The Broad Run High football team is one win away from perfection and one win away from its first-ever state championship.
The Spartans’ incredible season continued last Saturday afternoon with the Ashburn team playing a typically sound game across the board in defeating Chancellor High of Fredericksburg, 24-12, in a state AA semifinals game. The Division 4 postseason contest took place in front of a packed crowd at Broad Run.
Trailing at halftime, 6-3, Broad Run, the two-time Dulles District champions, turned the game in its favor with a third quarter, which sparked by a blocked punt, saw them outscore the Chargers, 14-0, on way to the victory.
"It’s definitely huge," said Broad Run senior Kevin Sandersen, whose punt block early in the second half started the momentum swinging in the Spartans’ favor. "Coach said we’re going to remember that 24 minutes [of the second half] the rest of our lives."
Next, Broad Run (13-0) will take on Amherst County, located in central Virginia just outside of Lynchburg, in the state championship game this Saturday at 4:15 p.m. The title game will take place at Liberty University in Lynchburg. Like Broad Run, Amherst County, a member of the Battlefield District, goes into the showdown match up with a perfect 13-0 record.
"Our goals [all season] have been to win district, region and states," Sandersen said. "Every guy believed that."
Saturday’s region championship game turned around dramatically in Broad Run’s favor just four plays into the third quarter when, on a Chancellor fourth-down punt attempt, the 6 foot 2 inch, 185 pound Sandersen broke through the left side from his defensive end spot and blocked Micah Cunningham’s punt. The loose ball was recovered by the Spartans at the Chargers’ 24-yard line. On the following play, Spartan running back TJ Peeler took a handoff left and burst off tackle for a 24-yard touchdown run in which the junior broke through several arm tackles. He went into the end zone standing and, following senior Graham Allen’s extra point kick, Broad Run led 10-6. The Spartans would never relinquish the lead.
Sandersen, who had never before blocked a punt, set up the huge score and his team’s second half to remember.
"I came off the left side as hard as I could," Sandersen said. "I stuck out my [right] arm and I think I got the ball pretty well. It was unbelievable, definitely a surreal feeling. After that play, we were [in scoring position] and TJ made a great run."
"That punt block was huge," said Broad Run senior linebacker Kenny McAdow. "That’s the kind of play great teams are going to make."
<b>BROAD RUN’S DEFENSE</b>, following the Peeler score, forced another Chancellor punt moments later. And once again, the Spartan special teams came up big. It was not a punt block this time, but an incredible return by senior Breon Earl that reignited the fired up partisan home crowd. Earl caught Cunningham’s booming, long punt on the run before making a return of 50-plus yards. On the return, Earl worked his way down the right sideline before bursting across the middle of the field as the crowd roared. He was finally brought down at the Chancellor 20.
Four plays later, Earl scored his first of two touchdowns on the day when he took a pitchout left from quarterback Chris Jessop and went into the end zone standing. Allen, despite having his point-after kick nicked, had enough on the boot to clear the goal post. Broad Run was in command with a 17-6 lead with six minutes, 32 seconds left in the third quarter.
Broad Run coach Mike Burnett, following the game, expressed his pleasure with the play of the Spartans’ special teams.
"As a [coaching] staff we’ve preached all year that every play matters," the coach said. "Special teams can change a game instantly. Breon’s punt return was pretty special. Those two plays [including the punt block] changed the game for us."
Chancellor pulled within 17-12 following a 2-yard touchdown run by bruising fullback Dominique Wallace (21 carries, 102 yards, two TDs) early in the fourth quarter. But Broad Run answered with perhaps its most important scoring drive of the season, in which the Spartans drove the ball 64 yards on eight plays. The touchdown came on a pitchout right toss to Earl, who scored easily from 6 yards out with just over six minutes left to play. Allen’s extra point kick made it 24-12 Spartans.
For the game, Earl finished with 87 yards on 16 carries with the two touchdowns. On top of that, the 5 foot 7 inch, 160-pound playmaker sensation also had the pivotal second-half punt return and recovered a fumble from his position in the Spartans’ defensive secondary as well.
<b>WHILE EARL</b> had a superb game, teammate Peeler had a pretty exceptional game himself with a game high 162 yards on 16 carries and a touchdown. He gained 112 yards in the second half following a halftime challenge by coach Burnett.
"Coach said, ‘TJ, I know you can do better than that,’" said Peeler, who perhaps had not gotten into the running groove his coach knew him to be capable of.
"Coach told us to pick the intensity up [for the second half]," said Peeler, of Burnett’s words to the team at halftime. "We just wanted the game. [Winning a region title] is something that’s never happened in my life before. It feels real good."
Peeler’s second-half runs included gains of 24, 18 and 29 yards. He was the inside running presence for the Spartans, while Earl did his damage outside.
"They’re about as good a combination of backs you’ll ever see," Burnett said. "TJ is a good downfield, punishing runner. Breon has that burst of speed. We wanted to go with those two guys."
As it has done all year long, the Broad Run offensive line paved the way by blowing the Chargers off the ball for much of the game. The Spartans rushed for 249 yards to Chancellor’s 169.
Chancellor’s hard-running Wallace, at 230 pounds, was difficult to bring down and had a big game. But the rest of the Chancellor offense, led by quarterback Cunningham, was held in check.
"He’s a load to bring down," McAdow said of Wallace. "He’s a darn good running back. We had four, five or six kids on the pile every time."
Burnett said his team has amazed him with its desire and enjoyment in playing the game week in and week out.
"This group plays so hard every single play," he said. "I’ll be lucky if I have another team that plays this hard."