Stories

Program Definer: Albemarle football ends Louisa’s district win streak

Photo by John Berry

What’s a program-defining victory?

 

Handing reigning four-time Jefferson District champion Louisa County its first district loss since 2016 definitely qualifies.

 

“Louisa and Coach Patrick, they’re the gold standard of the district,” said Albemarle coach Brandon Isaiah. “My hat goes off to them and respect to them and for what they do. We knew to win this game, it wasn’t going to just be us coming out here and scoring touchdowns; it was going to be a dog fight.”

 

Albemarle’s defense forced four turnovers and held the Lions scoreless for the last three-and-a-half quarters. The offense uncorked a couple of big plays en route to two first-half touchdowns and a lead at the break. Special teams chipped in with a field-flipping punt and margin-extending field goal. In front of a wet and rowdy crowd, the Patriots thrilled the home side on senior night with a 23-7 triumph.

 

“They came out strong and fast, but we bounced right back,” said Albemarle quarterback Amaje Parker. “I think that’s what makes us a special team. The plan was to take what they gave us. It was just about what was working in that specific moment and I think we took advantage of every situation.”

 

The outcome was even more surprising considering how well things got started for the Lions, who received the opening kickoff and marched 80 yards in 11 plays, grinding the first four-plus minutes off the clock before Jordan Smith cashed in from a yard out. The defense halted Albemarle’s opening series just beyond midfield when Maleke Huntington intercepted Parker and returned it 35 yards deep into AHS territory.

 

So often over the last 31 games, district opponents would find themselves down two touchdowns before their fans even sat down with their hot dogs. But this time, senior linebacker Alex Freire stuffed Smith for a 2-yard loss after he caught Landon Wilson’s third-down pass. Louisa’s 42-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right to keep the score 7-0.

 

“We could have laid down, but these kids are different,” said Isaiah. “We have great leadership with our seniors and a nice sprinkling of young players with talent, and they just continued to play the game the way it played out. I’m just excited and proud to watch them go through those moments and win a tough game like that.”

 

The Lions’ defense answered with a stuff of their own when senior lineman Aiden Riley sacked Parker on third-and-5 to force a punt. Starting at their own 37, this time Louisa came out firing. On second down, Wilson targeted Chase Miller about 15 yards downfield, but the pass ricocheted off his helmet and traveled another 15 yards where senior defensive back Malik Washington made the pick as if he were fielding a punt. The Patriots needed only one play to convert the turnover into points: Parker launched down the left side for sophomore Noah Grevious on a go route, who was two steps beyond his single-coverage when he caught it at the 25 and won the race to the pylon for a 63-yard touchdown.

 

“We felt good about our quarterback being able to throw the football, and we felt good about our athletes,” said Isaiah. “We just want to give them opportunities to make plays. We felt that would give us an opportunity to get some running going.”

 

After a bad snap foiled the PAT, Louisa still led 7-6 as the first quarter ended. It was then back to the ground for the Lions, who ran eight times for 55 yards to reach the Albemarle 20 before a stuff, sack, and incomplete pass forced another long field goal attempt. This time, the 41-yard try missed wide to the left. The Patriots quickly seized all of the momentum when senior Eb McCarthy broke a run down the right side for a gain of 70. Four plays later, Parker grabbed the lead for Albemarle with a 2-yard keeper.

 

“Eb’s a stud; I think he’s the best back in the district,” said Isaiah. “This is senior night and he was hungry. What he did was no surprise to me and I was just excited to watch him do what he’s capable of doing.”

 

It was at this point in the second quarter that a deluge poured forth from above. Louisa was happy to pound it on the ground, rushing eight times for 46 yards to reach the Albemarle 29. However, trouble struck on ninth play when the ball squirted free and Washington recovered for the Patriots.

 

“In the first quarter, we had a little bit of trouble topping the run, but we made a few adjustments,” said junior linebacker Isaiah Grevious. “We put trust in our coaches and players to just go out and do what we know we can do.”

 

After a three-and-out, Louisa had one more chance to pull even before the break. Smith and Wilson traded runs to reach the Albemarle 27 with :01 left on the clock. Then, a pass to the endzone drew a rare pass interference penalty, giving the Lions an untimed down at the 12. They dialed up a gadget pass play starting with a handoff and pitch, but the Patriots thwarted it with a pick to keep their 13-7 advantage at halftime.

 

“We lacked execution and they played a tough, physical football game,” said Louisa coach Will Patrick. “They hit on two big explosion plays, the pass and the run. Other than that, I thought our defense played pretty well. We’ve got to get first downs. We’ve got to sustain blocks better and throw and catch the ball better.”

 

With the rain cleared out, Albemarle received the third quarter kickoff but could not get anything going through the air. After a holding penalty set them back, the series stalled but a 41-yard punt with no return effectively flipped the field. Louisa then embarked on one of their trademark 15-play, seven-minute-plus drives, but only reached the Albemarle 39. The Patriots stuffed Smith for a loss on fourth down to end it without points.

 

“We just had to hold stout and keep making them play, and our defense held up,” said Isaiah, as the Patriots’ defense allowed only 95 second-half yards. “We’ve had three shutouts this year and we were able to hold this great team to seven points. I think it just speaks volumes about them and my coaching staff. I’m lucky to have them and their hard work and what they’re doing with these kids is paying dividends for our program.” 

 

Now in no hurry with a six-point lead, Albemarle came back with a six-minute drive stretching well into the fourth quarter. Although the Lions stiffened in the red zone, Wyatt Raymond nailed a 26-yard field goal to open a two-possession margin (16-7) for the Patriots with 8:24 remaining.

 

Louisa’s hopes of battling back were dashed after picking up a first down at the Albemarle 33. The ensuing sequence included an incomplete pass, holding penalty, sack, and delay of game penalty. With 3:39 left, Noah Grevious all but sealed things by intercepting Chase Miller on  third-and-29 in the Lions’ second gadget passing play of the night.

 

“I don’t usually play defense, but I was showing my heart today and I got on the defensive side of the ball,” said Grevious. “I saw [Wilson] looking this way, but then he looked it off and went back to the other side [to Miller on the lateral]. Then I just went up and got it.”

 

McCarthy rounded out the scoring with an 11-yard touchdown after Louisa’s next series ended with a turnover on downs. He led the Patriots with 142 yards on 15 carries. Parker added 39 yards on eight rushes and completed 4-of-11 passes for 80 yards.

 

For Lousia, Smith finished with a game-high 170 yards on 31 rushes. Wilson picked up 103 yards on 23 attempts and completed 5-of-11 passes for 22 yards.

 

“You learn from a loss more than you ever learn from a win,” said Patrick. “We’ve won so many games the past few years, it’s tough teaching kids how to handle adversity. We’ll take this and get better.”

 

With a three-way tie atop the district standings, Albemarle (7-2, 5-1) wraps up the regular season next Friday at Fluvanna (2-7, 1-5), while Louisa (7-2, 5-1) travels to Goochland (5-4, 3-3).

Comments

comments