In a 4-5A Division II matchup, the 4-2 Lovejoy Leopards faced off against a very good 5-2 Emerson Mavericks team on Friday night. Lovejoy was coming off a 70-0 win over Independence, and Emerson was looking to get back into the win column after a 44-31 loss to Anna.
Lovejoy would open the scoring up in the first quarter, taking a 7-0 lead. This would be the only point scored in the first quarter as Lovejoy would show their dominant defense, forcing constant turnovers and three-and-outs all game. Lovejoy would extend their lead by adding two more touchdowns and a field to pull away from Emerson 24-0. At the beginning of the second half, Lovejoy kept pushing on the gas, adding another two touchdowns and a field goal to take a dominant and commanding lead into the fourth quarter, 41-0. Lovejoy would add one more touchdown as Emerson would finally find themselves on the scoreboard, but it was too late as Lovejoy would win this game 48-7. Lovejoy is a strong playoff contender and looks to make a deep run in the playoffs this season, hoping to go all the way.
Next week, Lovejoy will take on a very good Walnut Grove team that just dropped their first game of the season to Anna and will look to gain momentum back facing Lovejoy. As for Emerson, they will take on a dominant Melissa team that is coming off a big win over Independence.
