Fluvanna rallies in the second half, but a late interception seals Louisa’s win
By Duncan Nixon
This is what high school football is all about: the Fluvanna County Flucos and neighboring Louisa County Lions, both 3-0 coming in, battling under the Friday night lights before a lively crowd of home and visiting fans.
That the outcome was still in doubt with just two minutes on the clock made it even more special.
The Flucos took the opening kick-off and went three-and-out. After the Flucos punted, the Lions marched 78 yards for the first of many touchdowns in the game.
Fluvanna answered with a 69-yard drive. The big play was a 30-yard pass from senior quarterback Jack Pace to senior wide receiver Brody Shields to the 9-yard line. Pace then hit Shields in the back of the end zone on fourth down, and the PAT by Matteo Viscardi was good for a 7-7 score.
The Lions responded, scoring in three plays, and the first quarter ended with a 14-7 Lions lead.
The second quarter started with the Flucos on the march. The big play was a pass from Pace to junior “Crumbs” Loving. Senior running back Garrett Jordan punched it in for the tying touchdown with 10:11 left in the half.
Unfortunately for the Flucos, the Lions’ offense was impressive; they scored a touchdown with 6:23 remaining in the half and scored again with six seconds left. Extra points were good after both TDs, and the Lions took a 28-14 lead into halftime.
The Flucos did not fold. They forced the Lions to punt on the second-half opener. On Fluvanna’s third play from scrimmage, Jordan shook off a couple of attempted tackles and broke free for a 53-yard touchdown run.
Louisa answered on its first play from scrimmage. A sweep to the right went all the way for a touchdown, pushing the lead back to two touchdowns.
The Flucos came right back. With 4:53 left in the third quarter, Pace found Shields in the back of the end zone again. The extra-point attempt failed, leaving Fluvanna down 35-27 at the end of the quarter.
On the second play of the fourth quarter, Louisa caught a break. Two Fluco defenders contested a long pass to a Lions receiver, and an interception looked possible. Instead, the ball popped into the air and landed in the receiver’s hands. Louisa had first-and-goal and scored to make it 42-27 with 9:18 left.
Fluvanna drove downfield once more. Under heavy pressure at the 9-yard line, Pace lofted a pass toward the front of the end zone, where Shields made a diving catch for the Flucos’ fifth touchdown. A successful two-point conversion cut Louisa’s lead to seven.
The Lions took the ensuing kickoff and tried to run out the clock, but two holding penalties left them facing fourth-and-23. They punted, and a favorable bounce pinned the Flucos at their own 1-yard line with 2:27 remaining.
Jordan broke a run to the Fluvanna 48. A pass to Loving then moved the Flucos to the Louisa 46 with 36 seconds left, keeping a tying touchdown within reach.
But a pass over the middle slipped off the receiver’s hand and was intercepted by Louisa, ending Fluvanna’s comeback bid.
After the game, Coach Michell Pace said it was a tough loss. Nevertheless, a 3-1 start, including a road win over a once-defeated Buckingham County squad, is impressive.
The Flucos are now in the Jefferson District portion of their schedule. On Oct. 2, they travel to Western Albemarle. They then host Monticello High on Oct. 9, in their homecoming game.
After away games at Orange County and Charlottesville, they return home for their Senior night contest against Goochland County on Oct. 30. The final game of the regular season will be at Albemarle High.
