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By Carl Lukat
Times-Mirror Staff Writer
Blacksburg (Dec. 14, 2009) - Broad Run High School head football coach Michael Burnett often talks to his players about rising above adversity.
So when the Spartans faced the obstacle of playing the second half of Saturday's Division 4 state football championship game without 2,000-plus-yard rusher T.J. Peeler, nothing needed to be said.
Peeler, also a linebacker, injured his right knee on defense late in the first half. The University of Pittsburgh commit would spend the second half on crutches.
"We really didn't talk much about it [at halftime]," Broad Run senior David Weaver said. "We know a team is a team and we can bounce back from an injury."
The Spartans received a senior-like performance from sophomore quarterback Connor Jessop in the second half and made a big defensive stand in the final minute to hold on for a 21-16 victory over Amherst at Virginia Tech's Lane Stadium.
Showing posts with label Amherst County. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Amherst County. Show all posts
Monday, December 14, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Photo Gallery by Jeff Scudder - Football - VHSL D4 State Title Game - Broad Run vs. Amherst County
Click on any photo to go to the complete gallery
Football Box: Broad Run 21, Amherst County 16
Broad Run 0 7 7 7 - 21
Amherst County 0 7 0 9 - 16
Broad Run 21, Amherst 16
Second Quarter
BR: Flemming 12 pass from Jessop (Martin kick) 6:43 (9 plays, 67 yards, 3:41)
A: Vaughan 4 run (Dawson kick) 2:35 (11 plays, 54 yards, 4:05)
Third Quarter
BR: Thomas 12 pass from Jessop (Martin kick) 6:30 (8 plays, 57 yards, 3:48)
Fourth Quarter
A: Dawson 39 field goal 11:09 (6 plays, 27 yards, 3:02)
BR: Weaver 25 pass from Jessop (Martin kick) 8:05 (7 plays, 61 yards, 3:02)
A: Vaughan 2 run (run failed) 4:04 (10 plays, 55 yards, 3:57)
Individual Stats
Rushing: BR-Peeler (15 for 71 yards), Thomas (4 for 3 yards), Jessop (7 for 2 yards), Nelson (1 for 1 yard); A-Vaughan (14 for 118 yards, 2 TD), Jamal Glover (12 for 60 yards), Jamar Glover (11 for 46 yards), Braxton (3 for 11 yards)
Passing: BR-Jessop (12 of 20 for 135 yards, 3 TD); A-Anderson (2 of 6 for 29 yards, 2 Int.)
Receiving: BR-Weaver (5 for 85 yards, TD), Flemming (3 for 17 yards, TD), Price (2 for 18 yards), Thomas (2 for 15 yards, TD); A-Rose (2 for 29 yards)
Tackles: BR-Walter (13), Schmetzer (9), Flemming (8), Quigg (7); A-Brown (13), McDaniel (11), Anderson (7), Carter (7)
Team Stats
First Downs: Broad Run 12, Amherst 16
Fumbles-lost: Broad Run 2-1; Amherst 3-2
Possession Time: Broad Run 26:18; Amherst 21:42
Third-Down Conversions: Broad Run 4 of 13; Amherst 4 of 9
Fourth-Down Conversions: Broad Run 2 of 4; Amherst 1 of 3
Box courtesy of Carl "breaker, breaker" Lukat, Loudoun Times-Mirror sports editor. Check back to VivaLoudoun Carl's full story on the Spartans big victory plus multiple photos galleries from Jeff Scudder!
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Football: Broad Run Rocks Back-to-Back State Titles with 21-16 Win Over Amherst
Blacksburg (Dec. 12, 2009) - Broad Run High School waited 40 years for its first VHSL state football title. The second title came a whole lot faster as the Spartans defeated Amherst County Saturday, 21-16, at Virginia Tech's Lane Stadium for a second straight Division 4 state title.
And Broad Run (14-0) did it with star running back T.J. Peeler on the sidelines on crutches the entire second half after spraining a knee. Sophomore quarterback Connor Jessop stepped up big time for BR with three touchdown passes to three different receivers -- Adrian Flemming, Derril Thomas and David Weaver.
The Spartan defense, which has been a hallmark of the school's 28-game winning streak, came through in the closing minutes after Amherst threatened to go ahead with Weaver and Joey Quigg knocking down passes to save the victory.
For the Broad Run senior class, they exit the school having gone 38-1 over the past three seasons with three Dulles District titles, three Region II titles and two state titles. Amherst, which won back-to-back titles prior to Broad Run's back-to-back, fell victim to the Spartans in both of the last two title games.
Despite forcing three Amherst turnovers and the first three possessions, Broad Run didn't go up 7-0 until 6:43 remained in the first half as Jessop found Flemming on a 12-yard score.
It wasn't long after that score that Peeler, playing defense, went down and had to be helped off the field. It was 7-7 at the half as Amherst tied it with 2:35 left.
Midway through the third, it was an all-sophomore hook-up as Jessop, whose brother chris quarterbacked the team to the state title last season before graduating, found Thomas, Peeler's back-up, for a 12-yard score to make it 14-7 with 6:30 left in the third.
Amherst cut into the lead with 11:09 to go in the contest with a 39-yard field goal to make it 14-10 Spartans.
The ultimate game-winning score came on 4th-and-11 as Jessop hit Weaver for a 25-yard score. That gave the Spartans a 21-10 advantage with 8:05 left.
Playing before a large "home crowd", Amherst fought back and scored but failed on a 2-point conversion to make it 21-16.
The Spartans could not ice the game on offense and had to punt with 2:29 to play. Amherst made it to the Broad Run 30 with 85 seconds left but the Spartan defense, with the aid of an offensive holding call, showed their resolve to wrap up the state title and set off a celebration that will stretch all the way up I-81 to Ashburn.
And Broad Run (14-0) did it with star running back T.J. Peeler on the sidelines on crutches the entire second half after spraining a knee. Sophomore quarterback Connor Jessop stepped up big time for BR with three touchdown passes to three different receivers -- Adrian Flemming, Derril Thomas and David Weaver.
The Spartan defense, which has been a hallmark of the school's 28-game winning streak, came through in the closing minutes after Amherst threatened to go ahead with Weaver and Joey Quigg knocking down passes to save the victory.
For the Broad Run senior class, they exit the school having gone 38-1 over the past three seasons with three Dulles District titles, three Region II titles and two state titles. Amherst, which won back-to-back titles prior to Broad Run's back-to-back, fell victim to the Spartans in both of the last two title games.
Despite forcing three Amherst turnovers and the first three possessions, Broad Run didn't go up 7-0 until 6:43 remained in the first half as Jessop found Flemming on a 12-yard score.
It wasn't long after that score that Peeler, playing defense, went down and had to be helped off the field. It was 7-7 at the half as Amherst tied it with 2:35 left.
Midway through the third, it was an all-sophomore hook-up as Jessop, whose brother chris quarterbacked the team to the state title last season before graduating, found Thomas, Peeler's back-up, for a 12-yard score to make it 14-7 with 6:30 left in the third.
Amherst cut into the lead with 11:09 to go in the contest with a 39-yard field goal to make it 14-10 Spartans.
The ultimate game-winning score came on 4th-and-11 as Jessop hit Weaver for a 25-yard score. That gave the Spartans a 21-10 advantage with 8:05 left.
Playing before a large "home crowd", Amherst fought back and scored but failed on a 2-point conversion to make it 21-16.
The Spartans could not ice the game on offense and had to punt with 2:29 to play. Amherst made it to the Broad Run 30 with 85 seconds left but the Spartan defense, with the aid of an offensive holding call, showed their resolve to wrap up the state title and set off a celebration that will stretch all the way up I-81 to Ashburn.
Friday, December 11, 2009
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.
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.
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