Aldie, Va. – After coming off of a blowout win against James Madison High School, the Stone Bridge High School football team showed no signs of wear in their most recent contest. The Bulldogs rolled over John Champe High School, 59-28, on September 22 in Aldie, controlling the game from the first kickoff to the final whistle.
Coming into the game as the underdog, the Knights showed some defensive fortitude against the powerful Bulldog offense; however, their defense eventually faltered as Stone Bridge went on to score 59 total points in the game.
Led by junior quarterback Mason Tatum and senior running back Josh Lawyer, the Stone Bridge offense was in high gear all night, moving the ball with ease through both the passing and rushing game. After Tatum threw for his first touchdown of the night, Lawyer busted into the endzone with a 35-yard touchdown of his own, his first of three on the night.
“Stone Bridge is just one giant family, and I am so glad to just be a part of it,” Lawyer said. “Coach Thompson is the best coach that I have ever played for. The way he calls the plays just sets up our offense to be able to come out strong.”
[adrotate banner=”19″]Right when it started to look like the game was getting out of hand, the Knights started to gain some traction on the offensive side of the ball. The Knights capped off an outstanding drive with a touchdown connection between senior quarterback Cameron Parson and senior wide receiver Brandon Burdick.
However, the Knights were unable to capitalize on their offensive momentum, giving up another big touchdown, this time on a deep-ball connection between Tatum and senior tight end Daniel Thompson. Throughout the game, the 6-foot-5 Thompson was the main target for Tatum, finishing with 135 receiving yards.
To make matters worse for the Knights, Stone Bridge knocked in a 25-yard field goal right before halftime to make the score 24-7 in favor of the Bulldogs.
In the third quarter, the Knights showed some of signs of life with the read option. Early on, John Champe senior running back Carl Garmon III was unable to find many holes to run through; however, he was eventually able to turn on the jets and score a touchdown to cut the deficit.
Unfortunately for the Knights, the Stone Bridge offensive line propelled junior Nick Mell and Lawyer to multiple rushing touchdowns in response shortly after, making the score 38-14 in favor of the Bulldogs heading into the fourth quarter.
“Our offense is one-of-a-kind,” Lawyer said. “We have this brotherhood and chemistry that no other team has in our conference. Our run game only works because of our great offensive line. They definitely came out to play like they usually do.”
After yet another rushing touchdown from Lawyer, the Knights showed some signs of life by returning a kickoff more than 90 yards for a touchdown, cutting the score to 45-21.
However, all the momentum from the kickoff return dissipated when Stone Bridge senior defensive end Jack Kosko knocked the ball loose from Parson on an ensuing drive and returned the fumble about 30 yards for a touchdown. With seven minutes left in the game, the Bulldogs had effectively shut the door on any hope of comeback for the Knights.
Stone Bridge (4-0) will take on Potomac Falls High School (3-2) on September 28 in a Potomac District showdown. John Champe takes its bye week and will resume play against Potomac Falls on October 6.
“This win feels pretty great,” Lawyer said. “I’m just glad we were able to establish our team in our conference so early.”
