Football: Ashburn Teams Start Year Highly Ranked by Washington Post - Stone Bridge No. 2, Briar Woods No. 13, Broad Run No. 21

(Aug. 29, 2011) - Ashburn's claim to being one of the top area's in the state for football was strengthened once again as the Washington Post has Stone Bridge High School ranked No. 2 in their metro are preseason poll and Briar Woods is No. 13. Broad Run is on the cusp of making it three Ashburn teams in the Top 20 as the Spartans, coming off a big 51-7 win over Park View Friday, are on the bubble at No. 21.

Stone Bridge, which won a Division 5 state title in 2007 and finished state runner-up in 2009 and 2010. opens Thursday with a tough game at No. 17 Robinson. Briar Woods opens the year Friday by playing host to Broad Run in a match-up of the last three Division 4 state champions as Briar Woods won in 2010 and Broad Run took the title in 2008 and 2009.

Friday's big game in Ashburn, a rematch of last year's Region II title game won by Briar Woods by three points, is also a fundraiser for Broad Run grad Ryan Diviney, who remains in a coma after a beating at West Virginia nearly two years ago. The fundraiser, Battle for a Better Cause, includes T-shirt sales which will begin on Tuesday at the freshman and JV games at Broad Run. The goal Friday is to "white out" the stadium at Briar Woos with everybody wearing the Battle for a Better Cause t-shirts.