Football: Broad Run Finishes Strong - Goal-Line Stand in Final Seconds of Game, Jessop-to-Duncan TD Pass on Final Play of First Half Key to Spartans, 27-20, Win

(Oct. 15, 2011) - The Osbourn and Broad Run high school football teams battled evenly for most of Friday night but the final seconds of each half belonged to the Spartans as Connor Jessop hooked up with Blake Duncan on a 31-yard touchdown pass on the final play of the first half and the mud-caked Broad Run defense game up with a goal-line stand in the final seconds of the game to preserve a, 27-20, Cedar Run District win over the Eagles.

After Broad Run (1-0 in district, 6-1 overall) fumbled the ball away at midfield with 7:30 remaining in the game, Osbourn (1-1, 5-3) marched in 10 plays to the Spartan 1, but the Broad Run defensive front surged forward on 3rd-and-goal to throw Cedrick Delaney (31 carries for 167 yards) for a 3-yard loss and then Delaney, trying to get around the right corner, was brought down on the 2 on 4th-and-goal with 43 seconds left in the contest.

"That goal-line stand showed our mental toughness, it showed our character," said Broad Run coach Matt Griffis. "That could be a defining moment for us."

Earlier in the game the Spartans had another defining moment as senior quarterback Jessop engineered an 80-yard touchdown drive in the final 50 seconds of the first half with no timeouts. The final three completions of the drive, which put Broad Run up 21-20 at the half, went to the 6-foot-2 Duncan as he gained 15 yards and scooted out of bounds with 15 seconds left at the Osbourn 44, then went for another 13 yards and again got out of bounds, with just seven seconds left, at the Osbourn 31.

Jessop, who threw for 220 yards in the first half on 10 of 12 passing including a 67-yard touchdown pass to Dorian Jenkins, found Duncan alone in the back of the end zone on the final play of the half and Duncan (5 catches for 106 yards all in the first half) made a diving catch for the score.

"All credit goes to Blake Duncan on that drive ... that was an amazing catch in the end zone," said Jessop. "I just knew we couldn't go into halftime losing."

Osbourn had its way in the first half, rushing for 208 yards -- 119 by Delaney -- and scoring on two big TD passes by Conner Lane, one a 50-yard strike to Santoni Scott and the other a 20-yard score to Devante Payne. While the Eagles had 290 total yards in the first half, the Broad Run defense allowed just 64 yards after halftime.

"You have that spark after that," said Griffis of the Jessop-to-Duncan touchdown with no time left on the clock in the first half and the Spartans used that spark to fire a 10-yard, 80-yard touchdown drive to start the second half.

Key on that drive -- which prevented Osbourn from being able to kick a game-winning field goal at the end of the contest -- was a Jessop scramble on 3rd-and-10 which set up a 4th-and-2. Jessop then used a hard count to draw the Eagles offside for a first down.

Derril Thomas, who found the running tough in the first half but did score on a 2-yard run, did some damage on the drive in the single wing spin series as he had three consecutive carries that totaled 26 yards and brought the ball to the Eagle 25.

Osbourn's Trevor Neal sacked Jessop on the next play to bring up 2nd-and-18, but Broad Run was able to score on a play just installed during practice this week as a direct angled snap went to blocking back James Giltner, who was lined up to the right of the line. On the snap, Jessop and Thomas went through a deft spin fake and went to the left, followed by most of the Osbourn defense.

Before anybody realized that Giltner had the ball, he was 15 yards into the secondary all by himself and he ran untouched into the end zone for a 33-yard score with 7:56 left in the third.

Broad Run had a chance to pad the lead later in the third but an open receiver in the end zone on 4th-and-5 from the Osbourn 26 could not locate the ball for a score. The Eagles then drove down to the Broad Run 34 before Giltner and David McIntyre came up with a huge sack that forced a punt with 9:32 left in the game.

"That was a game-changing play. Giltner and I wrapped him up," said McIntyre.

Broad Run, starting at its own 15, was moving the ball comfortably when, Da'Qwan Earl had the ball squirt loose on a hit and Osbourn recovered at the Broad Run 42 with 7:30 left.

The Eagles kept their hopes alive when Lane was able to scramble for 12 yards on 4th-and-11 and it appeared that Osbourn would have a chance to tie the game when Lane was brought down at the 1 on 2nd-and-goal. The defense had other ideas and on fourth day it was Caleb Lindsey, who was able to snag one of Delaney's ankles as he attempted to escape around the right corner.

"I just grabbed what I could and I grabbed some ankles," said Lindsey.

And while Osbourn had 354 total yards in the game, Broad Run wouldn't give up the final yard or the win.

"We were all tired, but we had each other's backs and we finish," said McIntyre

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