Stone Bridge Shuts Out Mt. Vernon

by Nathan Curby

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Stone Bridge's offense began sluggishly Friday night, but it made up for lost time, beating Mount Vernon 42-0 in Virginia AAA Northern Region Division 5 semifinal game in Ashburn.

The Bulldogs' defense shut down Mount Vernon, allowing only two first downs and 75 total yards. Stone Bridge Coach Mickey Thompson was pleased, saying "I just thought we played great on defense, everybody ran to the ball."

The offense had trouble early, but took advantage of opportunities handed to them by the defense. Running back Daniel Allen fumbled the ball on Stone Bridge's first possession, but the Bulldogs lost almost no field position when the defense forced Mount Vernon into a three-and-out, and Mount Vernon's punt traveled a total of only two yards.

Allen quickly recovered from his mistake, finishing the night with 145 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries.

Stone Bridge didn't score until the final seconds of the first quarter, but once on the board, never looked back. Coach Thompson said the offense took a little while to get used to Mount Vernon's defense, but once they got a feel for it and made some blocking adjustments, the offense was as strong as ever.

Quarterback Patrick Thompson was strong in his first game back after missing two weeks with a high ankle sprain. Thompson threw for 168 yards and one touchdown on 12-of-17 passing.

Defensive lineman Brian Slay got in on the scoring action in the second quarter, catching a nine-yard pass to take the ball to the one-yard-line and rushing the ball into the end zone on the next play. "It was nice getting the first touchdown of my high school career," Slay said. Slay also had a good night on the defensive line, showing good speed getting into Mount Vernon’s backfield and making tackles.

Mount Vernon’s two first downs came one the same drive late in the first half when they threatened to make something out of an interception. The drive stalled on the Stone Bridge 36-yard line, and the Bulldogs took a 21-0 lead into halftime.

Stone Bridge kept up its momentum in the second half, starting with a successful onside kick and scoring twice in less than six minutes. The defense stayed strong all the way through the second half to complete the shutout.

Next week Stone Bridge will travel to Alexandria to take on Edison in the Northern Region final. Coach Thompson said he’s excited that the team will be almost fully healthy for next week's game. "They're athletes," he said of Edison. "It's going to be a battle."

Monticello Rallies in Second Half to Down Briar Woods

Briar Woods got off to a good start against host Monticello in its Region II Division 3 semifinal, but the Mustangs stepped up their defense and overcame a halftime deficit to beat the Falcons, 30-13.

Running back Ray Taliaferro had a great first half to help stake Briar Woods (8-3) to a 13-10 lead after the second quarter. But Monticello adjusted, and the Mustangs took the lead for good late in the third quarter. They also had a long drive that spanned the end of the third and the start of the fourth quarter that ended in a touchdown that put the game out of reach.

Here is a full recap of the game courtesy of the Daily Progress, as well as a sidebar on how Monticello's defense clamped down in the second half.

Tagged: football, high school sports, Stone Bridge High School

Your Thoughts...

Are you happy that the school year is over?