Football: Regional Titles on the Line Today at Stone Bridge and Broad Run

Ashburn (Nov. 27, 2009) - Maybe a decade ago when they started out on the fields of the Ashburn Youth Football League these kids dreamed of a day like today as Ashburn players from two high schools -- Stone Bridge and Broad Run -- just 2.6 miles apart will take their respective fields to win regional football titles.

Stone Bridge kicks off at 1:30 p.m. vs. R.E. Lee in the AAA Northern Region Division 5 final and then Broad Run will host Sherando at 7 p.m. in the AA Region II Division 4 final.

Football fans that can't make the games can follow our Twitter updates on the right sidebar of this page as Dan Sousa will cover both games. You can also sign up to have our "Tweets" sent direct to your cell phone. www.twitter.com/vivaloudoun.


While Stone Bridge is in its eighth straight regional title contest, Broad Run is on a three-year run with just one loss. Combined, in the past three years the two schools have grabbed two state titles (Stone Bridge in 2007 and Broad Run in 2008), three regional titles (Stone Bridge 2007 and 2008, Broad Run 2008) and compiled a 58-2 regular season record (Stone Bridge 28-2, Broad Run 30-0) and 15-2 postseason record (Stone Bridge 10-1, Broad Run 5-1) for a grand total of 73 victories in 77 contests.

Simply put, these young men don't like to lose but they will be put to the test this afternoon and tonight.

R.E. Lee at Stone Bridge, 1:30 p.m. - AAA Northern Region D5 Title Game
The Skinny: This was the Bulldog senior class that was supposed to let the legacy slip but here they are, 11-1, and playing for another regional title, the school's sixth in eight years. The team faced an identity crisis after a loss to Madison five weeks ago and have emerged as a rugged, no-frills old-school team that is going to pound the ball to junior running back Marcus Harris who has rushed for a school-record nearly 1,800 yards. And when teams finally put 11 men in the box to stop the run, SB will hope to counter with a game-breaking pass play from either of their junior quarterbacks, Kyle Gouveia or Brian Rody. On defense, junior Spenser Rositano is the key, seemingly in on every tackle. Yes, we just mentioned all junior skilled plays ... if you want to stop Stone Bridge, you better hurry up and do it as this team is only going to improve with age.

3 Keys to Bulldogs Winning
1. Keep R.E. Lee's talented running back tandem of Idreis Augustus (yes he sounds like a Roman emperor!) and Jazmier Williams off the field with a mind-numbing ball control game while on offense. Harris will have to carry 30+ for SB.
2. Cut down on mistakes. Can it really be that Stone Bridge has more lost fumbles this year than opponents. Turnovers mean more attempts for Augustus and Williams which SB doesn't want. The other mistake area that has hurt SB this year is in the yellow flag department with SB ringing up some drive-killing penalties. They can't afford that today.
3. Make the big play. Several times this year SB has made "the big play" with Rositano himself blocking two game-tying field goal attempts to preserve wins but at other times, SB in the Madison loss and in other games has just missed making "the big play". What do we mean by "the big play" ... well it is hard to define in advance but when it happens in the game Friday ... everybody, on the field and in the stands, will know it.

Sherando at Broad Run, 7 p.m. - AA Region II D4 Title Game
The Skinny: Much like Phoebus and Stone Bridge in 2008, part of the back story in 2009 is a highly anticipated rematch of last year's title game between Amherst County and Broad Run. Only the Spartans have get back to the title game first and last week they had all they could handle in a 34-27 win over Liberty. In 2008, the going wasn't that tough for BR in regional play with wins over known district rivals Loudoun County and Potomac Falls. That game may have been a wake-up call for the Spartans who will face the 2007 Region II D4 champion Sherando, a program that knows how to win big football games. BR has been led by two NCAA D1 recruits in RB T.J. Peeler (Pitt) and WR Adrian Flemming (Syracuse) but don't overlook sophomore QB Connor Jessop, who has matured into a seasoned vet, and looks to accomplish the feat his brother, graduated QB Chris Jessop, did last season -- lead BR to a state title.

3 Keys to Spartans Winning
1. A big game from RB T.J. Peeler. Sherando no doubt will come in with a design to stop one of the metro area's top backs but Peeler will have to have a signature game to keep the Spartans moving towards a rematch with Amherst.
2. Timely catches from Flemming and other BR receivers. If Sherando crowds the line of scrimmage, the Spartans will have to throw to loosen things up. We saw in the state title game last year that around the goal line, there is no better target than the lanky Flemming on a fade pattern.
3. Regain the homefield advantage. Jessop actually called on the Maroon Crew, BR's student group that sits in the end zone at football games, this week as the passion hasn't been the same this season as it was in 2008 when BR was accomplishing the school's first ever state football title. The Spartans need that lift again in big games that they get from the students and the home crowd as Sherando will travel unlike any out of town opponent that BR has faced before ... heck, they might even bring their Warrior mascot on horse and his big spear he throws down on the ground at home games in Stephens City.