5A Team of the Week: Lovejoy Leopards
District 4-5A Division II is arguably the ultimate District of Doom in Texas.
So far, Lovejoy has navigated it flawlessly. A game after beating Anna 66-62, the Leopards followed it up with a walk-off 41-38 win over Melissa this past Friday. It took some late-game heroics as Cooper Ryan converted a 33-yard field goal as time expired to secure the victory. That kick handed Melissa, which won 10 games a year ago, its first loss in the district.
FINAL: Lovejoy 41, Melissa 38
WALK-OFF WIN FOR LOVEJOY!!!! Jacob Janecek scrambles for 19 yds on 4th down, and with 3 seconds left, Cooper Ryan walks it off with a 33 yd FG for the Leopards to win a thriller vs Melissa. @leopardfootball pic.twitter.com/W8dn86LvrC
— Matt Welch (@MWelchSLM) October 5, 2024
Quarterback Jacob Janecek accounted for much of Lovejoy’s offensive production on the night. He threw for 234 yards and three touchdowns and also added 77 yards and a score on the ground.
Daylan McCutcheon led the receiving core with 10 catches for 120 yards and a score. Zane Kuzenski and freshman Coleman Reaugh also caught touchdown passes. Ben Adams paced the rushing attack with 90 rushing yards and a touchdown on 21 carries.
Defensively, the Leopards had three interceptions. RJ McIntosh accounted for two of them, while Beyer Toyooka had the other.
Lovejoy head coach Todd Dodge knows all about winning at the highest levels of Texas high school football. He’ll look to keep his Leopards undefeated in district play this Friday when they hit the road to take on Frisco Independence.
Previous 5A Teams of the Week
Week One: Sherman
Week Two: La Joya Juarez-Lincoln
Week Three: Seguin
Week Four: Corpus Christi Carroll
Week Five: Leander
