On the Sidelines with Dan Sousa: Battle of the (Heart)Burn Lives Up to Hype as Stone Bridge Stuns Spartans with 24-point comeback for 31-30 Thrilling Win in OT

On the Sidelines with Dan Sousa

QBs Connor Jessop (BR) and Ryan Burns (SB) meet after
the Battle of the Burn Friday night, won by SB, 31-30 in OT.
(photo courtesy Steven Holland)

Ashburn (Sept. 26, 2011) - There was so much hype surrounding the "Battle of the Burn" that Friday's football game between Broad Run and Stone Bridge -- the first meeting since 2004 between neighborhood rivals that had combined for seven district, six regional and three state titles in the last four seasons in separate classifications -- that the game couldn't live up to the expectations of an overflow crowd of nearly 7,000 fans.

And the game didn't ... let me explain before sending me nasty tweets: in parts the game was a major letdown for each side. And in parts it was beyond each fan base's wildest expectations. It was the Battle of the (heart)burn for both sides.

And in the end, as the game headed into overtime, the sum of all those parts was a once-in-a-decade or maybe lifetime experience as host Stone Bridge, trailing by 24 points with two minutes left in third quarter, rallied to tie and then win the game in overtime, 31-30.


The wild roller coaster ride of a game had to leave objective fans -- plain 'ol local football fans including a number of Washington Redskins turned out to see a good prep match-up -- buzzing and with smiles on their faces as they got their $5 worth of entertainment and more. I had the pleasure of doing the color for the Verizon FiOS1 broadcast Friday and in the next 48 hours I couldn't stop replaying the incredible events in my mind (call it Sousa On Demand ...)

Or wondering how many times in the booth I said "I don't believe this!" ... and I was saying that in the first half, second half and into overtime! By the very end I think I was screaming into the mic like some hayseed on a 10-watt station in Buck Owens country.

For Broad Run (4-1 overall in its first season moving up to AAA since the 1990s) it was a first half of maybe the sweetest 24 minutes of football that the team and Spartan fans could have ever imagined as they built a 24-0 halftime lead on a Stone Bridge (3-1) team that came into the game, 64-3, at home since 2002.

When a turnover gave the Spartans the ball at the Stone Bridge 1-yard line in the third quarter, still leading 24-0, it appeared that Broad Run fans would soon be doing their best Black Eyed Peas imitation in the Village ... "Lets paint the town ... We'll shut it down".

For Stone Bridge fans things had been anything but a "good good night" ... yet what happened next was either "the unthinkable" if you had your hair dyed maroon or it was your "do you believe in miracles moment" if you had your face painted with blue paw prints.

Stone Bridge held for four straight plays at the goal line and then went on an improbable 99-yard drive that started maybe the sweetest 20 minutes of football that the team and Bulldog fans could have ever imagined as they scored 24 straight points to force overtime and then won it on running back Stephen Trivieri's touchdown run and Ben Lambourne's point after kick.

A home crowd that had sat stunned and nearly silent through halftime had built into a cheering frenzy by the overtime and after Broad Run's extra point attempt on their OT possession hit off the right upright and kicked back onto the field ... the Bulldogs students surged towards the fences.

Nothing had stopped their team since that goal line stand and now nothing was going to stop them as they jumped the fences as soon as Lambourne's kick sailed into the dark night, and the blue-clad faithful stormed the field in wild celebration of the 12-year-old school's greatest athletic comeback ever.

Broad Run players and fans appeared as stunned at the turn of events and final outcome as the Stone Bridge players and fans had appeared at halftime. Usually a 31-30 overtime game signifies a back-and-forth affair, but Friday's affair was a whole half of back ... followed by a whole half of forth.

In the first half, the tone was set as Trivieri fumbled the ball away on Stone Bridge's first snap. That set into motion a half that was shockingly all Broad Run.

It wasn't surprising that a very good Spartan defense -- with two shutouts already and a 14-quarter streak with no points allowed -- shut down a somewhat shaky Stone Bridge offense but the Spartans three consecutive touchdown drives including 70 and 72 yards were very surprising against a Bulldog defense that hadn't allowed a TD "drive" on the season of more than 25 yards

Everything went Broad Run's way as Spartan quarterback Connor Jessop, coming into the game 20-1 lifetime as a starter, threw for 120 yards and two scores and the BR rushing attack picked up 63 yards for a total offense of 183 yards in the first two quarters.

Stone Bridge, meanwhile, was struggling to 55 total yards and the Bulldogs trudged off to halftime down 24-0 with head coach Mickey Thompson, who played at Broad Run and had never lost to his alma mater in four meetings, the last person off the sidelines looking not nearly as mad as he looked preplexed.

After all, Stone Bridge didn't lose at home ... and they certainly didn't lose to other team from Loudoun ... in fact, the Bulldogs had won 25 straight against Loudoun-based teams dating back to 2002.

And here they trailed by 24 points after the earlier turnover led to a Billy Deane 27-yard field goal and then Jessop set up a Derril Thomas 8-yard TD scamper with a 42-yard run on a 3rd-and-3 call by Broad Run coach Matt Griffis from the 50. Griffis had taken over the Spartan program last year after spending 15 years coaching under Thompson at Park View and Stone Bridge.

While both coaches do a great job of publicly saying the games about the kids ... and they mean it ... the contest was also a chess match at times between two guys who have spent a lot of time over the years, drawing up plays on scraps of paper, cheering their daughters playing basketball and coaching teams to victories. On Friday they stood across the field from each other and tried their best to stay one move ahead of each other.

Trailing 10-0, things kept sailing, literally, in the wrong direction for Stone Bridge as a 3rd-and-3 snap on the Bulldogs next possession sailed untouched for a 21-yard loss. Broad Run took over on the Bulldog 43 after a punt and needed just one play, and a devastating block, to make it 17-0 as Thomas took a pass from Jessop, and went down the left sidelines with Broad Run tight end Michael Stratton put a major hit on Stone Bridge linebacker Mike Tompkins as the Bulldog tried to track Thomas laterally.

Stone Bridge showed some offensive life on its next series but a drive stalled at the Broad Run 25 on downs and Jessop looked calm and collected as completed a couple of short passes and then found Dorian Jenkins in stride behind the Bulldog secondary for a 55-yard touchdown pass. And that made it 24-0 with another Deane PAT.

The start of the third quarter was more Spartans as they got the ball first and Jessop again drove the team with a mix of passes and runs -- Broad Run, like Stone Bridge, runs the single wing and can pass out of 5-wide sets as well -- but a direct snap to Thomas from the Stone Bridge 36 ended a Spartan drive.

Stone Bridge forced back inside their 5 after a penalty, tried to get something going with junior quarterback Ryan Burns hitting Stan Johnson and the senior WR struggled for extra yardage on the 3rd-and-16 appeared to have both knees down before the ball squirted loose but it was ruled a fumble on the field and Broad Run was sitting just outside the SB 1 with the 24-point lead.

That one yard would prove tough to get as Broad Run gave it to Thomas four straight times and the SB defense, led by junior Jonathan Allen, would not budge. Broad Run could have kicked a field goal to go up 27-0 on fourth down but at that point in the contest, 27-0 and 24-0 felt like the same as not many teams are capable of scoring three touchdowns -- and three two-point conversions -- in a row. Griffis probably felt like going up 31-0 would ensure Stone Bridge would have to score at least four TDs to comeback.

And even if Broad Run failed, their defense had only allowed 21 points total in their first four games combined so they liked their odds making SB go 99 yards just to get on the scoreboard.

Trivieri, the senior transfer from Canada with an ice hockey player mentality, started the comeback rolling with three straight carries including a key 25-yard run on 3rd-and-1. Burns started heating up as well with pass completions to Jake Kuzbel, Rassaun Goldring and a big 17-yard pass to Johnson on 3rd-and-5.

The Stone Bridge fans were finally coming to life and they had something to jump up out of their seats about as Burns -- who two passes earlier had missed Johnson on what would have been a 60-yard score -- found the lone returning offensive starter from last year again behind the coverage and he raced into the end zone for the 43-yard score.

Now it was time for the first 2-point conversion and the 6-foot-5 Burns showed why he had college offers before his first varsity start as he rifled a pass into John Peterson's chest with enough velocity that if it had missed Peterson, it might have taken out the grill crew next to the concession stand.

With two minutes left in the third quarter, Allen and the defense were energized and on Broad Run's first play from scrimmage after the score, Allen not only broke into the backfield and threw Thomas for a loss but the Broad Run senior had his leg get rolled on during the tackle and he would not return to the game.

A sack of Jessop kept the crowd in it and forced 3rd-and-19 which led to an incomplete pass and Spartan punt. As the third quarter ended, the Spartan defense stepped up and sacked Burns for a loss but the fourth quarter would belong to Trivieri and the Bulldogs as the senior running back fought for 14 yards on 3rd-and-15 to set up a fourth-and-short from the Stone Bridge 41.

The Bulldog went for it and Trivieri not only got the yard but he comeback after breaking through the short yardage defense and rambled free into the secondary ... running as hard as he could, just staying ahead of a bevy of Broad Run defenders for a 59-yard touchdown run. Trivieri, who seemed to be getting stronger as the game went on, got the call for the 2-point conversion and he rammed into the end zone to make it, 24-16,  with 10:52 still left in the game.

Jessop tried to get Broad Run back in control and the Spartans were able to move the ball across midfield but the Bulldog pass rush broke into the backfield on a 2nd-and-4 call and Jessop, tried to rolling out of the pocket to find a target but he was hit and fumbled the ball. Bulldog junior Drew Dettra pounced on the ball at the Broad Run 41.

Broad Run defense, once again, threatened to end the comeback as they forced a 4th-and-2 from the Spartan 33 but Burns hit Goldring, who broke some tackles to gain 14 yards. And on almost the same play again, Burns found Goldring for 16 yards to the BR 3.

In the opening week, Stone Bridge handed the ball to Trivieri 13 straight carries as the team marched into position for a Lambourne game-winning field goal to break a 0-0 deadlock. At the 3, it was clear SB would go to Trivieri again and the Bulldog offensive line was now getting a good surge as the senior back plowed in to the end zone to make it 24-22. Who else but Trivieri would get the call to tie and this time he launched himself through the air and into the end zone to make it 24-24.

The comeback was complete but 4:13 remained, plenty of time for a dangerous Jessop and his corps of receivers. The lanky QB, who guided the Spartans to the state title as a sophomore but missed most of last season with an injury, completed a couple of passes but SB's defense stiffened and Broad Run was left with a decision as they faced 4th-and-2 from their own 42 with two minutes to play.

The Spartans pulled a line shift that should have looked very familiar to Stone Bridge as it was a play right out of the Bulldogs big play book ... having used the tactic in big games to earn 5-yard penalties on the defense ... and surprisingly when the Spartans did shift, two SB players jumped across the line of scrimmage.

The SB bench, thinking that the Spartan shift should have been flagged as illegal motion instead, compounded the situation when a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty flag flew ... moving the ball all the way to the SB 38.

Jessop gained four yards on a scramble on the next play and then Tompkins, who didn't stay down after that big hit earlier, delivered a blow to Broad Run that must have felt like a punch to the stomach as he intercepted a Jessop pass along the Spartan sidelines and with the stadium rocking, he weaved his way with the ball to the BR 45 with 1:43 to go.

Broad Run wasn't about to let Stone Bridge complete the comeback in regulation as the Spartans picked off Burns in the Red Zone with 55 seconds left. Griffis had Jessop take a knee as the team prepared for OT.

Fittingly, for the coin toss ... Broad Run sent out Stratton and Stone Bridge set out Tompkins for the flip. Stone Bridge won the toss and went on defense. Each team would get alternating possessions from the 10 until there was a winner.

On third down, still from the 10, Jessop threaded a pass to Jenkins in traffic in the right corner of the end zone and the acrobatic receiver came down with it. The extra point however, hit the right crossbar squarely to make it 30-24 Broad Run.

Stone Bridge had one call for overtime: Trivieri to the right ... Trivieri to the right and Trivieri to the right ... he gained eight yards and then nosed the ball to the 1 before scoring on third down. Lambourne then did the honors with the point after and the Stone Bridge players were swallowed in a sea of students, all convinced they had just witnessed something special.

As tough as the loss was for Broad Run and as big a comeback as the win was for Stone Bridge ... the real winner on the evening was high school football in Ashburn. Fields between the schools just over two miles apart were filled the next day with elementary school and middle school kids acting out the big game in their pick-up play ... they pretended to be Connor Jessop or Ryan Burns back in the pocket or a Stephen Trivieri chugging into an end zone, or a Dorian Jenkins making a big catch ...

They were role playing for their chance someday to star in the Battle of the Burn with 7,000 in the stands and NFL players on the sidelines. I not only hope the future games live up to the hype but that I am shouting into the mic as well.

Stone Bridge 31, Broad Run 30 (OT)
BR  3  21  0   0   6 - 30
SB  0   0   8  24  7 - 31
1: BR Deane 27 FG 6:53
2: BR Thomas 8 run (Deane kick) 11:08
2: BR Thomas 43 pass from Jessop (Deane kick) 8:41
2: BR Jenkins 55 pass from Jessop (Deane kick) 1:42
3: SB Johnson 43 pass from Burns (Petersen pass from Burns) 2:00
4: SB Trivieri 59 run (Trivieri run) 10:52
4: SB Trivieri 3 run (Trivieri run) 4:13
OT: BR Jenkins 10 pass from Jessop (kick failed)
OT: SB Trivieri 1 run (Lambourne kick)

Rushing
BR: Thomas 13-27, Jessop 10-24, Taggart 3-14, Earl 2-0, Team 2-(-10). Totals 30-55.
SB: Trivieri 19-153, Burns 9-8, Kuzbel 1-2, Dailey 2-2, Goldring 1-0, Team 1-(-21). Team 33-144.

Passing
BR: Jessop 14-21-1 195.
SB: Burns 8-17-1 139.

Receiving
BR: Jenkins 5-94, Thomas 1-43, Duncan 2-21, Earl 3-17, Preziotti 2-12, Stratton 1-8.
SB: Johnson 4-86, Goldring 3-47, Kuzbel 1-5.