Ashburn, Va. — Almost a year removed from the wrong end of a postseason upset against Tuscarora High School, the Stone Bridge Bulldogs were primed for revenge in a rematch against the Huskies on October 19 in Ashburn. Tuscarora, however, had other plans. The Huskies’ defense held Stone Bridge to a season low 14 points, while Tuscarora’s balanced offense eluded the Bulldogs, 24-14.
“With Stone Bridge, you constantly have to change things up,” Tuscarora head coach Brandon Wheelbarger said. “They have a phenomenal coaching staff, and they’re going to find your weaknesses. So from our end that means we have to do different things. Sometimes that means taking chances and rolling the dice.”
[adrotate group=”4″]The Huskies got the scoring started late in the first quarter after senior quarterback Justin Allen – facing a 4th-and-long – delivered a 40-yard pass down to the Stone Bridge 4-yard line. Two plays later, senior running back LeRon West carried the ball in from one yard out.
“We have a ground-and-pound offense, but Justin Allen can sling it around a little bit,” Wheelbarger said. “We like the balance of not just run-pass, but also the tempo as well. Our kids do an excellent job when we want to go up tempo.”
The Huskies’ tempo and lead were short lived as Stone Bridge senior quarter Mason Tatum connected with junior receiver Tai Felton for a 14-yard touchdown pass less than two minutes after Tuscarora’s first score. A successful two-point conversion put the Bulldogs up, 8-7, with eleven minutes to play in the first half.
Tuscarora and Stone Bridge traded each of their next possessions, before the Huskies faced a 4th-and-long from the Bulldogs’ 25-yard line. Wheelbarger went to the trusted foot of junior kicker Max Skirkanich, who nailed a 42-yard field goal as Tuscarora regained the lead, 10-8.
Midway through the third quarter, the Huskies added to their lead when Allen hit junior tight end Noah Gick with a 12-yard touchdown pass.
“It was a complete team effort,” Allen said. “It’s just each person doing his job and the whole team coming together.”
With the momentum on their side, and a defense that hadn’t cracked, Tuscarora was solidly in the driver’s seat. However, early in the fourth quarter, the Huskies took a blow when Allen – who had a preseason injury that kept him sidelined until October 12 – took a shot to his upper body.
Having already faced adversity throughout the season, Tuscarora turned to the sure hand of junior quarterback Ethan Gick, who capped off his first drive of the game with a 1-yard quarterback keeper.
“Justin got banged up a little bit in preseason, and Ethan had to come in and play quarterback. Justin comes back, and Ethan slides over to play receiver,” Wheelbarger said. “This is a kid who is a first-year starter, who we’ve intrusted everything in on both sides of the ball. He just comes in and does what he’s asked to do.”
While the Stone Bridge offense – which averages almost 50 points per game – showed some life late in the fourth quarter, the Tuscarora defense proved sturdy, fending off a late drive and sealing off their upset win.
“We came out here and knew what we had to do,” Allen said. “Our mentality was right, and we came out and took care of business.”
There is no rest for the weary as Tuscarora (6-2) hosts John Champe (4-4) in front of a home crowd in Leesburg on October 26. Stone Bridge (7-1) will host Freedom (0-8) in Ashburn.
“I try to instill [passion]in our guys, and they try to instill it in me. It’s a two-way street,” Wheelbarger said. “I just want our team to compete until the last whistle.”
Mike Ferrara captured more than 100 photos at the game…
Scoring
1Q 0:40 T LeRon West 1-yard TD run (Skirkanich PAT)
2Q 11:12 SB Mason Tatum to Tai Felton 14-yard TD pass (2pt good)
2Q 7:09 T Max Skirkanich 42-yard field goal
3Q 7:21 T Justin Allen to Noah Gick 12-yard TD pass (Skirkanich PAT)
4Q 7:47 T Ethan Gick 1-yard TD run (Skirkanich PAT)
4Q 5:15 SB Mason Tatum to Tai Felton 19-yard TD pass (2pt failed)
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