By Paul Tenorio
Saturday, November 15, 2008
As Broad Run's David Weaver crossed the goal line following his 70-yard kickoff return in the second quarter of Friday night's Virginia AA Region II Division 4 semifinal, he had done more than score a touchdown.
The junior's return sapped the momentum Loudoun County had built in the previous minutes, as the Raiders went from a three-touchdown deficit to within seven points of the Spartans. It erased the memory of a poor punt snap that had given Loudoun County new life. And, most important, Weaver's touchdown return sparked a 47-28 Spartans win that marked No. 16 Broad Run's first postseason victory since 1991.
"That was a huge play," Broad Run Coach Mike Burnett said. "That's why special teams are big. We're fortunate; the thing about special teams for us that makes it [important] is that we have a lot of athletes, [so] there's so much more space to defend. And I think that's why we feel we have an advantage, especially in the return game."
Although Broad Run (11-0) has won 21 of its past 22 games, a postseason victory was a new plateau for the Spartans under Burnett.
After the game, Burnett said, his team was too focused on the remainder of the season to reflect on the importance of the win. But the result certainly marked another step in the growth and success of the Spartans' program in recent years.
They achieved the victory with a powerful display offensively and defensively. Broad Run ran the ball 40 times for 272 yards, with four touchdowns coming on the ground, and also forced four Loudoun County turnovers.
The Spartans built a commanding 21-0 lead in the first quarter behind touchdown runs from its two talented running backs, Breon Earl and T.J. Peeler.
Earl took the opening kickoff 73 yards to set up his own 11-yard touchdown run less than a minute into the game. And Peeler had touchdown runs of two and seven yards, the second of which was set up by Adrian Flemming's interception.
"We just wanted to establish momentum early, and we knew we could do that with just giving the ball to T.J. and Breon," senior quarterback Chris Jessop said. "And once we got up early, I think we felt pretty confident in ourselves."
Despite the early lead, a resilient Loudoun County (6-5) fought its way back into the game.
After picking up a first down on fourth and 11, Loudoun County's Adam Yesuf scored from 18 yards out to pull the Raiders within two scores. And a snap over the head of Tim Miscovich on a punt attempt gave Loudoun County a first down on the Broad Run nine-yard line. Chase Williams scored from a yard out two minutes later, and the Raiders were back within seven points.
But Weaver's return opened the lead back up, and Mikey Cotton intercepted a pass on Loudoun County's next drive and returned it 52 yards for a touchdown to open up a 35-14 lead. Flemming's acrobatic 34-yard touchdown catch made it 41-14 at the half, and Broad Run cruised to victory.
With the win, the Spartans will host Potomac Falls next week in the Region II Division 4 championship game. Earlier in the season, Broad Run handed the Panthers their only loss of the season, a 38-0 rout in Ashburn.
For Loudoun County, the loss marked the end to a season in which the Raiders made their first playoff appearance since 1999.
"We were ecstatic to get to this point," Raiders Coach Todd Hill said. "We're disappointed we didn't put our best foot forward tonight. We played hard but we just made way too many mistakes. We're still young, we've got a lot to learn. Hopefully, we learn from this and we know how to handle playing in a playoff situation, so the next time we get there, hopefully, we'll be better."
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