GAME SUMMARY

Louisa County traveled to Fredericksburg Friday night to face non-district rival Courtland. The Lions brought along 2026 prospects Savion Hiter and Dyzier Carter who attended and dominated the high school football scene as freshmen before both transferred to Woodberry Forest last fall.

Earlier this week, the duo announced they were returning to Louisa for their junior seasons, and early on, it looked as if the pair were going to pickup where they left off. On their opening drive, Carter hauled in a 52-yard pass reception from senior quarterback Caleb Brady. Two plays later Hiter reached the endzone from 15 yards away scampering through Cougars defenders off the right side of the Lions offensive line.

Both players would be called upon during the game but, unfortunately for Louisa, the fireworks were over. Courtland’s offense responded on the following driver that took 4:53 and was kept alive twice by costly Lions penalties. The second came on a fourth-and-11 play at the Lions 33-yard line. A pass from Courtland quarterback Chieftain Watson sailed to the sidelines and seemingly ended the drive. There were two, not one, Lions defensive penalties on the play including a personal foul which advanced the ball and gave the Cougars a new set of downs.

Watson quickly made up for his errant throw finding Jamison Aiken for a nine-yard touchdown pass into the endzone. A few plays later with Louisa’s offense in possession of the football, Watson pulled down an interception and returned it 62 yards to the Louisa five-yard line setting up a two-yard rushing score by Marcus Larue to give Courtland the lead.

Louisa looked poised to retake the lead quickly moving into a goal-to-go situation by the Courtland defense stopping Jayden Seaberry and Hiter on four consecutive run plays to force Louisa to turn the ball over on downs just minutes before intermission.

The second half started much like the first with Hiter finding the endzone on the opening possession for Louisa. The score was Hiter’s second and he would total 89 yards on 14 attempts for the evening. From that point on, however, Courtland took control of the contest.

Immediately after the score, the Cougars offense marched down the field covering 71 yards in nine plays with LaQuann Chew finding the endzone on a four-yard rush to help Courtland retake the lead. Louisa’s last two possessions of the third quarter ended with a one-yard punt and a turnover on downs while Courtland kicker Chris Salazar nailed a 31-yard field goal putting his team ahead 23-13 heading into the final frame.

Watson tossed his second touchdown pass of the night and Larue scored for the second time on the ground with just under a minute left on the scoreboard to propel Courtland to 2-0 while recording the Cougars first win over Louisa County since 2015. Meanwhile, the Lions dropped to 0-2, the first time they have also lost their first two games to begin a season since that year.

SCORING SUMMARY

Louisa County—7 0 6 7--20

Courtland—0 12 11 14--37

FIRST QUARTER

LC—Savion Hiter 15 yard run, (George Albertson kick), 8:01

SECOND QUARTER

C—Jamison Aiken 9 yard pass from Chiefton Watson (conversion failed), 11:09

C—Marcus Larue 2 yard run (conversion failed), 7:18

THIRD QUARTER

LC—Savion Hiter 14 yard run (conversion failed), 9:17

C—LaQuann Chew 4 yard run (Marcus Larue run), 5:00

C—Chris Salazar 31 yard field goal, 0:21

FOURTH QUARTER

C—Khamari Lawton 4 yard pass from Chiefton Watson, (Chris Salazar kick), 7:44

LC—Donovan Nelson 49 yard pass from Caleb Brady (George Alberton kick), 6:41

C—Christian Olivella 1 yard run (Chris Salazar kick), 0:50

STANDOUT PLAYERS

Chieftain Watson, Courtland…The Cougars sophomore played a pivotal role in his teams’ win over Louisa County. Watson threw for two touchdowns and made a momentum-shifting interception on defense in the opening quarter to put his team ahead. After batting a Lions pass downfield up in the air to himself, Watson raced 62 yards down the left sideline before being taken down at the 5-yard line. As a true freshman, Watson started on the Cougars defense and now taking over the duties of running the offense, Watson is a name to take note of in Fredericksburg.

Marcus Larue, Courtland….At 6-foot-0, 224 pounds, the Cougars senior is a handful for opposing defenses to bring down. Against Louisa, Larue scored twice on the ground while leading his squad in rushing yards with 85 from the line of scrimmage. The Cougars Wing-T threat typically has two or three backs that can move the ball on the ground which is the case this season so far, but Larue’s size and power are a perfect fit for J.C. Hall’s attack and the 2023 second-team All-Battlefield District selection will likely continue to lead the way as long as he remains healthy.

TAKEAWAYS

Courtland’s Run Game Is Dominant

In two games this season, the Cougars have racked up 484 yards on the ground and are averaging nearly six yards per rush attempt. J.C. Hall’s Wing T offense has churned out top-tier rushing attacks by committee in the past. This season is no exception with Marcus Larue, Christian Olivella, and LaQuann Chew handling the bulk of the workload. Khamari Lawton has gotten into the mix and even quarterback Chieftain Watson has made the best of shredding defenses when using his feet. Watson has thrown three touchdowns threw the air but the Courtland offensive attack is best when the rushing game is effective and thus far in 2023 it has been more than that.

It’s Early but the Cougars Look Playoff Bound

After missing the postseason for four consecutive years, Courtland returned to the postseason last fall after finishing the regular season with seven victories. The win total was the most for the Cougars since 2018 and the squad outscored opponents 32-17 on average. The Cougars have only played two games and the excitement around the team may be a bit premature but Courtland is off to their best start since 2008 excluding the shortened spring Covid season in 2021. In those two games, Courtland has outscored their two opponents by a combined 81-34. With games against North Stafford and King George on the horizon and a road date with Eastern View to end the season, things could change a bit by the end of the year but look for Courtland to be back in the playoffs once again this season.

Time Will Help Louisa’s Struggles

Losses to Patrick Henry-Ashland and Courtland in the first two weeks of the 2024 season have Louisa County looking to get things turned around. A game against Massaponax this week doesn’t make life easier but will be a good measuring stick before the Lions begin district play. With eight consecutive Jefferson District titles, the Lions will likely be challenged this year for the crown by Monticello but should be at or near the top of the JD when their regular season concludes. Add in that Class of 2026 prospects Savion Hiter and Dyzier Carter rejoined the squad they starred in when they were freshmen just this week. The duo will need time to get reacclimated to Will Patrick’s style of play as well as for a different group of players to find familiarity in them. At the moment, things may look bleak for Louisa County but that picture is certain to change over the next few weeks.

WHAT’S NEXT

Louisa County hosts Massaponax who is coming off a 17-14 heartbreaker on Friday night. It was the second straight season the Panthers fell to the Jaguars by three points. Entering this contest, it’s clear that neither Louisa County nor Massaponax are the powers they have proven to be in the recent past but this one should be a good test for both teams as they work to improve. The Panthers defeated the Lions 33-14 a year ago but this years’ matchup will likely be much closer.

Courtland travels to North Stafford for their first away game of the season. The Wolverines battled a stout Dinwiddie squad on Friday and came up on the short end with a 35-25 loss, their 13th straight. Although North Stafford has had its’ share of struggles in recent years, 6-29 since 2021, you can bet that Courtland head coach J.C. Hall won’t let his team take their opponent lightly. Last season, the Cougars knocked off North Stafford 28-13.

Robert Edmonds has been contributing to Virginiapreps.com, part of the Rivals.com network, since 2013. Follow him on X (formerly known as Twitter) @bigrob2523 and subscribe to his YouTube channel
for sports-related content. You can read his work in the Daily Progress
and occasionally in other journalism publications. He began working in the sports sector in 2006 and covers public and private schools throughout the state with a focus in the Central Virginia area. He currently lives in Keswick with his wife and has seven children and two grandchildren. To contact Robert, please email him at bigrob2523@gmail.com.