Louisa falls on the road

GOOCHLAND — Goochland used its staunch defense – which came up with a pair of goal-line stands — to get past rival Louisa County in an important Jefferson District matchup on Friday night.

The Bulldogs came up with big plays on defense all night, including an interception return for a touchdown to secure a 28-7 victory, their fourth straight win and sole possession of second place in the Jefferson District.

“I can’t say enough good things about our defensive coaches,” said an elated Goochland coach Joe Fowler after the game. “The offense kept us in it, but it was a defensive game and the defense won it for us tonight.”

Louisa (5-3, 3-2 JD) was able to move the ball effectively on its opening possession with nice runs from Anthony Hunter, Rayshawn Jackson and Andre Mealy to get the ball down to the 2-yard line. However, on fourth down, Goochland thwarted the drive.

The Bulldogs (7-1, 4-1) carried that momentum into the second quarter, and with Louisa driving again, the home team came up with another stop on fourth down.

Goochland, fueled by a 20-yard run by Willie Ezell, took six plays to score on Dustin Plummer’s 14-yard touchdown.

Two plays later, the Bulldogs were back in the end zone thanks to Ezell, who picked off a Kire’ Worley pass and ran it back 15 yards for the score. Goochland took the 14-0 lead into halftime, but not before the Lions drove deep into the Bulldogs’ territory. And again, Goochland came up with a big stop on the goal line as the visitors’ drive stalled.

“You get in the [red zone] that many times and don’t score, you’re not going to win. That was the difference in the game,” Louisa coach Mark Fischer said. “They won the battle up front — it’s that simple. They outcoached us — I give all the credit to coach Fowler [and his staff]. They came out here and played a great football game and I didn’t do a good enough job getting our guys ready.”

Late in the third quarter, the Bulldogs capitalized on good field position following a botched punt by Louisa. With the short field, it took just two plays to reach the end zone as Plummer raced up the middle for a 3-yard TD and Goochland extended its lead to 21-0. The junior running back paced GHS with 64 yards on 10 carries.

The Lions, aided by a pretty 24-yard pass play from Worley to Jackson, moved the ball into Goochland territory on their next drive. But the visitors had to fight for yardage inside the 5-yard line. On third down, Worley made it in for the TD from three yards out to cut the lead to two touchdowns.

But after Louisa failed to convert on fourth down on its following possession, Goochland took advantage, using one play — a 3-yard touchdown from Desmond Athey — to seal the win.

“A lot of things went our way tonight and I’m the first to admit that. A couple breaks here and there and it could be a completely different ballgame,” said Fowler, whose team likely earned a spot in the Group AA playoffs with the win. “We feel very fortunate to get out of here with a win against a great football team like Louisa.”

Goochland travels to William Monroe next Friday, while Louisa plays host to Monticello.