Fredericksburg, Va. — After losing the VHSL Region 5D championship game last season to Stone Bridge, the Briar Woods High School football team was out for redemption when they travelled to Fredericksburg for a matchup with No. 1 Riverbend High School on November 29. The Falcons racked up 400 total yards of offense and allowed just 140 yards on defense as they dominated the Bears, 32-15, to claim the VHSL Region 5D title.
Briar Woods senior quarterback Brady Carmical completed 13-of-18 passes for 230 yards and added 57 yards plus two touchdowns on the ground. Senior running back Trey Dudley—who recently committed to Syracuse—ran for 57 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries, while senior running back Lucas Roser added another 50 yards.
Defensively, the Falcons limited Riverbend senior running back JoJo Thomas to only 59 yards on 13 rushes. Riverbend sophomore quarterback Camden Simmons completed 2-of-7 passes for 58 yards, two touchdowns, and one interceptions through the air.
The Briar Woods defense showed their strength early as they caused a three-and-out on the opening drive of the game.
Then, the Falcons marched down the field running behind Carmical and Roser before Carmical finished the drive with a 4-yard rushing touchdown to give Briar Woods an early 7-0 lead.
After forcing a punt, the Falcons received the ball back near midfield. They used the same strategy, while being helped by a few Riverbend penalties to move inside the Bears 20 yard line. Facing a 4th-and-7 on the Riverbend 16, Riverbend junior linebacker Dwayne Stewart got to Carmical in the backfield forcing a turnover on downs.
Riverbend capitalized on their first defensive stop of the game by driving 83 yards down the field in only 8 plays. Big runs by Thomas and Stewart plus a pair of 15-yard penalties set up Simmons to find tight end Tristan Greene in the back of the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown, tying the game up at 7-7 halfway through the second quarter.
Despite the momentum shift, the tied score didn’t faze Briar Woods as Carmical got to work through the air on the ensuing drive. First, he found senior receiver Colin Capistrant for 17 yards, then sophomore receiver Jax McIntosh for 13, and Dudley for 27 in a very athletic play by the running back to get his foot inbounds. Carmical finished the drive with a 1-yard rushing touchdown to retake the lead to 13-7.
On the ensuing drive, the Falcons defense forced another three-and-out with less than thirty seconds remaining in the first half. Knowing points could be at a premium, Briar Woods head coach Michael Burnett trusted his offense as Carmical found a wide open Capistrant for a 67-yard completion. Sophomore kicker Matthew Kordes nailed a 25-yard field goal that sent both teams into the locker rooms with Briar Woods leading 16-7.
Coming out of the locker room, Carmical found senior receiver Dylan Duffy for 12 yards, then he connected with Capistrant for 34 to move into the red zone. Dudley finished off the opening drive of the second half with a 7-yard rushing touchdown. An incomplete pass on the two-point conversion meant Briar Woods led 22-7.
On the second play of the ensuing drive, Thomas took a handoff to the sideline before the ball was punched out and fell on the ground where Duffy scooped it up before being tackled on the Riverbend 39.
Then, Carmical connected with Capistrant again for 10 yards to start the next drive, but the Falcons offense stalled after two consecutive incompletions. Kordes made a 33-yard field goal to increase the Briar Woods lead to 25-7.
On the following drive, Riverbend needed a quick score as Thomas took two handoffs 11 yards, as the clock continued to tick. Then, Simmons dropped back and found Stewart wide open across the middle of the field for a 44-yard touchdown. Thomas carried the ball back into the end zone on the two-point conversion and closed the deficit to 25-15.
Leading by two scores, the Falcons were looking to add some cushion while also eating some clock. Carmical opened the fourth quarter by connecting with senior receiver Anthony Joyce for 17 yards before Dudley finished the drive with his second touchdown of the game on a 2-yard run, extending the lead to 32-15.
Riverbend, hoping for a quick score, turned to Simmons to move them down the field through the air; however, McIntosh secured an interception that ended any chance the Bears had to mount a comeback.
With the win, Briar Woods (4-1, 9-3) will advance to a VHSL Class 5 State semifinal where they’ll host Region 5C champion L.C. Bird on December 7 in Ashburn.
Caroline Layne and Jackson Reid captured 250+ photos at the game!
Scoring Plays
| Period | Time | Team | Play | Score |
| 1Q | 4:16 | Briar Woods | Brady Carmical 4-yard TD run (Matthew Kordes PAT) | 7-0 |
| 2Q | 6:12 | Riverbend | Camden Simmons to Tristan Greene 14-yard TD pass (Luke Marlowe PAT) | 7-7 |
| 2Q | 2:20 | Briar Woods | Brady Carmical 1-yard TD run (Missed PAT) | 13-7 |
| 2Q | 0:00 | Briar Woods | Matthew Kordes 25-yard field goal | 16-7 |
| 3Q | 7:57 | Briar Woods | Trey Dudley 7-yard TD run (2pt failed) | 22-7 |
| 3Q | 2:24 | Briar Woods | Matthew Kordes 33-yard field goal | 25-7 |
| 3Q | 0:16 | Riverbend | Camden Simmons to Dwayne Stewart 44-yard TD pass (2pt good) | 25-15 |
| 4Q | 8:47 | Briar Woods | Trey Dudley 2-yard TD run (Matthew Kordes PAT) | 32-15 |