By Logan Riddick / Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
Louisa’s home opener in the Jungle featured the usual fireworks, cannons, and an assortment of lion mascots (two of which were live in cages), but the packed home grandstand grew unusually quiet by the middle of the second quarter.
The visitors from Courtland proved superior in the showdown of predatory cats in Class 4A North, as the Cougars notched their first win of the season with an emphatic 42-7 triumph in Mineral.
“If we want to be a true, proven ball club, we’re going to have to overcome some adversity; hectic crowds, and things like that,” said Courtland coach JC Hall. “We did a good job handling that tonight. I think we took the crowd out of the game.”
It started well enough for Louisa. The Lions received the opening kickoff and drove 52 yards in 15 plays, converting a 4th-and-3 and two third downs before junior quarterback Trey Cherry scored from six yards out on a keeper. However, Courtland responded and went on to score touchdowns on each of its first four possessions while holding Louisa to 20 total yards over its next three series.
First, sophomore quarterback Jabari Allen hit senior Chase Timmons for a 47-yard catch and run score. The Cougars kept the ball on the ground in their Wing-T attack over their next two series, capped with touchdown runs by sophomore George Cheetham (15 yards) and Anton Jenkins (6 yards).
“They broke a lot of tackles. I felt like we were right position; very frequently we were there,” said Louisa coach Jon Meeks. “They do have some good running backs and they run that ball hard. They don’t go down on arm tackles. You’ve got to get a pad on them, and we did too much reaching and arm (tackling) and they ran right through them.”
Then, the Cougars delivered a dagger as the Lions were driving in Courtland territory when senior lineman Josh Glover scooped an errant Louisa snap and returned it 63 yards into the redzone. Three plays later, Allen found senior Lorin Lee with a 13-yard scoring pass.
“I was the first one to the ball and I just saw grass; I just started running as fast as I could,” said Glover. “It felt awesome. It was big play in the game and helped give us that extra boost to just finish them off.”
Coming back from halftime down 28-7 and forced to kickoff, Louisa successfully executed an onsides kick. However, the Lions’ drive stalled at the Cougar 30 with an illegal substitution penalty on fourth and four, compounded by an unsportsmanlike conduct flag. Drew Goad gave the offense another shot by recovering a Courtland fumble, but a botched shotgun snap cost the Lions 21 yards, followed by a fumbled pitch which Allen, also playing defensive back for the Cougars, recovered.
“We moved the ball tonight, but had two big, costly turnovers,” said Meeks. “We’ve just got to stop getting the big penalties, stop turning the ball over, and [fix] the center-quarterback exchange.”
Pinned at their own six late in the third quarter, another errant shotgun snap by the Lions bounced through the back of the end zone for a safety. Courtland tacked on two fourth quarter touchdowns with runs from Jenkins (12 yards) and Joe Tyson (7 yards) to round out the scoring.
“We controlled the clock, pounded the rock, and that’s what we live by,” said Hall. “I think us being battle-tested early [with games against 5A Massaponax and 6A Riverbend] is helping us. I believe that it has toughened us up and made us focus more. We were 0-2 and no one wants to be 0-3.”
Courtland amassed 265 yards rushing, led by Jenkins’ 87 yards on 13 carries and Cheetham’s 92 yards on eight attempts. The Cougars’ stable of running backs also afforded opportunities for sophomore Victor Greene (8 carries, 35 yards) and Tyson (9 carries, 49 yards). Allen added 60 yards going 2-for-5 through the air, with both completions for touchdowns.
“We’ve got a lot more firepower [than previous years],” Hall said. “We’ve got an offensive backfield that’s three-quarters sophomores. We’ve got a two-headed monster at fullback and some threats on the perimeter, although we didn’t have to utilize that too much tonight.”
Meanwhile, the Lions’ ground attack accumulated just 147 net yards. Senior Markel Groomes rushed 21 times for 74 yards, while Deion Johnson carried 14 times for 51 yards. Cherry completed five of 12 pass attempts for 54 yards, and also rushed 11 times for 53 yards.
Louisa (1-1) hits the road next Friday to face King George (2-1), another 4A North opponent. Courtland (1-2) hosts 6A Stafford (0-3).
