On Friday night, Louisa County dominated visiting Fluvanna County in a shutout home victory. The Lions were coming off of their first regular season loss since 2016 while the Flucos earned their first victory of the season with a win over Buckingham County a week ago. Louisa appeared determined to establish their ground game and did just that scoring four rushing touchdowns against their opponent. Fluvanna, who was without senior Kobe Edmonds, struggled to move the ball against a stout Lions defense with their best scoring opportunity coming on their last possession of the night. Here we’ll take a closer look the action from yesterday and later we will take a look at analysis and top performers from the area slate on VirginiaPreps.com. STAY TUNED…
KEYS TO VICTORY
GROUND ATTACK
From the moment that Louisa County’s offense took the field, it was apparent that the Lions wanted to run the ball. On the first play from scrimmage, senior Jordan Smith reached the endzone on an 80 yard run only to see it called back due to an offensive penalty. Three plays later, Smith reached paydirt on a 31 yard scamper. In between, junior Austin Talley covered 59 yards on two carries.
The duo combined for 153 rushing yards in the first half and Class of 2023 quarterback Landon Wilson added 65 yards rushing in the opening half. Each of the three players scored via the ground game.
Holding a 26-0 lead at intermission, the Lions were able to get sophomores Adam Mills and Tyreke Coleman in the mix during the second half for 88 combined yards and a score. In total, Louisa racked up 269 rushing yards against the Flucos with multiple contributors as the Lions offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage throughout the night.
DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE
In addition to establishing their offensive ground game, Louisa was able to control the contest defensively as well. The Lions held the line of scrimmage most of the night allowing just over 120 total rushing yards, 49 of which came on the Flucos final offensive possession.
Smith also found himself in the Fluvanna backfield often pressuring Flucos quarterback Owen Leydig. With Kobe Edmonds out before the contest began and Chase Paschall sidelined early, Fluvanna utilized Clayton Cannady in addition to Leydig with hopes of establishing a ground game that amassed nearly 300 yards on the ground a week prior.
Louisa’s defense shutdown the run game, however, and forced Leydig to use his arm which produced similar results for both teams. Leydig managed to toss for just 18 yards in the passing attack and threw two interceptions which were pulled down by Talley and Wilson in the secondary.
PURSUIT TO EXCELLENCE
Despite seeing their regular season win streak come to a close, the Lions program has been one of the most dominant in the area, if not the state, for several years. The last time Louisa missed the postseason was in 2010. Since then, the Lions have been a playoff regular and enjoyed a trip to the state championship game under head coach Mark Fisher in 2017. Will Patrick has taken the team to the region semifinals twice and is looking to take to go to a higher level this season.
With district play just around the corner, and a strong Jefferson District that has as many as five teams that could contend for the title, no conclusion has been drawn about the Lions securing the crown for the fifth straight season in November.
What is certain though, is that the Lions appear to be strong on both sides of the ball with youth and playmakers. The loss to King George in week three could possibly have been a blessing for the Louisa program. Only time will tell how and if that contest factors into the equation.
SCORING SUMMARY
Fluvanna County—0 0 0 0—0
Louisa County—6 20 0 7—33
First Quarter
LC—Jordan Smith 31 yard run (kick failed), 6:57
Second Quarter
LC—Austin Talley 25 yard run (conversion failed), 9:55
LC—Landon Wilson 2 yard run (Caden Lundy kick), 3:40
LC—Smith 78 yard pass from Wilson (Zach Slaughter kick), 0:37
Fourth Quarter
LC—Tyreke Coleman 16 yard run (Lundy kick), 3:24
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Austin Talley, Louisa County…The junior running back led the Louisa backfield with 133 rushing yards and a touchdown. Talley played a large role in the establishment of the ground game early on and creating an additional threat for Fluvanna to defend setting up his playmaking counterpart for some big scores. In addition, Talley recorded an interception that ended Fluvanna’s second offensive possession. Although it wasn’t a highlight reel play, the awareness to snag the pass before it fell harmlessly to the ground ended the Flucos possession and allowed the Lions to set the tone early on both sides of the ball.
Robert lives in Gordonsville and has been contributing to VirginiaPreps.com since 2013. He also provides freelance contributions to the Daily Progress. Robert began working in the sports sector in 2006 and covers public and private schools throughout the state of Virginia.
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