Following an unexpected off week, Orange County entered their contest against district power Louisa County with a perfect 4-0 record. The Lions also began Friday night with an unblemished record at 6-0 as the two squads squared off in Jefferson District action.
The Hornets anticipated a challenge as the Lions defeated their first six opponents by a combined score of 311-71 with dominate outings on both sides of the football. Orange County had outdone their previous opponents by a combined 171-62 which was not overlooked during the preparation of their opponents' scouting report.
The first quarter began with the teams exchanging points on the scoreboard quickly with Landon Wilson connecting with Dyzier Carter for a 26 yard touchdown pass which was followed a 57 yard touchdown run by Orange County running back Christian Simpson. From that point on, however, the Lions took over in dominant fashion as they scored 42 unanswered points on their way to a 49-7 victory.
Here we’ll review the action that took place on Friday...
KEYS TO VICTORY
Dominant Defense
While the box score speaks to the explosiveness of the Louisa County offense, it was the defense that shutdown the Hornets offensive attack after allowing an early first quarter touchdown. The Hornets rushed for less than four yards per carry and only completed seven of 24 pass attempts on the night.
The colors of green and yellow were ever present in the Orange County backfield throughout the evening as Towson commit Qwenton Spellman dominated the line of scrimmage. Spellman along with teammates Elijah Brooks and Jherkeem Banks kept Hornets quarterback Jeremiah Wharton scrambling while holding the duo of Simpson and Dwayne Wells both under 100 yards rushing.
The Lions defense also forced a pair of key turnovers in the contest. The first occurred as the Hornets reached the redzone late in the opening quarter. A pair of rushing plays setup a third-and-two situation for the home team. A Lions defender met the ballcarrier forcing the football loose allowing Wilson to pounce on the football and halt the Hornets offensive drive.
Midway through the third quarter, Alexander Proffitt picked off a Wharton pass attempt, thwarting the hopes for Orange County to continue the momentum of their first drive of the second half that included a big 27 yard pass completion from Wharton to Wells.
During that drive, Christian Johnson and Cameron Hawkins made big defensive stops that led to a turnover on downs for the Hornets.
Multi-faceted Offense
Wilson, a Class of 2023 quarterback, led the dynamic offense with three passing touchdowns and two rushing but it was freshmen Carter and Savion Hiter that continued to add to the Lions dynamic attack as they have all season.
Carter reeled in two touchdown passes during the game, a 26 yarder down the left sideline on the Lions opening possession and a 15 yard pass as time approached triple zero's late in the second quarter. Carter also had a 43 yard catch on the first possession of the second quarter to spark a drive that eventually ended with a Lions touchdown.
Hiter hauled in a 49 yard touchdown pass in the opening quarter and was the games leading rusher with 157 yards on 14 carries and a pair of touchdowns. The first rushing score came from eight yards away on the drive that Carter started with the pass reception from Wilson and the second was a 76 yard gallop shortly after intermission that began a running clock scenario.
In total, the Lions covered 440 yards on 52 plays in the contest with Orange while holding possession of the football for just over 20 minutes. While the opposition will only get stronger as Louisa County heads down the stretch and ultimately reaches the postseason, the team has multiple players that can contribute on offense which will help to keep opposing defenses honest when generating their gameplan.
SCORING SUMMARY
Louisa County--21 14 14 0--49
Orange County--7 0 0 0--7
FIRST QUARTER
LC--Landon Wilson 26 yard pass to Dyzier Carter, (Cameron Hawkins kick), 9:47
OC--Christian Simpson 57 yard run, (Austin Frazier kick), 8:21
LC--Landon Wilson 49 yard pass to Savion Hiter, (Cameron Hawkins kick), 7:07
LC--Landon Wilson 5 yard run (Cameron Hawkins kick), 3:58
SECOND QUARTER
LC--Savion Hiter 8 yard run (Cameron Hawkins kick), 10:58
LC--Landon Wilson 15 yard pass to Dyzier Carter, (Cameron Hawkins kick), 0:06
THIRD QUARTER
LC--Savion Hiter 76 yard run, (Cameron Hawkins kick), 8:09
LC--Landon Wilson 23 yard run, (Cameron Hawkins kick), 0:22
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Landon Wilson, Louisa County...The 6-foot-1, 195 pound quarterback had a monster game with five total touchdowns, passing for 183 yards and rushing for another 53. Three of Wilson's nine completions went to the endzone, with all three scores occurring in the first half. The pro-style quarterback also reached the endzone with his feet twice, his last coming on a 23 yard scamper on a third and nine play for his team. The Louisa County standout also had a recovered fumble on defense. Wilson has started for the Lions since his freshman year.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Lions go on the road next week to face Western Albemarle prior to a late season bye week. A year ago, Louisa County shutout the Warriors 27-0 in Crozet and the Lions have a five game winning streak in the head-to-head series between the two teams. On Friday, Western Albemarle dropped their second consecutive contest after a 3-1 start to the season, suffering a 27-6 loss at the hands of rival Albemarle.
Orange County will also travel next Friday, going to Fluvanna County to battle a winless Flucos squad. The Hornets lead the series between the two teams 32-7 and have won 16 of the last 17 meetings between the two teams. Fluvanna fell victim to a winless Monticello squad this week 48-19.
Robert lives in Charlottesville and has been contributing to VirginiaPreps.com since 2013. He began working in the sports media in 2006 and now covers public and private schools throughout Virginia with a focus in the Piedmont area. His goal is to tell the players stories and provide top notch coverage to the community for area teams.
If you have suggestions or comments, please let us know. Information can be emailed to bigrob2523@gmail.com and you can find him on twitter @bigrob2523
