the 105th meeting between Louisville and Hoover, according to the Canton Repository, but the first time the longtime rivals had ever faced each other in the playoffs. Louisville (9-2) has now won six straight games since its midseason loss at Hoover, while the Vikings finish their season at 5-6.
The Leopards built their lead early and protected it the rest of the night. According to the Canton Repository’s live updates, Louisville still held its 21-7 advantage with 11:44 left in the fourth quarter, and the Leopards took over on their own 38-yard line with 5:12 remaining to close out the win.
The victory continues a strong second half of the season for Louisville, which shook off the Week 5 defeat at North Canton and has not lost since. Hoover, the No. 10 seed, had entered the night hoping to repeat that regular-season result on the road, but the Vikings could not find enough offense against the Leopards’ defense.
Friday’s game was one of six first-round playoff games involving Stark County teams, according to the Canton Repository, on a night when the OHSAA playoffs opened statewide with every kickoff at 7 p.m. Elsewhere in the county, Canton McKinley rolled past Brunswick 62-28 in Division I, Region 1, while Canal Winchester outlasted Ashland 43-37 in the same Region 7 bracket as Louisville.
For Hoover, the loss closes a 5-6 season that included the regular-season win over Louisville. For the Leopards, the win sets up the kind of second-round test that has ended Louisville-area runs before — a trip to face one of the region’s unbeaten powers.
What happens next for Louisville is a regional quarterfinal at No. 2 seed Big Walnut next week. The Golden Eagles are 10-0 and the two-time defending regional champions, having knocked Massillon out of the playoffs in the regional finals each of the past two seasons, the Canton Repository reported.
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