Welcome back to the Thursday Throwdown where Paul and I duke it out each week over hot topics in Loudoun football. With the potential Dulles District championship game on tap for tomorrow night in Ashburn, today we'll play a little "who you got?" with some of the key participants in that matchup between Potomac Falls and Broad Run.

Paul will take the Panthers and I'll argue on behalf of the Spartans. Be sure to give us your take by answering the poll questions and let us hear your rationale in the comments section below. We both expect this to be a great matchup and there's a good chance several of the guys listed below will play a key role in who ends up on top.

Let's throwdown!

Which quarterback has the bigger day in this critical contest: Gregory Woodlief or Chris Jessop?

As I wrote in yesterday's Top 5, Gregory Woodlief has had a hand in at least three touchdowns in every game this season, so we know he is going to bring it each game. Here's what else we know about the three-year starter when it comes to what he's going to do against Broad Run. He'll get his chances to make plays through the air: This season -- minus the Freedom win in which starters played just a half -- Woodlief has attempted an average of 15.5 passes per game, and for the season has racked up 1,049 yards through the air, second in the Dulles only to Loudoun County's Joe Bushrod (1,052). Woodlief also leads the District with 14 touchdown passes on the season, an average of two per game spread among four different players, making him arguably the district's most dangerous passer this season. Woodlief has also proven he can be effective as more than just a passer. He is sixth in the Dulles District with 384 yards rushing and has scored eight times on the ground, making him a true dual threat quarterback. The threat of Woodlief's feet could change Broad Run's effectiveness in pass defense because it means that Broad Run will not be able to blindly bull rush in passing situations due to Woodlief's ability to make plays with his feet. That means more time to make throws. As effective as Michael Baker has been, it could be Woodlief who Broad Run fears most. - PT

There's no doubt the Broad Run offense has been sputtering a bit in recent weeks. After throwing for 239 yards and four touchdowns combined in wins over Briar Woods and Heritage, senior QB Chris Jessop has tailed off a bit - managing only 116 total passing yards and a single touchdown (rushing) in the Spartans' last two games. And going up against a tough, ball-hawking Potomac Falls defense, things won't get any easier. But Jessop has proven himself to be a big-game performer throughout his career, and that trend will continue on Friday night. In last year's regular season finale against Park View, it was Jessop's 40-yard bomb to Breon Earl that set up the winning touchdown as the Spartans captured the Dulles District regular season title with a 21-14 victory. Earlier in the game, Jessop's interception sparked Broad Run's first scoring drive. He had a similar impact in relief of starter Cole Shain in the Spartans win against Heritage last season, making big plays on both sides of the ball to jump-start a struggling offensive attack. Back in Week 6 of this season, Jessop completed only 8-of-22 passes against the Pride but found Adrian Flemming for two huge first half TDs that gave Broad Run a lead they would never relinquish. He doesn't complete the most passes or throw for a ton of yards, but he seems to always find a way to make a play with the game on the line. Just as importantly, he doesn't make mistakes. Jessop might only have eight touchdown passes this season, but he's only thrown two interceptions. He might not match Woodlief's yardage total, but he just might match his touchdown total. Don't forget about his legs either - Jessop has rushed for 299 yards and six scores on the season. - MB

Which backfield breaks through for a big night under the lights on Friday: Michael Baker (PF) or Breon Earl and T.J. Peeler (BR)?

Michael Baker has been absolutely tremendous this season, bursting onto the scene after a good but not great junior campaign. The senior is second in the Dulles to Heritage's Ross Madison (892 yards) with 858 yards rushing and has scored 15 total touchdowns on the season - 12 on the ground. His nose for the end zone has made him the top scorer in the Dulles by 12 points and the senior is 10th best in scoring in the Washington area. The more Baker gets the ball the better. When he has at least 13 carries, the senior has rushed for 120 yards or more. And against Broad Run, you have to believe that Baker will be asked to run the ball more than 12 times. He is averaging 7.9 yards a pop, and has shown an ability to move the chains and not try to force the big play, something that will be vital against the Broad Run defense. But while he is willing to get dirty in between the tackles, Baker has also been apt to break the big one. The senior has six scoring plays of 23 yards or more, and four touchdown plays of 54 yards or more this season, showing what can happen if Broad Run allows Baker to hit the second level. - PT

Breon Earl has been one of the most productive players in the Dulles District this season. He's scored touchdowns through the passing game, on the ground and as a returner. He's fifth in the league in rushing yardage (450) but has carried 40 times fewer than the next player above him (Ray Taliaferro with 531 yards) and 78 times fewer than league leader Ross Madison (137 for 892 yards). He's only received more than 10 carries once this season and he turned those 14 into 126 yards in a win against Dominion. Suffice it to say, Earl makes the most of his touches. He shouldered the load very well while backfield mate T.J. Peeler was out with an elbow injury, but now the hulking 6-foot, 175-pounder is back - with a vengeance. Just take a look at his 7-carry 243 yard output against Loudoun County last week in which he scored four touchdowns on runs of 63, 78, 84 and 8 yards. His size makes him hard to bring down and ones he gets up to full speed, good luck stopping him. The junior has scored in all five games in which he's played this season and leads the district with a ridiculous 16.6 yards per carry average. This has quickly become the most powerful backfield one-two punch in the district with Earl's speed and shiftiness the perfect compliment to Peeler's braun. In the four games they've played together, Earl and Peeler have combined for at least 100 yards rushing three times and have totaled 10 touchdowns. Expect more of the same on Friday as the Spartans will look to ride their running backs to victory. - MB

Which receiver makes the big plays for his team in Ashburn: Chad McMichael (PF) or Adrian Flemming (BR)?

We knew that Potomac Falls had a strong receiving unit coming into the year, and Chad McMichael has been the main beneficiary of that spread attack. The senior is second in the district with 492 yards receiving on 24 catches (20.5 per catch), trailing only Loudoun County's Michael Ayoub in yardage (589 yards on 37 catches). McMichael also leads not only the Dulles District, but the entire county in receiving touchdowns with six - one ahead of teammate Tarrell Owens and Stone Bridge's Michael Prince and has at least one catch in every game this season. The senior also has more than 50 yards receiving in all but two games this season and has scored a touchdown in five of his last six games - the win over Loudoun County the only exception - proving to be Woodlief's favorite target. And while McMichael has been getting it done all season long, with teammate Tarrell Owens currently hot (scoring seven touchdowns in the last four weeks), McMichael likely will find more freedom in the secondary against Broad Run, possibly setting up a big night. - PT

The Spartans haven't had a 100-yard receiver once this season, but that's not due to a lack of big play receivers. Broad Run's main problem - which isn't really a problem at all - is that they simply have too many playmakers on offense. Why throw the ball to Didier Saidi 10 times when you've got two tremendous talents in the backfield and a third if you count Jessop and his ability to scramble? Broad Run also has had the luxury of playing with the lead all season and they haven't found themselves in any shootouts of yet. That might change a bit against Potomac Falls as there will most likely be several touchdowns on the board by the final whistle. That's where Adrian Flemming comes in. He leads the Spartans in receptions (18) and is third in the district in receiving yards with 326. After being used sparingly early on, Flemming has really come on as Jessop's favorite downfield target, catching 11 balls over the last three weeks for 180 yards. His best performance came in the Spartans' tightest contest - their 21-13 win at Heritage in Week 6. Flemming caught four balls for 74 yards in that game, including two touchdowns that showcased his numerous abilities as a receiver. The first came on a broken play near the Heritage goal-line where Jessop rolled out of the pocket and threw the ball up to Flemming who out-jumped everyone in the back of the end zone. Then just before the half, on a designed play, Jessop threw a deep ball down the right sideline and Flemming went full extension to bring it in for a 35-yard score. Like Jessop, the guy can make plays and the Spartans will no doubt look for him to do just that against the Panthers. - MB

Which defense makes the difference for its team: Potomac Falls or Broad Run?

The Panthers have been an incredibly opportunistic defense this year, especially since the start of the district season. Potomac Falls has at least 13 interceptions this season (can't be sure because of the incomplete Freedom box score), with at least nine of those coming in the past four weeks. In all, beginning with Heritage, Potomac Falls has nine INTs, nine forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries (again, keeping in mind this is counting only the three INT touchdowns against Freedom). With those three pick-sixes against Freedom, the Panthers also now have six defensive touchdowns on the season. The defense also boasts at least one turnover in every game this season besides the season opener against Martinsburg, and the odds are that trend likely will continue against Broad Run. The Panthers are incredibly athletic throughout the defense and its secondary is full of the same playmakers that are seen on the other side of the ball. If Broad Run is unable to run the ball, they'll have to beat Owens, Woodlief, Baker, Pelto and the rest of them through the air, and risk adding to that INT count.

To say that Broad Run's defense has been tough against opposing offenses this season would be like saying Clinton Portis is having a decent year for the Skins. Through seven games, the Spartans have allowed an average of fewer than 10 points per game (9.86) and haven't conceded more than 17 points since November 10, 2006! They've been dominant against the pass, giving up just 86.6 yards through the air per game and are holding four teams to 51 yards or fewer. And while some teams have had success running the ball against them, Broad Run is only giving up 92 yards per game on the ground and often allows most of that late in games that they've already put away. They've also forced 14 turnovers on the seasonWith punishing linebackers and a deep secondary that includes the likes of Jessop, Earl, Peeler, Flemming and David Weaver, it's hard to find any real weakness in the Spartans' defense. It's true they haven't seen an offense as dynamic as the Panthers' yet, but by the same token, Potomac Falls hasn't faced a defense anywhere near as tough as Broad Run's. - MB

Check back in tomorrow for our Game of the Week Breakdown where we'll give you a chance to pick your winner in the biggest game of the Dulles District season!