Football: Broad Run in Position to Win Third Straight Dulles District Title

By Dan Sousa
VivaLoudoun.com Editor

Sterling (Oct. 10, 2009) - Broad Run High School senior running back T.J. Peeler rushed for 181 yards and a score, sophomore quarterback Connor Jessop threw for two scores and the Spartan defense held Dominion to minus-4 total yards in the first half Friday on the way to a 34-9 AA Dulles District victory.

The Spartans (3-0, 7-0) have now won 21 consecutive games overall and have won 27 straight regular-season contests. The win leaves Broad Run alone in first place in a quest for a third straight Dulles title. Despite the defensive performance, the Spartans led just 14-3 at the half.

"Our return game was awful tonight and that got us into some long fields. Our defense is great on most nights and they carried us a little bit in the first half," said Broad Run coach Mike Burnett.

Dominion (2-1, 3-3) finished with just 78 total yards with junior running back Deandre Reaves needing 33 carries to gain 83 yards. The Titans offense was hurt when junior quarterback Trey Baxter exited the game with what appeared to be an injured shoulder after being sacked on the second to last play of the first quarter.

"Losing your quarterback, that was huge because he's also a running threat, too, for us," said Dominion coach Karl Buckwalter.

Broad Run (3-0, 7-0) also lost the services of senior receiver Adrian Flemming who left in the first half with a hip pointer and did return. Even though Flemming didn't have any receptions, Jessop was able to find sophomore Michael Price on a 6-yard score and senior David Weaver on an 18-yard TD reception. And Peeler wanted the ball against the hard-hitting Titan defense.

"When [Flemming] got hurt, I knew I had to step it up," said Peeler, who also relished going head-to-head with the talented Titan RB Reaves. "A lot of people say [Reaves] is the best running back in the district but I think otherwise."

Peeler has now rushed for 1,233 yards on the season on 135 carries, an average of 9.1 yards per carry.

Weaver set up the first score of the night as the Spartans, after holding Dominion to 3-and-out to start the game, he fielded a punt near midfield and made it to the Titan 34 before being hit out of bounds for an extra 15 yards putting BR on the Dominion 19. Six plays later it was 7-0.

BR's second TD also was set up by a punt return and Titan penalty. After the Spartans muffed the punt return, an alert Flemming scooped up the loose ball and his return plus a face mask penalty gave the Spartans first down at the Titan 34. Two players later, Peeler bumped outside off right tackle and sprinted to the end zone for a 31-yard score.

After recovering a Spartan fumble, the Titans were able to get on the scoreboard before the half on Charles Donkor's 47-yard field goal with the wind.

The Spartans, ahead 14-3 at the half, went right to work in the second half, moving the ball 80 yards on 10 plays, aided by a pass interference penalty on Dominion, with Weaver slipping behind the Titan secondary for an open catch in the end zone to make it 20-3.

BR marched 95 yards for a score at the start of the fourth quarter, and after Dominion found the end zone on a Reaves' 1-yard plunge, the Spartans recovered a fumble inside the 10 late in the game and that led to the 34-9


Broad Run 34, Dominion 0
Broad Run 7 7 6 14 - 34
Dominion 0 3 0 6 - 9

1: BR - Price 6 pass from Jessop (Donnelly kick) 7:16 (drive: 6 plays, 19 yards, 3:17)
2: BR - Peeler 31 yard run (Donnelly kick) 11:02 (drive: 2 plays, 34 yards, 0:44)
2: D - Donkor 47 FG 5:02
3: BR - Weaver 18 pass from Jessop (run failed) 7:17 (drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 4:43)
4: BR - Nelson 16 run (Donnelly kick) 9:00 (drive: 7 plays, 95 yards, 3:03)
4: D - Reaves 1 run (pass failed) 6:01 (drive 11 plays, 47 yards, 3:59)
4: BR - Nicholas 1 run (Donnelly kick) 0:40 (drive 3 plays, 7 yards)

Rushing
Broad Run: Peeler 22-181, Nelson 6-31, Jackson 4-31, Weaver 3-11, Jessop 3-10, Nichols 6-9, Johnson 2-(-2), Miller 1-(-9). Totals 47-262.
Dominion: Reaves 33-83, Wesley 2-5, Fennerr 2-2, Moreno 1-0, Gricoski 1-(-6), Baxter 1-(-10). Totals 40-74.

Passing
Broad Run: Jessop 7-12-0 86.
Dominion: Gricoski 1-4-0 9, Baxter 0-2-0, Reaves 0-1-0. Totals 1-7-0 9.

Receiving
Broad Run: Weaver 2-44, Quigg 1-18, Price 2-14, Evans 1-9, Peeler 1-1.
Dominion: Zrik 1-9.