Football Recap: Lovejoy Comes Up Short + How To Watch

Lovejoy lost against Walnut Grove back in October of 2024 and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Thursday. The Leopards fell just short of the Wildcats by a score of 29-26. While losing is never fun, the Leopards can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 152nd, while the Wildcats are ranked 39th).

Jacob Janecek

Passer Rating

10/10/25 vs Independence	142.9
10/23/25 vs Walnut Grove	124.4
09/11/25 @ Liberty	119.6
10/16/25 @ Emerson	107.8
08/29/25 @ Lubbock-Cooper	103.4
+ 2 more games

When it comes to explaining why Lovejoy lost, don't look at Jacob Janecek. Despite the final result, he threw for 303 yards and a pair of touchdowns while completing 76.9% of his passes, and also rushed for 68 yards and one score. Janecek's passing game has become a key predictor of the Leopards' success: the team is 2-1 when his passer rating is 110 or higher, but only 2-3 otherwise. 109 of Janecek's passing yards were hauled in by Brody Hesson, who also brought in a receiving touchdown.

Cameron Newton produced another solid effort rushing for 251 yards and three TDs while picking up 7.2 yards per carry for Walnut Grove. Newton is on a roll when it comes to rushing touchdowns, as he's now punched in two or more in each of the last nine games he's played dating back to last season.

Lovejoy's loss dropped their record down to 4-4. As for Walnut Grove, the win keeps them at an undefeated 8-0.

We've got plenty of inter-district action coming up soon. Lovejoy is set to take on their familiar foe Denison at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Meanwhile, Walnut Grove will challenge rival Melissa at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.