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Louisville Leopards 2023 high school football preview

cliff hickman, canton repository
·2 min read

LOUISVILLE LEOPARDS 

HEAD COACH: Chris Kappas, first year

LAST YEAR: 3-7

POSTSEASON: Division III, Region 9

RETURNING LETTERMEN (11)

  • Camren Atwell OL-DL 5-9 205 Sr.

  • Garren Bricker TE-DL 5-9 205 Sr.

  • Carter Deem WR-DB 5-8 180 Jr.

  • Cam Dougherty RB-LB 6-0 200 Jr.

  • Carter Duskey WR-DB 6-2 205 Sr.

  • Jacob Galbraith RB-LB 6-0 200 Jr.

  • Brady Hawk OL-DL 6-1 210 Sr.

  • Braiden Hershey WR-DB 6-2 185 Sr.

  • Kolton Loy TE-DB 6-3 185 Jr.

  • Will Ramsey RB-LB 6-1 225 Sr.

  • Syrus Wright OL-DL 5-10 285 Sr.

IMPACT PLAYERS: Camren Atwell anchors the offensive line at center. He plays with a mean streak. ... Tate Golden has impressed early at wide receiver. Golden will work out of the slot and excels at finding openings in the defense. ... Braiden Hershey will be the top outside receiver. Hershey is a big target who has emerged as a key leader for the team. ... Wyatt Smith will be the top pass rusher for the Leopards at defensive end. Smith (6-2, 180) is also a wrestler who understands leverage well and has proven difficult to block. ... Will Ramsey is a throwback to the '80s at middle linebacker. He enjoys contact and has a big personality to boot.

Louisville’s Will Ramsey (34) pursues Hoover’s Luke Roach, Sept. 9, 2022.
Louisville’s Will Ramsey (34) pursues Hoover’s Luke Roach, Sept. 9, 2022.

WHAT'S NEW: Louisville is having an open competition featuring four players for the starting quarterback job. Candidates include Cooper Rice, former St. Thomas Aquinas starter Owen Burick, Tate Aljancic and Gabe Stoffer. All bring different skills to the offense. ... ... If Stoffer doesn’t earn the quarterback job, expect to see him at safety and slot receiver. ... Austin Wade (6-5) will be a big target at tight end for whoever the quarterback is. ... Carter Duskey put on 30 pounds in the offseason and moves from defensive back to linebacker.

OUTLOOK: Louisville enters the season with a new head coach in Chris Kappas and a new attitude. A big goal for Kappas is to change the mindset around the Louisville community as the Leopards have struggled against difficult independent schedules the last few years. Restoring confidence and playing with aggression are big goals for the Leopards. The Louisville defense should be strong and will give teams a 4-3, 3-4 hybrid look this fall. The offense may need some time to adjust after choosing its quarterback but there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about Louisville this fall.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Ohio high school football: Louisville Leopards 2023 preview