Leesburg, Va. — It didn’t take long for the Loudoun County High School football team to get on the board when they hosted rival Tuscarora High School under the Friday Night Lights. The Captains scored on three of their first seven offensive plays of the game to jump out to a 21-0 lead before the end of the first quarter. Before the half was over the lead had ballooned to 42-0, before the Captains backups got valuable playing time in the second half to defeat their rival Huskies and celebrate their homecoming, 42-14, on September 26 in Leesburg.
“The three or four years of experience for some of these guys, when you play in that many games, you make a million mistakes, but you also grow from those mistakes,” Loudoun County head coach Matt Reidenbaugh said. “Also, these guys are great friends, so there’s always belief in each other. They’ve been a great group to coach.”
On the first offensive play of the game, Loudoun County senior running back Montez Dyson made a cut and dashed 15 yards for a first down. Just two plays in, Dyson broke free and beat the defense 50 yards downfield for the score.
“We just wanted to play our style of ball: run strong and play hard on defense,” Dyson said. “We just wanted to keep our foot on the gas the whole game.”
It didn’t take long for the Captains’ air attack to get involved as on the second play of the next series, senior quarterback Jake Miller connected with senior receiver Luke Morrison for 16 yards and a first down. On the very next play, Miller aired another one out to Morrison, who hauled in the 48-yard touchdown pass before nailing the extra point to put the Captains up 14-0.
“The game plan is to hand the ball to [Montez Dyson], because he’s really good and let him lean on our offensive line,” Reidenbaugh said. “We wanted to get our receivers involved early, and we took a couple shots that paid off and allowed us to balance our offense.”
A sack by Loudoun County senior linebacker Parker Clarey forced another Tuscarora punt. Junior Jackson Patterson returned the punt 36 yards down to the Tuscarora 29, giving the Captains their best starting position of the night.
After a holding penalty pushed them back to the 39, Dyson found a hole and barreled down to the 10 yard line. On the next play, Dyson bounced right and made his way into the endzone for his second touchdown of the night.
“I wouldn’t trade my offensive line for the world,” Dyson said. “They’re the first ones to come and celebrate with me when I score, but they deserve so much credit.”
Looking to cut into the lead before the end of the first quarter, the Huskies started on their own 20 yard line, where Tuscarora senior quarterback Peter Laiti hit junior receiver Eli Nelson with a 13-yard first down completion.
On the next play, Loudoun County senior lineman Sam Bilko sacked Laiti for a 6-yard loss. On the very next play, Bilko and senior lineman Collin Diem got to the quarterback again, dropping him for a 3-yard loss.
“We had a big focus on our defensive line this week: we wanted to beat them up front and pressure the quarterback,” Loudoun County senior defensive end Jeremiah Davis Jr. said. “We did that really well tonight. Also, our DBs did a great job covering behind us.”
Despite an 8-yard pickup by Laiti on the next play, the Huskies were once again forced to punt, setting the Captains up at their own 31.
From there, Dyson immediately got back to work as he rumbled down the field for a 47-yard gain. Following a Loudoun County timeout, Miller found Patterson in the endzone from 22 yards out to extend the lead to 28-0 less than a minute into the second quarter.
Another Tuscarora three-and-out gave the Captains the ball back at their own 40. Like clockwork, Dyson found a seam and rushed 19 yards for the first down. Then, at the Tuscarora 41 yard line, Miller stepped back and connected with Patterson for another touchdown to put the Captains up 35-0.
On the ensuing Tuscarora possession, the Huskies picked up back-to-back first downs, before a 2-yard loss set up a 3rd-and-12 from their own 40. Needing some momentum heading into the half, the Huskies opted to go for it, but Laiti was met in the backfield by junior lineman Felix Dema-Narh and Davis Jr. for a 7-yard loss.
The Huskies got their first break of the game when the Captain coughed up a fumble which was recovered by Tuscarora senior lineman Lucas Allen.
Despite the momentary shift in the momentum, the Loudoun County defense got right back to work as sacks by Davis Jr. and then senior lineman Lochlan Snyder forced a turnover on downs at the Loudoun County 43.
“Tuscarora’s quarterback is a good runner, so we wanted to take him out of the run game,” Reidenbaugh said. “They rely a lot on the deep ball and big plays, so we felt if we could not give up the big play, we’d be in good shape.”
With time winding down, the Captains went back to the air where Miller quickly hit Patterson for a 12-yard first down. After a Loudoun County timeout, the Captains took a shot at the endzone, but Miller’s pass fell incomplete. On the very next play, the senior shotcaller found his target as Morrison hauled in a 39-yard touchdown reception—his second of the night—then finished with the PAT to put the Captains up 42-0 heading into the half.
Leading by six scores, Loudoun County started to give some younger guys some opportunities under the Friday Night Lights, and the Huskies took advantage early in the third quarter when Laiti hit senior receiver Nehemiah Snead with a 78-yard touchdown strike.
Laiti would carry in another touchdown from 2 yards out late in the third quarter, but the Captains’ explosive first half was too much for the Huskies to overcome.
“Later in the season, we might need those younger guys to step into roles, so it’s great to get them some Friday night minutes right now,” Davis Jr. said. “They did a great job tonight, and they’re getting better.”
Loudoun County (1-0, 5-0) will look to stay hot when they travel to Catoctin District foe Broad Run on October 3. Tuscarora (0-0, 2-3) will get a week off to regroup before hosting Dominion on October 10.
“We’re just focused on going 1-0 every week,” Davis Jr. said. “We know this is our year to win a state championship, and if we just keep going 1-0 every week, that’s definitely possible for us.”
Kiko Dudley, Caroline Layne, and Jace Lucas captured 50+ photos at the game!
Scoring Plays
| Period | Time | Team | Play | Score |
| 1Q | 10:54 | Loudoun County | Montez Dyson 50-yard TD run (Luke Morrison PAT) | 7-0 |
| 1Q | 7:33 | Loudoun County | Jake Miller to Luke Morrison 48-yard TD pass (Luke Morrison PAT) | 14-0 |
| 1Q | 2:33 | Loudoun County | Montez Dyson 10-yard TD run (Luke Morrison PAT) | 21-0 |
| 2Q | 11:08 | Loudoun County | Jake Miller to Jackson Patterson 22-yard TD pass (Luke Morrison PAT) | 28-0 |
| 2Q | 8:15 | Loudoun County | Jake Miller to Jackson Patterson 41-yard TD pass (Luke Morrison PAT) | 35-0 |
| 2Q | 0:04 | Loudoun County | Jake Miller to Luke Morrison 39-yard TD pass (Luke Morrison PAT) | 42-0 |
| 3Q | 10:03 | Tuscarora | Peter Laiti to Nehemiah Snead 78-yard TD pass (Josh Tikalsky PAT) | 42-7 |
| 3Q | 0:30 | Tuscarora | Peter Laiti 2-yard TD run (Josh Tikalsky PAT) | 42-14 |