By Duncan Nixon
Correspondent
After completing an undefeated regular season of play, the Fluco JV football team was matched against the Louisa Lions in the Jefferson District JV Championship game, at home on Nov. 11. The Flucos and the Lions appeared to be very evenly matched as the game progressed. The Flucos ended up with a 20-14 win. The Flucos scored all of their points in the second quarter. The first quarter was scoreless.
On the first play of the second quarter, with the Flucos on their 47 yard line, sophomore quarterback Jack Pace threw a well placed swing pass to freshman running back Jacob Loving that moved the ball all the way to the Louisa seven yard-line. Sophomore running back Garrett Jordan ran it into the end zone. The point after kick attempt was blocked and the Flucos led 6-0. Louisa responded quickly marching down field on the ground to score their first touchdown with 6:26 left in the half. Their extra point kick was good and the Flucos trailed 7-6.
The Flucos bounced right back, in the same fashion, running the ball successfully down the field and scoring to go ahead on a 17 yard run by Jordan. A two-point conversion attempt was thwarted, so the score with 2:40 left in the half was Fluvanna 12 and Louisa 7. Louisa moved the ball well, and time was running down. Fluco sophomore defensive-back Caleb Brent intercepted a Lions’ pass and returned it to the Louisa 23 yard line. With 1.2 seconds on the clock an unusual play transpired. Pace threw into the end zone and the Lions intercepted. The Lions’ defensive back tried to run it out of the end zone. He was hit and fumbled. Fluco freshman Caleb Ray fell on the ball in the end zone for a Fluco touchdown. With time in the first half expired, the Flucos went for a two-point conversion, and succeeded on a run by Loving. The half time score was Fluvanna 20 and Louisa 7.
Virtually the entire third quarter was taken up by the Lions drive after receiving the second half kick-off. The quarters in JV games are 10 minutes rather than 12 minutes as in varsity games. The Fluco defense was good, but also not so good. The Flucos forced three fourth down attempts, but the Lions converted on all three. With 42 seconds left in the third quarter, the Lions punched it in for their second touchdown. Their extra point kick was good and the score after three quarters was Fluvanna 20 Louisa 14.
The Flucos moved the ball early in the fourth quarter but were ultimately stopped on the Louisa 21 when a fourth down pass was incomplete. Louisa moved the ball down field on the ground as time was running down. With only 21 seconds left on the clock, another unusual play occurred that again benefited the Flucos. The Lions quarterback, running for the endzone, fumbled the ball forward into the end zone. By rule, this was a touchback giving the ball to the Flucos at the 20 yard line. A Fluco kneel-down ended the game.
The head coach of the Fluco JV squad, in his second year, is Josh Barringer, an instructional aide at Fluvanna’s alterative high school. He has coached the JV team to two successive titles. He explains his success as based on lining up players in their best positions and then, practice, practice and more practice.
