MHS, LCHS vie for hold on JD

Another week, and another Jefferson District showdown.
This time, Monticello faces off against Louisa County. Both teams are unbeaten in district play and like last week, the game has major postseason implications.
Last year the Mustangs beat the Lions handily, but Louisa is a different team from a year ago.
Even so, Louisa coach Mark Fischer knows Monticello, the defending Group AA, Division 3 state champion, is the team to beat.
“They’re a fine-tuned machine. They’re what everybody aspires to be consistently because they’re never down,” Fischer said. “They go through everything that everybody else seems to go through, but they just don’t seem to take a step backwards. That’s a credit to them. Us and Orange are always nipping at their heels, always trying to emulate them and get to that status. But we seem to take a step back somewhere along the line. We just can’t maintain that consistency.”
But so far this year, the Lions have been consistent, compiling a 4-1 record. Last week, Louisa secured its first district win after beating Western Albemarle.
Interestingly, the teams have a common opponent — Powhatan.
Louisa shut out the Indians (21-0) early in September, while Powhatan handed Monticello its only loss thus far a couple of weeks ago. But Fischer said that contest shouldn’t be the barometer for how his team will fare tonight.
“I think we just got the luck of the draw,” Fischer said of the win over Powhatan. I don’t think they’re the same Powhatan team now that they were when they played us. Nobody can convince me that Powhatan was that bad that night. I’d like to think that all three of us are right there with each other at that level. I don’t think if we played Powhatan 10 times, we’d get the same result.”
Monticello showed its strength last week as it dispatched Orange County 44-13. The Mustangs had a big night from quarterback Michael Graham, who is impressing many with his arm as well as his feet. But the Mustangs aren’t taking this game lightly.
“We’ve just got to come out prepared to play and not fall asleep on them,” Monticello junior Khiry Washington said. “We can’t go out there like that.”
The game will be a good test for the Lions, which advanced to the state championship game in 2006.
“We love playing them because it’s such a fun rivalry. This year, they’re up there again, and we’re trying to climb back up,” Fischer said. “It’s a great measuring stick for us to see if we’re at that level yet, or in that neighborhood.
“They thumped us last year, and deservedly so. They were a whole lot better than us and we want to see if they’re still that much better than us.”