Friday Night Lights returned to Louisa as the Lions hit the field for their first home game of the season, the annual Big Cat Classic against Courtland. The team had already found success in their 30-0 victory over Huguenot, and secured another win against Courtland. The Lions lived up to their expectations, leaving Courtland behind with a score of 45-20. 

  Junior quarterback Landon Wilson participated on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. Wilson was able to pick off two passes on defense, and ran a 60 yard fourth-quarter touchdown, while also passing 6-for-8 for 139 yards. 

  Wilson said being a quarterback gives him an upper hand on defense; “I know a lot of route concepts and where the receivers are going to be and I also know the thought process of the quarterback.”

   Running two touchdowns from the two and three yardline, fullback Troy Fischer was able to excel on the offensive end as well. 

  “It is always a good feeling to help out the team and put points on the board,” Fischer said.

  Running back Jordan Smith played a key role in the offense’s ability to run the ball, contributing two touchdowns, one from 13 yards, the other from 60. Smith also caught a 46 yard touchdown pass, leaving him with a total of 130 all purpose yards for the night.

  Sophomore Christian Johnson was also able to step up for the team, filling in the role of middle linebacker for injured Stephen Dean. Throughout the game, the stadium roared, cheering in The Jungle at max capacity for the first time since 2019. Additionally, the Louisa Loonies returned, bringing plenty of noise to the game. 

  “It was nice and loud out there, everybody was hype and made noise like we needed them too,” said Johnson. 

  The Lions return to The Jungle this Friday, September 10th to face King George.