GOOCHLAND—The mere thought of staring down a formidable opponent in the red zone can strike fear in the hearts of even the staunchest defenders. Not at Goochland, though. In fact, the big guys who suit up in the Bulldogs’ 3-5-3 alignment live for just those situations. “It makes us crazy,“ said Austin Jordan, a 6-0, 230-pound senior who anchors the front three.

Goochland High School grew enough in recent years to move up in its Virginia High School League classification from Group A, Division 2 to Group AA, Division 3. According to the VHSL division breakdown, Goochland is the second-smallest Division 3 school in Region II. Three schools in the Jefferson District, Goochland’s new league, scheduled the Bulldogs as homecoming opponents.

Charlottesville————————————- 10 11 21
Louisa————————————- 25 25 25
Highlights: Courtney Buchholz (L) 2 aces, 1 kill
Records: Charlottesville n/r; Louisa 2-2 Jefferson, 6-4

Louisa————————————- 25 25 17 25  Orange————————————- 13 17 25 21
  Highlights: Shannon Bodkins (L) 19 assists, 4 aces.
  Records: Louisa 1-2 Jefferson District, 5-4; Orange n/a

For the second time in as many weeks, Louisa’s C.J. Lambert ran back the opening kickoff for a touchdown and the Lions (2-0) won. Rashawn Jackson put points on the board for Louisa by forcing a safety, scooping up a fumble recovery for a TD and blocking a punt which was covered by Brandon Payne in the end zone. Ashton Dixon scored on a 30-yard pass from Elijah Dailed for Spotsylvania (0-2).

CULPEPER—Elijah Payne booted a 23-yard field goal on fourth down with five seconds remaining in the game to give Louisa a victory in its season opener. Payne had missed two extra points earlier. C.J. Lambert returned the opening kickoff 65 yards to give Louisa the lead. Dillon Hollins rushed for two touchdowns and completed eight of 16 passes for 104 yards.

Louisa————————————- 25 25 19 25
Spotsylvania————————————- 17 17 25 16 Highlights: Courtney Buchholz (L) 13 for 13 serving, 1 ace; Emily R. Seay (L) 21 for 21 serving, 4 aces; Kerrie Chisholm (L) 9 kills Records: Louisa 4-2; Spotsylvania 0-5

Goochland 176, Louisa 194 (9 holes, Richmond Country Club, par 36)
  G: O’Connell 36, Dankos 46, Smith 46, Pecht 48 L: Lloyd 39, Perrin 42, Dube 56, Guill 57

Cumberland————————————- 12 20 11
Louisa————————————- 25 25 25
Highlights: Kerrie Chisholm (L) 6 aces, 6 assists, 5 kills; Courtney Buchholt (L) 13 of 13 serving, 2 aces
Records: Cumberland n/r; Louisa 3-2

FLUVANNA 69, LOUISA 60  FLUVANNA (2-10 Jefferson, 6-15)  Farina 26, Anderson 12, Jackson 11, Zeek 6, Fletcher 4, Shepherd 3, Scott 3, Price 2, Rigsby 1, Miller 1, Burton 0, Hintle 0, Gooch 0, Foster 0, Harris 0, Tinsley 0. Totals 24 19-31 69.  LOUISA (0-12, 2-19) Cassell 23, And. Hunter 17, Ant. Hunter 7, Dyrd 6, Payne 6, Lambert 1, Perrin 0, White 0, Schindelbeck 0. Totals 22 11-15 60.

MONTICELLO 77, LOUISA 70

MONTICELLO (4-6 Jefferson, 7-9) Pelton 20, Glover 14, Conway 13, Banks 11, Archer 7, Boling 4, Grey 2, Johnson 2, Irving 2, Whitehead 2, Brown 0. Totals 26 19-30 77.
LOUISA (2-10, 2-17) And. Hunter 19, Cassell 17, Riddick 15, Ant. Hunter 8, Lambert 6, Byrd 4, Perrin 1, Payne 0, White 0. Totals 28 12-19 70.
Monticello————————————- 20 20 18 19—77
Louisa————————————- 26 11 17 18—70

LOUISA 57, POWHATAN 30  LOUISA (n/a)  Robinson 18, Whitlock 2, Howard 0, Taylor 0, Castle 6, Jeffery 2, Morris 14, Lee 4, Quarles 8, Whindleton 3. Totals 26 2-11 57.  POWHATAN (6-3) Dalton 0, Hawkins 1, Stowers 0, Washington 0, Harrison 0, Livermon 8, Harris 2, Hinden 4, Davis 6, Deleon 9. Totals 11 7-8 30.

LOUISA 63, GOOCHLAND 53  LOUISA (n/r)  Cassell 5, Johnson 11, Wynn 19, Ant. Hunter 4, And. Hunter 11, Lambert 2, Bird 0, Riddick 11. Totals 22 19-31 63.  GOOCHLAND (5-4) Turner 0, Henry 14, Morris 14, Harris 0, Johnson 4, Sampson 11, Henley 2, Ezell 6, Athey 2, Eby 0. Totals 23 3-6 53.  Louisa———————————— 14 17 15 17—63

SPOTSYLVANIA 71, LOUISA 67
LOUISA Johnson 22, Riddick 17, Cassell 14, And. Hunter 8, Dyrd 3, Payne 2, Ant. Hunter 2, Perrin 0, Lambert 0. Totals 25 16-20 67.
SPOTSYLVANIA Carter 19, Wright-Minor 17, Lewis 15, Tyler 8, Nelson 7, Johnson 5, Payne 0, Smith 0, Griffin 0, Lewis 0. Totals 29 10-16 71.
Louisa 21 13 9 24—67
Spotsylvania 17 13 17 24—71

After eight years of trying, Julian-Blake Cowan won his first USA Track & Field National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championship yesterday in Mechanicsville.