Potomac Falls Roars Back

Panthers Trail Early Before Second-Half Outburst

By Matt Brooks (Contact)

Saturday, November 1, 2008

A week ago, Potomac Falls went to Broad Run looking to unseat the defending Virginia AA Dulles District champions and continue its undefeated campaign. The Panthers got a wake-up call in the form of a 38-0 drubbing. Their dynamic offense that averaged 45 points per game heading into the contest was completely shut down and their previously stingy defense was gorged for five rushing touchdowns.

After a see-saw first half, the Panthers used a second-half rushing explosion to get back to their high-scoring, winning ways with a 42-27 victory over Briar Woods on senior night in Sterling.

Trailing 27-14 with nine minutes remaining in the third quarter Potomac Falls went for a fake punt on fourth-and-14 from the Briar Woods 45-yard line. Gregory Woodlief had Chad McMichael open across the middle but the senior receiver dropped a would-be first down and the Falcons recovered.

But after a three-and-out for the Falcons, the Panthers got their big play in the form of a Michael Baker 55-yard touchdown run up the middle. That cut the lead to 27-21, and three plays later Tarrell Owens intercepted an Edwin Mends pass and returned it for a touchdown to give the Panthers their first lead since the opening quarter. The pick-six was Owens's fourth of the season.

“That was a big-time play,” Baker said. “It really broke their back and we just kind of took that momentum and rolled with it.”

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Potomac Falls Bounces Back

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Briar Woods quarterback Edwin Mends warms up before the game. Mends (Matt Brooks)

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Potomac Falls running back Michael Baker walks out with his parents during Senior Night festivities. Baker scored three touchdowns against Briar Woods, all in the second half. (Matt Brooks)

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Potomac Falls gets pumped up just before kickoff on Friday. (Matt Brooks)

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Briar Woods gets fired up just before kickoff on Friday. (Matt Brooks)

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Potomac Falls (8-1, 5-1) took control from that point on, dictating play at the line of scrimmage as the offensive line opened up massive holes for Baker to run through. After posting 109 yards on 14 first-half carries, the senior back ran for 188 on 15 carries after the intermission. He finished the night with 297 yards and two more rushing touchdowns, giving him 18 on the season, which is a new single-season school record. With 1,184 yards on the season, Baker now leads the Dulles District in rushing.

“I think Michael’s been overlooked in this district for a long time,” Potomac Falls Coach Scott Woodlief said. “I think he’s got something to prove and I think he’s doing a great job at proving he can run the football along with all the other guys in the league. He was our workhorse tonight and when the horse is working there’s no reason to go away from it.”

The Falcons (7-2, 4-2) found success with their ground game early on as senior back Ray Taliaferro rushed for an early score and junior Billy McDonald had a one-yard plunge. Taliaferro – who finished with 99 yards on 21 carries – reached the end zone again on Briar Woods’ opening drive of the second half but the Falcons managed only two first downs the rest of the way and turned the ball over twice.

“We talked at halftime about what was at stake,” Woodlief said. “We have an experienced football team and the kids responded in the second half. I think the passing game in the first half opened up our running game in the second half. We stuck with our gameplan. Last weekend Broad Run shut us down and this weekend they came out and played a great football game.

Penalties also really hurt the Falcons down the stretch as they totaled seven infractions for 80 yards. The biggest play of the game might have been a 15-yard roughing the punter penalty with 10:20 left in the game. With the Panthers leading 28-27, a long return would have given Briar Woods the ball at the Potomac Falls 40-yard line. Instead, the Panthers retained possession and extended a drive that resulted in Baker’s second touchdown run.

“We made some mistakes and had some chances to keep the game more close to the vest, but we didn’t,” Briar Woods Coach Charlie Pierce said. “We just let it get away from us a little bit. They did a good job of blocking up front on their line. That’s the best job anyone has done against us running the ball all year, so I’ve got to hand it to them.”

Woodlief completed just 5-of-17 passes for 110 yards for Potomac Falls but he had a hand in both first half touchdowns, hooking up with McMichael for a 43-yard score and running one in from one-yard out. McMichael’s interception on the Falcons’ final drive sealed the victory.

The Panthers travel to Dominion next week for their regular season finale as they hope to secure a regional playoff spot – although Friday’s victory might have already done just that. Briar Woods will look to rebound against Freedom as they continue their push toward the postseason.

“We needed this win big time,” McMichael said. “We needed to get back on track and this win really did that for us heading into the playoffs.”

Tagged: Briar Woods High School, football, high school sports, Potomac Falls High School

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