With it being a one possession game, all Mark Fischer wanted was another first down to grind the clock, and on third and long, Andre Mealy made his coach a happy man. And then he did it again. And then Anthony Hunter got in on the mix.
Their timing was perfect.
The Louisa ground game looked good at the start of the game, but after fading for a bit, it was back late in the fourth quarter and at its best despite Eastern View knowing what was coming on every play. The two running backs were able to work the clock down from five minutes and change down to 30 seconds, and most importantly, add much needed and appreciated insurance as Hunter’s second rushing touchdown of the game, a 3-yarder that put Louisa out in front for good, 21-7.
“I was real proud of the character these guys showed out there because that’s a darn good football team we played,” Fischer said. “I don’t know what else I can say other than that that was great character the boys showed.”
The Lions jumped on the Cyclones early in the first half, but after a muffed punt inside their own 10 yard line, suddenly the game took a more competitive tone. Down by 14 with six minutes remaining, Drayton Shanks made it a seven-point game when he scored on a 1-yard run. That wound up setting the table for the Lions’ big fourth quarter drive.
Facing third and nine, Mealy took a carry up the middle and bounced off an Eastern View defender before carrying another essentially on his back for 10 yards. Just a short while later, Mealy broke loose for 17 yards. Then it was Hunter’s turn to move the chains, and he did as he picked up 19 yards and the big touchdown on his last four carries.
“That meeting (Mealy) and that linebacker had was collasal and to Andre’s credit he just went forward,” Fischer said of Mealy’s big third down conversion. “I’m a lucky fellow to have these kind of kids playing football for me.”
The first two scores came in the game’s first 15 minutes as Louisa marched all the way down the field on the opening kickoff, which Hunter capped with a 2-yard touchdown run.
Early in the second, the Lions worked their way down the field again, and this time Rayshawn Jackson got the job done with a 15-yard touchdown reception from Kire Worley.
From that point on, it was sloppy for both sides. Worley had the Lions poised to add to their lead late in the second quarter after he tore loose on a 53-yard run down the sidelines. But a penalty pushed them back and they were unable to squeeze any points out of the opportunity.
Eastern View also gave the Lions a pair of gifts, one of which swung the momentum. The Cyclones snapped a ball over quarterback Simon Pendleton’s head, allowing defensive lineman DeAngelo Johnson to recover it. However, no turnover was more costly than the mistake Eastern View made in the fourth quarter. After Pendleton was knocked out of the game, receiver Carl Lacy stepped in at quarterback and helped his team get all the way down to Louisa’s 1-yard line by working the ball to playmakers in Shanks and VJ Ivory. But Louisa linebacker Brandon Ornduff stuffed the Cyclones at the doorstep of the endzone and forced the ball loose before recovering it.
The Lions then went three and out and endured the results of the tough punt before securing the win.
All game long, the Eastern View passing attack threw a tough test towards a relatively inexperienced defensive backfield. But while Shanks was able to pile up the yardage, he was not able to do so in big chunks and as Louisa succesfuly employed a ‘bend but do not break mentality.’
“What a great test,” Fischer said. “Most of us would give our teeth for (receivers) like that. They’ve got four of them and our guys stepped up, (Hunter) and (Jackson) on those guys in coverage inside. That was scary and we got beat a couple of times, but we kept them in front of us and that was the message all week — keep them in front of you, don’t let them hit the homerun.”
Shanks had 81 yards on eight catches white Carl Lacy had 24 yards on four receptions.
For Louisa, Hunter led the rushing attack with 104 yards on 17 carries. Worley had 78 yards after 10 attempts. Mealy finished with 44 yards on 9 touches while Jackson churned out 35 yards on his four rushing chances. On defense, Chris Colvin led the team with seven and a half tackles, three of which were for a loss.
Before the game the Lions spoke with cancer-stricken teammate Josh Campi which provided plenty of inspiration. The team took the field with Campi’s younger brother, Zach, leading the way after a flag was raised in the older Campi’s honor. The team’s “Fists up for Campi” campaign was carried out wholeheartedly by its fans. The Louisa faithful was asked to raise a fist before each kickoff for Campi, and they more than happy to oblige all game long.
Louisa (1-0) travels to Spotsylvania on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
