Everything Counted: Louisa County knocks off Midlothian in Region 5C quarterfinals

By Bart Isley / Scrimmageplaycva.com Publisher

Louisa County's Dyzier Carter scored a touchdown, caught four passes and fought through cramps to kick a pair of crucial punts for the Lions.

Photo Gallery from Louisa versus Midlothian

It was Louisa County junior cornerback Aiden Shaw getting his first interception of the season at a critical juncture of the second half and senior Luke Rowan nabbing another pick shortly thereafter. It was a play that hadn’t been called in weeks working for a big gain from Caleb Brady to tight end Gavin Anderson. It was sophomore linebacker Raymond Rentz breaking up a pass. It was Dyzier Carter fighting through leg cramps to hobble on and off the field to kick a pair of crucial fourth quarter punts to keep the Lions’ defense from facing extremely challenging field position situations.

And it was a banged up Savion Hiter rushing for 189 yards and two touchdowns on 20 touches. 

“Every thing mattered,” Louisa coach Will Patrick told his team in the postgame huddle. 

It was literally every little piece of the puzzle coming together for No. 5-seeded Louisa County Friday night to beat No. 4 Midlothian in the Region 5C quarterfinals and advance to the region semis.

“It was an old school football game – it was cold, muddy, wet and the boys just came out, stuck together and played hard,” Patrick said. “We’ve come a long way since 0-2.”

Midlothian jumped out early with a methodical, six-minute clock grinding touchdown drive. Louisa responded quickly with Hiter breaking off an 80-yard run up the middle on the opening play. The Lions missed the PAT and trailed 7-6 before the Trojans extended their lead with a field goal. That’s when Carter went to work, hauling in a long pass from Brady before slipping in from a yard out on a direct snap to put the Lions up 13-10. Brady finished 7-for-10 for 144 yards, with Carter catching four balls for 81 yards.

Midlothian continued the back-and-forth first half with a 10-play, 92-yard drive capped by a touchdown pass from Tyler Snead to Donovan Dolla that put Midlothian up 16-13. Louisa wasn’t done though, with Hiter ripping off a 35-yard touchdown run with just under a minute left in the second half to take a 20-16 lead. 

The Lions stalled on the opening drive of the second half but Aiden Shaw picked off a pass on the next possession and halted Midlothian’s momentum. That’s when Patrick dialed up the throw from Brady to a wide-open Anderson to set up Lavartrell Casey for an 18-yard touchdown run and a 27-16 lead in the third quarter. 

“Those (Shaw and Rowan’s) are huge interceptions, they gave the momentum right back to us,” Patrick said. “Aiden Shaw and Luke Rowan stepped up big, I’m just so proud of my team and my coaches, it’s always hard on the road.”

The Lions kept turning to players outside their superstar tandem of Hiter and Carter and Jayden Seaberry cashed in with a 17-yard touchdown later in the third quarter to push the Louisa lead to 34-23. From there, the Lions got help from Carter’s two punts from his own endzone and Rowan’s interception. 

“Dyzier was a little banged up and he went out there and punted for me – that shows what kind of team player he is,” Patrick said.

Louisa then managed the clock and got a missed field goal from the Trojans with five minutes left to maintain a two-score lead and eventually hold on for the 34-23 victory. 

The Lions now get an opportunity to play for a spot in the Region 5C championship Friday when they hit the road to take on William Fleming. The Lions last played for a region title back in 2017 during their state runner-up season.