Louisa High School in Minera, VA announced the hiring of Will Patrick as its new Head Football Coach on Wednesday, January 10th.

Will Patrick has been appointed to lead the Lions' football team in 2018. He replaces Mark Fischer, who decided to retire in 2017 following a successful 14-1 run that saw Louisa reach the Class 4 State Championship game, where they were beaten by Salem 43-22.

Patrick spent the last five seasons as Louisa's offensive coordinator, plus the previous two years as the Assistant Head Coach. He was an integral part of the Lions taking offensively to where they enjoyed the most prolific season in program history, scoring a school-record 634 points in 2017. That included playoff victories over previously unbeaten squads Dinwiddie and Monacan on their way to the Region 4B Championship.

Fischer, who has battled cancer on and off again since 2012, went 96-41 in 12 seasons at the helm of the Lions over two separate terms. In between his two terms, he spent three years as the Head Football Coach at St. James High School in South Carolina.

Several key pieces from Louisa's Class 4 runner-up squad will graduate, including State Offensive Player of the Year Malik Bell at quarterback and lineman Tony Thurston, the State Defensive Player of the Year. But the cupboard is far from bare with the return of four-star linebacker Brandon Smith, one of the nation's most sought after recruits in the Class of 2019. Smith is rated #45 overall by Rivals.com.

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