Powhatan running back Ray Brown put Louisa County in a hole on the game’s opening drive. Thomas Mitchel’s 4-yard TD pass to Deon Drew in the back of the endzone dug it deeper. And Norris Goode’s 53-yard punt return for a score followed by a Nick Maiolo 40-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown were the nails in the coffin for the Lions as Powhatan tacked on one more late score for good measure to blow by Louisa County in the Region II semifinals, 35-0.
“It was a physical ball-game and we knew it was going to be,” said Indians coach Jim Woodson. “We knew we had to hit and we knew we were going to get hit. We knew that was coming and just executed on what we do. We have some flaws but we just do the best we can.”
The first pivotal play in the contest came on fourth and short at midfield with Powhatan looking to punt at midfield but a hard count drew Louisa offsides and from there, it was all Brown as he worked his team further down field before going for a 29-yard run to make it 7-0.
“We came out hard from the get-go,” Brown said. “After that, we never let up. We knew they came in to battle so it was up to us to battle too.”
The Indians then made it 14-0 on a drive after a Louisa turnover on downs at midfield on a lengthy drive capped with Drew’s catch while covered on a beautiful throw from Mitchel.
Turnovers haunted Louisa as a fake punt attempt went awry at midfield to give Powhatan a short field. But the Lions defense showed resolve going all the way into the fourth quarter, keeping the Indians offense from scoring from the 10-minute mark in the second all the way until Landen Bradley’s short touchdown run with 3:33 to play in the fourth, the fifth and final score of the game.
“It didn’t have nothing to do with lack of effort, heart,” said Louisa coach Jon Meeks. “We flew around and we hit. It’s just I think they had our number this year.”
A punt late in the third quarter broke a deadlock in the game as Goode fielded the ball at his team’s own 47, took a look up field, walked three steps back to allow his blockers to engage and then took off untouched through the middle of the field to find the endzone and make it 21-0. With the Lions needing a miracle to crawl back into the game, just the opposite happened on a fumble which Maiolo picked up and ran to the house to make the game 28-0.
Offensively the Lions threw the playbook at Powhatan and came away with nothing. Using running back Andre Mealy at quarterback for most of the game, but also putting usual quarterback Zack Jackson back there as well in addition to backup Michael Cook, nothing but running the ball with Mealy was ever effective. The Lions tried using an overloaded and offset offensive line, jet sweeps and even screen plays to halfback/lineman J.D. Dennis. Powhatan answered the call on all occasions, never letting the visitors into the redzone from start to finish.
Mealy, playing for the last time in a Louisa uniform had a monster game despite the outcome, finishing with 144 yards on the ground on 28 carries and a team high eight tackles including two for a loss. The senior and his fellow upper classmen became just the third Louisa team to win a Region II playoff game with last week’s overtime thriller over Sherando. The Lions lost all 11 starters on defense last year and eight on offense yet managed to advance just as far into the post season as the 2010 Jefferson District champion did.
“I think the world of this senior class,” Meeks said. “For them to come in and pick up where we left off, I think that speaks very highly of them. A lot of people doubted them. I think they took it personally. I’m proud of what they achieved. This is the third group in the history of the school to win a playoff game, and only six teams have ever made it.”
For Powhatan, Brown matched Mealy’s 5.1 yard-per-carry mark with 27 attempts and 138 yards. The Indians face Briar Woods in the Region II final next week.
