This past Friday, the varsity football had their last regular season game at Goochland making  the evening tension-filled in more than one way.

  The stands were packed and the crowd was noisy as Louisa aimed for their 5th consecutive Jefferson District Champion title, while playing against a border rival team for the first time over a decade.

   “It’ll be interesting to play against some of the people that I know,” said senior Jordan Smith, prior to the game.

  While Louisa and Goochland are friendly cross-county rivals, the game showed to be more intense for some of the players.

   “It’s heated during the game because it gets personal, but after we’re still all friends,” said junior Landon Wilson. 

  The rivalry comes from these very friendships, making for an interesting evening.

   “I couldn’t get a smile off my face because I knew everybody on the field from both teams — it was just a special game,” said senior Hunter Atkinson, who is a former Goochland student. 

  The game’s final score was 31-10, granting Louisa their fifth consecutive district title, which they shared in a three-way tie with Albemarle High and Western Albemarle High. With the regular season over, Louisa will move forward to compete in the regional playoffs this coming Thursday against E.C. Glass. 

 After a loss against Albemarle High School, Louisa had fuel to win back their title. The game on Friday was a tense one, however after letting one touchdown slide, Louisa locked down and dominated the duration of the game. 

    “I honestly think going out with the win in the regular season will make us better and give us a better edge when we play EC Glass this week,” said Atkinson.