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Put your name on it: Louisa honors Fischer with field dedication

If you know Mark Fischer then you know that when it comes to Louisa County football and its rise under his reigns — the first time starting in 2003 through 2010 and then the continuation in his second stint starting in again in 2014 — it’s not about him. That’s not his style. But sometimes there’s no hiding.

 

The Louisa County school board on homecoming night against an undefeated Monticello squad decided that in Fischer’s last season as coach with the Lions that they should make this night a special one. So before Louisa rolled 62-21 against the Mustangs, during a packed ceremony, the school officially dedicated the field as “Mark L. Fischer Field” to make sure that the longtime man at the helm he knew just how much the County appreciate their coach.

 

“To be able to honor a gentleman, a coach and a man that has given so much to this community and so much to the school — the whole Lion nation is incredible because of him,” said Louisa County Superintendent Doug Straley.

 

Before becoming the head of Louisa County schools, Straley, then the athletic director at the school brought on Fischer. And since then the Lions have become a football school. In 2006 Fischer led the Lions to the then Group AA Division 4 state title game. In 2009 and 2010 the Lions made the then Region 4B playoffs. After spending three seasons in South Carolina, Fischer returned in 2014 and the Lions made three straight then Region 4A North playoff appearances. For former players like Jeff Mehlhaff, who was a senior quarterback for the Lions during that magical 2006 playoff run, attending the night with his old coach was both touching and nostalgic. Mehlhaff attended and played for Concord University, Fischer’s alma mater.

 

“I went to the school he went to and that’s the reason I went there,” Mehlhaff said. “He’s the one that made Louisa what is and so (tonight’s event) is well deserved and maybe overdue but I know it means the world to him. Just talking to him before you could see him getting a little emotional about it. But it also means to the world to everyone of his family and his players too. They’d all say it’s well deserved too so we’re all glad to see this happen.”

 

The ceremony before the game saw Fischer meet up with a slew of former players in attendance at a dinner by the side of the field. Afterwards Straley led a ceremony where the field was officially dedicated to Fischer with the coach standing side-by-side with his family as fireworks lit up the scoreboard with a new banner overhead reading “Mark L Fischer Field.” For Fischer, it was a special moment to be able to be honored by the community that he calls home.

 

“Sometimes it’s hard to, one, find your mission and purpose in life and two, find the place that’s the perfect place to live and raise your family, have the perfect job,” Fischer said. “I’ve just been blessed that I’ve had all of that. I was so lucky to be able to comeback and it’s my honor.”

 

Of course, such an event does create an interesting issue — the Lions still had a game to play. It was a busy week and an even busier day for the coach trying to figure out how to juggle things around.

 

“I had to categorize things in my brain, really be able to multitask,” Fischer said. “But when you get an opportunity and honor like this what do you do? You take it, you be humble and you make it work and be thankful.”

 

Obviously between the field dedication and it being homecoming, a lot was on the line for Louisa and Fischer knew the effect it would have on his players. For him, it was important to remind them that at the end of the day, this night would be about the result.

 

“They know how much is on the line in this one and they know they can’t be distracted by any of this,” Fischer said.

 

Ever the coach, Fischer dealt with the emotions of the dedication well before the game and then he inspired his staff and players to put together their most dominant showing this season in the Jungle on what is now his field.

 

Maybe one of his seniors put it best in the win, his 83rd at Louisa.

 

“This was about coach Fischer so it was an emotional night,” said Job Whalen. “We came out here and wanted to make a statement to the district but also to the state. We came out and we got the job done.”

 

And the man who hired him took it one step further after Whalen’s first touchdown of the game saw the senior sprint to an official to hand him the ball and the eight touchdowns the Lions had afterwards where the same thing was done very deliberately.

 

“Mark came here and won a lot of trophies but it’s not about that,” Straley said. “It’s about the class and dignity. He wants all of his student athletes to do things that way and be humble too. You watched tonight after each touchdown each player ran down an official to hand them the ball. That’s how they do it. It’s all business and that’s how Mark comes to work everyday. That’s the approach he has in everything he does and it’s paid dividends in this community. He’s just an incredible guy.”

 

And one with a well manicured field named after him. But don’t expect it to change his approach. Friday night’s field dedication was a giant thank you from Louisa County to Fischer. But you can bet that Fischer has a plan of thanking the community back — with some more wins before this season ends. That right there, is his style.

 

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