Spartans Conquer Mother Nature, Raiders

 You needed an umbrella, a poncho, and for that matter, a rope to tie onto the bleachers to hold yourself in place with the 50-mile-an-hour winds that blew through town.

The Broad Run Spartans hadn't lost in 28 regular season games, but that was in jeopardy on Saturday with the 6-1 Loudoun County Raiders visiting. With Mother Nature doing her best to give the Raiders some help, the Spartans were on the ropes.

"I thought if we were going to lose after 28 games, this would be how," said Broad Run head coach Michael Burnett about how he felt about the first half of play. "We just kind of laughed together in the locker room, and just said let's go out and just have fun."

His Spartans were tied after the first two quarters, and 40 tons of water drenched the Broad Run campus. T.J Peeler raced for a long touchdown run in the first quarter on the opening drive of the game for Broad Run, and Loudoun County answered on their next drive with a touchdown pass to Michael Ayoub from Austin Campbell.

But after those two scores, the skies opened up, and nobody sniffed any resemblance of production until the third quarter.

"We had trouble with our misdirection on offense," Burnett said. "We couldn't pull guards or cut in the backfield, and it definitely altered what we could do offensively in the first half."

During the halftime, lighting was spotted, and that allowed for a 44-minute delay. During the break, Burnett and his staff hung out with their wives, and relished in the opportunity to get dry.

"I threw my clothes in the dryer, and because of the delay, they were completely dry when we came back out," Burnett said. "When I saw the sky after the delay, I knew things were going to be okay for us in the second half."

As the sun started to peak in, the Spartans started to exert their will in the trenches in the third quarter, and their defense stiffened up. Broad Run scored to take a 14-7 lead half way into the third quarter when T.J Peeler plunged into the end-zone from five yards out. It was Peeler's second touchdown of the day, and 17th of the season. He has now rushed for 1,594 yards in 2009 to lead all rushers in the Dulles District.

Sophomore Connor Jessop put Broad Run up 21-7 after Peeler set the Spartans up with a tough run to the 1 yard line.

Loudoun County threatened some offensively, but the Broad Run defense played tougher in the second half. Defensive Coordinator called a more aggressive defense, sending linebacker Johnny Meier on a few blitzes that disrupted Raider quarter Austin Campbell's ability to throw down the field.

Most importantly though, the Spartans shored up the problems they were having stopping Loudoun County's Kevin Fitz in the first half.

"We lost contain in the 1st half, without question," Burnett said. "Fitz got the edge on us four or five times, and he got to the outside a few times on us. In the second half, we kept everything inside, and played better."

The win gave Broad Run their 29th regular season victory in a row, and this one should count double because they had to conquer the weather simultaneously.

"I've coached in some bad weather, but this was unreal," said Burnett. "I'm just glad we got the win."

The Raiders dropped to 6-2 on the season. Both teams continue their Dulles District schedule this week.

The win for the Spartans secured their third straight Dulles District regular season title, and should help them secure the top seed in the Region II playoffs in a few weeks.

PLAYMAKERS OF THE GAME:

 T.J Peeler - Broad Run Tailback

Peeler continued his onslaught on opposing defenses on Saturday, despite the conditions. The bruising tailback ran for two touchdowns, including a 68-yard sprint in the first quarter that gave the Spartans a 7-0 lead. His touchdown in the third quarter put Broad Run up for good. Unofficially, Peeler finished the day with over 200 yards on the ground, something he has done now several times this season.

Jack Reimers - Loudoun County Linebacker

Reimers was all over the place on Saturday, making numerous open field tackles on Peeler and the rest of the Spartan offensive players. His play on defense was a major reason why Broad Run was held to just seven points in the first half.

COACH HAYES' ANALYSIS:

When you play against a team that has 28 straight regular season games, and 22 straight games, you better bring your A-game. The Raiders did that on Saturday for two quarters, and they impressed me as I watched them swarm to the football defensively. I paid special attention to linebacker Chase Williams, who will go on to play for my Hokies next fall. Williams had a big day, recovering two fumbles and making several impressive tackles in key situations. He played like a college football player on Saturday, and that was good to see.

LCHS quarterback Austin Campbell also impressed me with his courage, and his toughness. He made County's Kevin Fitz had more success against the Broad Run defense than I've seen most backs have, and he looked good as well.

Overall, the Raiders should be happy with how they played, but obviously they will be disappointed with the outcome. Look for them to win a playoff game, and possibly see the Spartans again in the post-season just as they did last year.