Football: Another “Average” Year for Stone Bridge as Bulldogs Once Again are One Win from State Title Game

By Dan Sousa
VivaLoudoun.com Editor

Ashburn (Dec. 3, 2009) – For four years the current Stone Bridge High School senior football class has heard about how “average” they were compared to previous classes including last year’s bumper crop of blue chip recruits that made it to the state semifinals, the 2007 state title team, the 2006 squad with talented backs Y’Lou Brown and Jeron Gouveia, and the 2005 state runner-up squad.

It all started their freshman year when they suited up for a freshman program that legend told had never lost a single game and the young Bulldogs went out and not only lost, but lost big, such as 50-0 at Langley, and they finished the year at 4-6.

Average. Everybody said that this year, after so many years of success and after graduating basically 20 of 22 starters, the Bulldogs were finally going to be an average team.

And sure enough these Bulldogs are simply average … for a Stone Bridge football team … one loss in 13 games and a regional title and the right to host Saturday’s VHSL AAA Division 5 state semifinal against Massaponax.

One win away from a third trip to the state finals in three years. Yes, this is another average Stone Bridge season.

“They still want to keep playing,” said Stone Bridge coach Mickey Thompson, who has guided the Bulldogs to an incredible 104-21 record in 10 seasons since the school opened including six regional titles and a 20-6 playoff mark. “I think this team feels like they are not anywhere close to being done.”


The Bulldogs 2009 football class has protected the school’s legacy with a mix of seniors who have stepped up in role situations, especially on the line and at linebacker and tight end as well as relying on some talented juniors.

In fact almost all the skilled players on offense for Stone Bridge are juniors including running back Marcus Harris, the school’s all-time single-season rushing leader with 1,903 yards this year, Spenser Rositano, the team’s leading receiver with 18 receptions and 422 yards, and the quarterback tandem of Kyle Gouveia and Brian Rody, who have combined for 1,305 yards passing.

Stone Bridge (12-1) has advanced on the strength of three consecutive games where they have played “keep away” from their opponents – South Lakes, Madison and R.E. Lee – with a punishing ball-control run game out of the single wing with Harris getting the bulk of the carries. In the three wins, Stone Bridge is averaging 31:38 of possession to opponents just 16:49.

Thompson said his team will have to do that again Saturday to make the state title game.

“It is the same old story. We have to keep the ball away from their offense,” said Thompson.

Massaponax (10-2) runs the triple option and even though the Panthers don’t have a single back over 800 yards, they have four backs over 500 yards and the team has punished opponents for 3,336 total rushing yards, slightly more than SB’s total of 3,194 on the year.

Thompson said the back that stood out in the Panthers 26-10 win over Osbourn in the Northwest Region final was senior Jauan Latney (781 yards, 16 touchdowns on the year) who had 105 yards rushing on just 15 carries with a 14-yard score and he scored on a 31-yard catch-and-run. In addition to Latney, Massaponax, which advanced to the state semifinals in 2003 and 2005, has RB Najee Harris (722 yards, 17 touchdowns), FB Andre Wyche (503 yards) and QB Thomas Robinson (540 yards), who can all fly by opponents in the deceptive triple option attack.

“They have so much speed. They are much faster than Lee,” said Thompson. “We need to keep them from reeling off big plays.”

Field conditions may be a factor as Stone Bridge hosted last Friday’s Northern Region final after a week of rain. While the tarp has been on this week, the rain Wednesday and forecast for rain and snow Saturday morning are sure to keep the field closer to soft than firm.

“It is not going to be a fast track but it won’t be a muddy track either,” said Thompson.

Massaponax, leading 20-7 at the half in the regional title game, made just two first downs in the second half but played great defense in the Red Zone, stopping the Eagles at the 1 on fourth down, recovering a fumble inside the 10 and allowing just three points. Defensively, the Panthers had four interceptions including a pick six for the final score of the game.

“We just hope we can move the ball on them and then they give it to us a few times,” said Thompson, who was concerned about his team making mental mistakes in the big game rather than physical mistakes. “We have to try and eliminate the mental mistakes.”

For the Stone Bridge seniors it will be a final appearance, win or lose, on their home field and a final chance to celebrate as they turned around their reputation with four years of hard work, going from the “worst class” to truly “first class”.

Notes: Stone Bridge has faced Massaponax twice before, beating the Panthers in 2001 (29-21) and 2002 (38-14) … Massaponax opened in 1998, two years before Stone Bridge opened its doors … Massaponax, like Stone Bridge, has had just one football coach, Eric Ludden … Bulldog senior kicker Abdul Shaban, who set this season a VHSL record for consecutive PAT kicks made with 86 straight through the uprights, breaking NFL’er Shayne Graham of Pulaski previous mark of 76 straight, will not play Saturday as he will be away at a soccer tournament.