Prep Football : Loara Turns Back Western, 26-8

Perhaps the best thing to be said about Friday’s nonleague opener between Loara and Western high schools is that it’s over. Somewhere in between the fumbles and interceptions and plays going nowhere, Loara beat Western, 26-8, in front of 1,200 at Glover Stadium.

Art this wasn’t.

“This is what you expect in a first game,” said Herb Hill, Loara coach. “A lot of mistakes.”

Eight turnovers to be exact. There was also plenty of penalties and a lot of footballs falling to earth untouched. Chris Hoffman, Loara quarterback, was 0 for 7 in the first half, though he did manage to complete an interception.

Western? It gained 44 yards in the first half.

Putting the game in perspective, Loara’s exceptional running back Coy Collins, who had a less than exceptional night (58 yards), said: “The first half stunk. The second half, well, we won, we’ll take it.”

Take is what Loara did best all night. Loara recovered five Western fumbles and intercepted Western quarterback Miles Roberson once.

The Saxons’ first touchdown came in the second quarter and went all of 15 yards. After recovering a fumble on the Western 30, Loara got the ball at the 15 when Western was penalized for a personal foul.

Still, it took the Saxons seven plays to go the 15 yards. They finally scored when Hoffman went in from a yard out.

Loara’s next touchdown came about two minutes later. This drive started on the Western 21 and came to an end two plays later when Collins scored on a 17-yard run.

Big things were expected from Collins, who gained 799 yards in 8 games last season as a sophomore. But after five carries, he had rushed for minus 3 yards.

“They had a couple linebackers keying on me,” he said. “And I was a little nervous before this game. This was the first game where everyone knew who I was.”

Collins capped Loara’s only long drive of the game. It came on the Saxons’ first possession of the third quarter and covered 77 yards. Collins scored from 6 yards out.

Jeff Gordon closed out the scoring for Loara midway in the fourth quarter when he capped a nine-yard drive--courtesy of another Western fumble--with a five-yard run.

Western’s only touchdown came late in the fourth quarter when Gilbert Brito caught a 13-yard pass from Roberson.