Scots Hold Off Leopards in Home Opener

In a matchup of legendary coaches known for their offensive prowess, defense ruled on Friday at Highlander Stadium.

Highland Park effectively shut down a Lovejoy offense that boasted some impressive credentials during a 24-17 victory in the Scots’ home opener.

HP had to survive some late drama stemming from some self-inflicted wounds, but its defense stymied any hope of a Lovejoy comeback. The Leopards, who scored 43 points in their opener a week ago in their debut under seven-time state champion coach Todd Dodge, were held out of the end zone by the Scots.

“I’m really proud of our defense. Our guys came up with some big deflections and some huge interceptions. We got a good pass rush and got some sacks,” said HP head coach Randy Allen, who has 448 career wins and four state titles to his credit. “Time and time again, they came up with some huge plays.”

The Scots (2-0) remain unbeaten heading into next week’s neutral-site showdown against neighborhood rival Jesuit Dallas at SMU’s Ford Stadium.

HP took control following a takeaway on Lovejoy’s opening possession of the second half. Amin Elahmadi pressured Lovejoy quarterback Jacob Janecek, whose errant pass was intercepted by Beau Jones at the Lovejoy 35.

Eight plays later, HP’s Buck Randall scored on a quarterback sneak to give the Scots a 17-10 lead they never relinquished.

After the HP defense pinned the Leopards (0-2) deep in their own territory on the ensuing drive, the Scots capitalized on the favorable field position. Randall connected with James Lancaster, who caught a screen pass and wrestled out of multiple tackles on his way to a 22-yard score.

The HP offense struggled to sustain drives down the stretch, however, which kept the door open for Lovejoy. The Leopards trimmed the deficit to 24-17 with 2:08 remaining on a 50-yard interception return for a touchdown by Kevin Magee.

Lovejoy’s Daylan McCutcheon recovered the onside kick that followed, but the Scots closed the door on a game-tying drive with a fourth-down stop at the 36-yard line.

“Defensively, we had our hiccups last week. But they stepped up against a really good football team. Practically all our points were scored by our defense,” Dodge said. “Our defense kept us in it all night long. As sporadic as we played offensively, to be in the hunt, says a lot for what our defense was able to accomplish.”

HP never trailed after reaching paydirt on the second play of the game, when Randall found Cannon Bozman on a 73-yard touchdown strike over the middle.

Randall had mixed results in his second varsity start. He was 18-of-30 passing for 255 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions — both of which were returned for scores.

Bozman was his top target for the second straight week, finishing with six catches for 126 yards. That makes 12 receptions for 339 yards over the first two games, more than all other HP receivers combined.

The Leopards stumbled early before gaining momentum thanks to a big defensive play of their own. R.J. McIntosh’s 19-yard interception return midway through the second quarter shifted the momentum to Lovejoy, and helped forge a 10-10 halftime tie.

However, Lovejoy was consistently hampered by untimely penalties on both sides of scrimmage, most notably an illegal substitution infraction that nullified a punt return for a touchdown by McCutcheon in the third quarter.

Janecek completed 20 of 38 throws for 154 yards with two interceptions. McCutcheon, a Florida State commit, had six grabs for a team-high 61 yards.

HP’s Bryce Laczkowski, who switched from receiver to cornerback this season, picked off a pass deep in HP territory early in the fourth quarter to end another Lovejoy scoring threat.

Meanwhile, the Scots will look to improve on a running game that managed only 43 yards on 33 attempts, which includes a few sacks by Lovejoy’s aggressive defense.

“Early in the game, we were moving the ball pretty good, and then got bogged down. About four series in a row, we couldn’t make a first down,” Allen said. “We’ve got tons of work to do. We’re not playing up to our capabilities right now on offense, but we got enough points to win.”