Ashburn, Va. — If Broad Run High School head coach Matt Griffis was concerned that his Spartans might be overconfident coming into their annual showdown with Briar Woods High School, he need only remind them of last year’s contest, which saw the Falcons enter the game with just one win. In the 2017 match up, the Falcons scratched and clawed all night, giving the then-undefeated Spartans all they could handle before falling by just two points.
When the teams met in 2018, it became apparent early on that the Battle for a Better Cause would once again be another hard-fought contest. However, on a cold and rainy night in downtown Brambleton, the Spartans continued their dominance of the Falcons, 20-0, winning their fifth-straight meeting.
“Coach warned us that every time we play Briar Woods, no matter what the records are, that we will be in for a battle all night, ” Broad Run senior defensive lineman Ryan Gorey said.
[adrotate banner=”28″]Things did start out tough early on for the Spartans, as the Falcons recovered a fumble on the Spartans’ third play from scrimmage. Yet, Briar Woods was only able to muster a single yard on three plays before settling for a field goal attempt. Broad Run junior linebacker Kesean Dyson blocked the kick, however, and the Spartans were back in business.
After trading the next two possessions, Broad Run turned to junior tailback Tim Baldwin. Looking fully recovered from an injury that caused him to miss the past two games, Baldwin – who carried the ball 29 times for 199 yards – ripped off runs of 20, 15 and 6 yards before breaking free for a 30-yard touchdown run, giving the Spartans a 7-0 lead at the half.
“We weren’t feeling comfortable at halftime,” Gorey said. “We wanted to come out and set the tempo to start the third.”
To that end, the Spartans were successful, as junior receiver Lance Lacny recovered Broad Run’s second half kickoff. This time it was the Falcons’ defense – ed by junior linebacker Logan Kotter and junior defensive back Connor McCarthy – that was up to the task as they quickly forced the Spartans to punt.
Then Broad Run senior receiver Everett Drake made two of the biggest plays of the night. He first sacked Briar Woods sophomore quarterback Christian Greene on third down. Then during the ensuing drive, Drake got loose behind the Falcons’ secondary for a 38-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Mitch Griffis.
With the third quarter drawing to an end, Briar Woods first-year head coach Daniel Bruton made a change at quarterback, switching out his strong-armed sophomore in Greene for senior Justin Rutkowski.
Rutkowski – the more powerful runner – converted on two fourth downs deep in his own territory, but Broad Run junior linebacker Chaz Allison – who had been making big plays all night – made one more as he pounced on a fumble.
As the rain continued to pour down, the Spartans once again turned to Baldwin. The junior gained 49 yards on the next drive before Griffis found junior receiver Romy Miner in the end zone from 23 yards out.
“It is fun playing these guys, but it is also tough” Gorey said. “I played on the same AYFL team with Justin [Rutkowski], and Luke [Lindenfeldar)] won a championship with Camden [Gillie]. They play hard. We have a lot of respect for them.”
The win by Broad Run (8-1) – coupled with a Stone Bridge (8-1) victory over Freedom (0-9) on October 25 – means there will be a lot riding on the Spartans’ match up with the Bulldogs on November 2. Not only will the winner get bragging rights in Ashburn, they will also earn the Potomac District championship and, presumably, the No. 1 seed in the VHSL Region 5C tournament.
