Mark Fischer is convinced that he did something to anger mother nature. When it’s not the rain it’s the heat — and his team is itching to play. After more than two weeks of drills Louisa County finally got a chance to suit up against an opponent, as they scrimmaged for two quarters against William Campbell and Heritage at Monticello on Friday night.
“It’s a great opportunity” Fischer said. “It’s real world experience and a chance for the team to see the payoff for all those things we’ve been talking about in practice.”
Against the Generals, The Lions looked a bit shaky on defense to start the night, but from that point forward they were dominant on both sides of the ball. Widely considered a run exclusive team, quarterback Kire Worley and freshman receiver Raheem Johnson connected early for a long touchdown to showcase a more-than-capable Louisa passing attack.
Worley also showed poise under pressure, checking down to receivers when in trouble and also flashing his ability as a runner. On his team’s fourth drive of the game, Worley was nearly pulled to the ground in the backfield by his facemask but somehow snuck out of it, rolled to his right, trampled a pair of Campbell defenders, then slipped to the edge of the field and worked his way down to the 1-yard line for a 40-yard gain.
“(That first defender), when I saw him I was about to juke but said why not just run him over instead,” Worley said.
His coach was as impressed with the play as the Louisa fan base.
“The kid is a baller,” Fischer said. “He came out of the womb ready to play football.”
Anthony Hunter and Andre Mealy looked sharp in the rushing attack. Mealy showed his skills as a bruising back while Hunter’s speed to the outside was good enough for a trio of long bursts. Hunter also cashed in out of the goalline formation with a pair of short touchdowns. Rayshawn Jackson also got in on the action, breaking off a long run during the Lions’ first series. From start to finish the Louisa offensive line absolutely punished the out-sized Generals.
Defensively, the Lions’ secondary gave up one big play but buckled down after that. Louisa dominated the line of scrimmage and was able to force a safety during its third series after a sack and a forced fumble.
The Lions open up their season in two weeks against Eastern View.
