Louisa blasts CHS

MINERAL — On a cold, rainy October evening, Louisa County got a big lift on homecoming from senior Dillon Hollins and its running game, as the Lions rolled past visiting Charlottesville, 46-6, on Friday in a Jef-ferson District matchup.
Hollins filled in at quarterback for Kire’ Worley, who was under the weather, and found out shortly before game time that he would be getting the majority of the snaps. The 5-foot-8 captain ran for a score, threw for one, and on defense, ran back an interception for yet another touchdown to pave the way for the convincing Lions victory.
“We had to change some of the things we were doing, we didn’t practice any of that stuff all week really,” Louisa coach Mark Fischer said regarding Worley’s inabil-ity to play. “We put the three running backs in the backfield and said, ‘Let’s see what we’ve got.’ Dillon’s a gamer, he’s our captain, he’s our leader, and we go as he goes.”
“I expected to get a few reps,” added Hollins, who started for the Lions last year and has split time with Worley this season. “I’ve got to do whatever my team needs, I’ve got to be a leader and step up for them, so whatever they need I’m there for them.”
Running backs Anthony Hunter and Andre Mealy jumpstarted the Louisa rushing attack, as each ran for just under 100 yards. Mealy led the team with 96 yards on eight carries and a score, and Hunter added 95 yards on 14 carries.
In all, the Lions ran for over 250 yards, and the defense again put a clamp on the opponent’s run game, holding Charlottesville to just 16 yards on 27 carries.
Hollins got Louisa on the board first on a 10-yard scramble early in the first quarter to give his team a quick 7-0 lead. Charlottesville moved the ball down to the Lions’ 25 on the ensuing posses-sion, but could not con-vert on fourth-down and turned the ball over on downs. Louisa gave the ball right back, as Steve Allen recovered an Ernie Cross fumble, and the Black Knights were knocking on the door again.
Three plays later, Mealy tipped and inter-cepted Benj Wilhelm’s pass at the 25-yard line. The big plays on defense kept coming for Louisa with 1:48 left in the quarter, as Hollins — who also plays defensive back nabbed a CHS pass and took it 70 yards down the right sideline, and the Lions began to seize control.
Charlottesville an-swered on the first play of the second quarter, as wideout Adrian Thurston scored on a 56-yard pass from Wilhelm. The extra point failed, and the Knights trailed 14-6. On the next drive, Hunter made his presence felt with four gains of 10-plus yards, including an 11-yard touchdown run to push the lead back to double digits.
Louisa’s defense increased the pressure on Wilhelm, and got con-secutive sacks of the freshman by Hunter and Brandon Ornduff, fol-lowed by a C.J. Lambert interception.
“I thought our defense played phenomenal like we expected and hoped they would,” said Fischer. “I’m really pleased with the overall team effort tonight, Charlottesville’s a good football team, and we wanted to come out here and show that we were a good football team.”
Just over a minute into the second half, all hopes on the Charlottesville sideline deflated when Maurice Jackson threw a backwards lateral, and everyone thought the play was over. However, Louisa senior Ryan Bullock made a heads-up play and fell on the ball in the end zone for another defensive score.
Hollins hooked up with senior Brandon Payne on a pretty 29-yard touchdown strike late in the quarter to put the contest out of reach.
“We’ve overcome a lot,” said Hollins. “This team is more than capable of a deep playoff run. We have the talent, and everyone contributes, from the guys on the sidelines to the guys on the field; even the fans. Everybody plays a big part.”
To add insult to injury, Cross scooped up a Charlottesville fumble and took it 80 yards for six with 39 seconds to play.
With the win, Louisa keeps itself in the JD hunt with an overall 5-2 mark, and moves to 3-1 in league play, remaining a game back of Western Albemarle in the loss column. Charlottesville dropped its second straight, and the Black Knights now sit at 3-4, 2-2 in the Jefferson.
Up next for the Lions is a crucial test at Goochland (6-1, 3-1) next week, in a game that could make or break a postsea-son trip for either team.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” Fischer said. “Goochland is obviously a dynamite football team and [Bulldogs coach] Joe Fowler does a great job. Stopping their running game is going to be a huge challenge for us, and I hear they’re throw-ing the ball a lot better, too. So, we’ll get back to the drawing board in the morning.”