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LYNCHBURG (Dec. 6, 2008) – In the end the defense was truly Spartan and Broad Run High School brought home its first state football title since the school opened in 1969 by shutting out two-time defending VHSL Division 4 state champion Amherst County, 13-0, Saturday afternoon at Liberty University in a game played in a light to moderate snow.
Broad Run (14-0) completed its undefeated run by scoring two touchdowns, the first on a Chris Jessop-to-Adrian Flemming 10-yard fade pass with 13 seconds left in the first half and then on fourth down in the final quarter with Breon Earl plowing in from two yards out with just 56 seconds left. The drive scoring drives ate up a combined 31 plays and almost 13 minutes off the clock.
It was an emotional scene as coaches, players, parents and fans celebrated on the field after the state title trophy presentation. Spartan coach Mike Burnett, who took over a 1-9 program just three seasons ago, told his players that he loved them. Broad Run has now won 24 of 25 games since the end of the 2006 season.
Broad Run’s defense limited the Lancers to just 97 total yards in the game on 36 offensive plays. The Lancers rushing attack had gained over 3,000 yards this season but Broad Run stacked the line of scrimmage and held Amherst to a paltry 2.9 yards per carry.
Amherst recovered a fumble in the first half to take over at the Spartan 29 but the defense shoved Amherst back towards midfield and forced a punt on 4th-and-23. In the second half, Amherst never even sniffed the end zone as they couldn’t move any closer than the Spartan 44. Broad Run held Amherst to just two first downs in the second half.
While Broad Run’s dynamic running back duo of Earl and T.J. Peeler combined for 127 yards rushing on 35 carries but it was the play of Jessop at quarterback and the lanky Flemming that made the biggest plays.
On the Spartans monster 19-play, 80-yard scoring drive in the first half, Jessop completed a 16-yard screen pass to Earl on 3rd-and-11 from the Broad Run 19 that looked like something out of a Brett Favre highlight film as Jessop, under a pass rush for his life, somehow shoveled the ball to Earl who gained 16 to keep the drive going.
The drive featured not one, not two, but three fourth down conversions as Broad Run went 6-for-6 on fourth down in the game.
On 4th-and-3 from the Amherst 44, Earl pushed ahead for four yards. Then on 4th-andp-1 from the Amherst 31, Jessop kept it for four yards. Finally, on 4th-and-7 from the 24, Jessop hit Flemming just inside the 10 for a first down with less than 25 seconds to go in the half.
After Jessop spiked the ball to stop the clock, he found Flemming on the next play as the 6-foot-4 junior ran a fade pattern into the left corner of the end zone and Jessop floated the ball through the falling snow perfectly with Flemming catching the ball falling backwards, touching the turf and falling out of bounds while cradling the football in his arms like a baby.
Most of the second half was a defensive stalemate but Broad Run put together a second drive, just when Amherst needed the ball back in order to try and tie things up. The drive started when Amherst went for a fake punt on 4th-and-2 from the Broad Run 44 … the snap to the up back, Amherst quarterback Anthony Rose, was a play out of Burnett’s playbook and the Spartans stuffed Rose, with junior Joey Quigg first to the ballcarrier.
Broad Run took over and played keep away with a 12-play drive that featured another big Jessop-to-Flemming connection, this time on 4th-and-8 from the Amherst 27 with Jessop finding Flemming for 22 yards to the Lancer 5.
The Amherst defense tried to force Broad Run to turn the ball back over but on 4th-and-goal from the 2, Earl took the toss and was met near the line of scrimmage by Amherst’s A.J. Parrish, but Earl smashed his helmet into Parrish’s with the force of a battering ram and the defender gave way as Earl then squirted into the end zone and the Broad Run stands erupted.
