Football: VHSL Division 4 State Title Game - Broad Run vs. Amherst County

When: Dec. 12, 2009
Where: Virginia Tech's Lane Stadium in Blacksburg
Kickoff: 4:30 p.m.
Tickets: $10 (includes Division 3 contest which precedes Broad Run game)

The Teams: Broad Run (13-0) vs. Amherst County (13-0)
Seems Like Old Times: This is the second straight year these two teams have met in the state title game as the Spartans shut out the Lancers, 14-0, in the snow at Liberty.
Lancers-A-Lot: While Broad Run is on a 27-game winning streak and has won 37 of 38 contests, the Lancers claimed back-to-back state titles in 2006 and 2007 and the only think preventing a 4-peat attempt for Amherst is last year's BR win.
Oh, Brother: BR quarterback Connor Jessop, is the brother of graduated Chris Jessop, who quarterbacked the Spartans to the state title last year.

Dan Sousa's 5 Keys to Victory for Broad Run
1. T.J. Play All Night Long. Peeler needs to get 30-plus carries for the the Spartans to win and last week in the mud at Powhatan in the second half he showed that he is capable of carrying the team to victory. And you can bet this year, the Pitt-bound Peeler will run all touchdowns all the way through the end zone after accidentally putting the ball down at the 5 last year in the snowy-covered field at Liberty.

2. Use the Pass Efficiently. Broad Run has done a nice job of using the pass to its advantage -- and not throwing interceptions that hurt the team. While not putting up gaudy numbers, Jessop and the Spartans can hurt you if you key on Peeler too much. Amherst knows all about Syracuse-bound Adrian Flemming after his TD catch at the end of the first half last season was pivotal in the BR win so expect him to draw a lot of attention and David Weaver could become the big play man for BR.

3. Special Teams Need to Be Special as Usual. One of the signatures of Broad Run's 3-year run has been big special teams play and they need again Saturday. BR seems to block a punt at least once every big game. And when Broad Run goes into punt formation ... well, local teams know, it isn't always a punt that comes from the BR backfield.

4. Defense Can Not Afford Any Blown Assignments: Ask Christiansburg. They bottled up Amherst last week but two big plays kept the Lancers in the contest. Kirby Anderson and Anthony Rose have been trading off at quarterback and both players can hurt BR on either end of the ball as they can run or catch the ball well. Broad Run usually has the speed advantage on other teams but not Saturday as the Lancers are fast. The Spartan defense must stay home, play their assignments and not allow any long plays, especially broken field or cutback runs. That was a problem against Briar Woods earlier in the year and since then BR has done a great job of not over-pursuit to the football.

5. Keep the Emotions at Bay/Play Smart: State title games are emotional enough but Amherst will have the revenge factor on their side (see Phoebus vs. Stone Bridge, circa 2008). Broad Run will need to keep the emotions in check because in a tight game, a 15-yard flag in the wrong situation can lead to defeat. Just ask Powhatan after they gave up a 15-yard, deadball penalty in the state semifinals on 4th-and-10.