Jeremiah Yates^BENT^00CA^EENT^fumbles the ball on the one-yard-line and Louisa recovered the ball, ending the Eastern View drive.

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Campi-inspired Lions roll

High school football: Eastern View at Louisa

Date published: 9/4/2010

BY ADAM HIMMELSBACH

Before Louisa's season-opener against Eastern View last night, the Lions made an important stop to see an important friend.

The players gathered in a hallway at the middle school, and there was their teammate, Josh Campi, who was recently diagnosed with leukemia.

Tears flowed quickly and freely.

Campi did not look as strong or talk as smoothly as his teammates remembered, but he was there, and he had one message for them.

"He said that when we play, don't feel sorry for him," senior quarterback Kire' Worley said. "He said just to play hard."

And by the time it was over, by the time the Lions had gritted out a 21-7 victory, they held their fists in the balmy night air in honor of Campi. They knew they had made him proud, and they hoped they had helped him heal.

"This one is going to mean a lot to Josh," Fischer said afterward. "He helped bring us all together again."

Louisa attended a team camp in mid-July at Hampden-Sydney College, and Fischer held Campi out of the camp's final day because he had developed bruises on his arms and chest. While Campi, a 6-foot-1, 266-pound junior, was watching his teammates practice, he developed a severe nosebleed that would not stop.

He was airlifted to the University of Virginia's hospital, and he was ultimately diagnosed with leukemia. Prior to last night, his teammates had not seen him since that day.

Before the game, Campi's family helped raise the "12th man" flag. Then Campi's younger brother Zack, wearing Josh's No. 63 jersey, trotted onto the field next to Fischer.

"It was all really emotional," Lions running back Anthony Hunter said.

"Every time I ran, I ran for Josh."

Hunter finished with 113 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries, none bigger than his score in the final minute that clinched the win and gave Louisa the identity it had been searching for.

"Up until that last drive," Fischer said, "we hadn't defined who we are."

Louisa's opening drive seemed quite definitive. The Lions marched 55 yards on seven plays and received a simple 1-yard touchdown run from Hunter.

Eastern View's powerful offense, meanwhile, was never able to get untracked. The Cyclones crushed their own momentum with penalties, turnovers and injuries. And when they did not stop themselves, the Louisa defense did.