Brooke Point Ends Broad Run's Football Season

The Broad Run Spartans dream season came crashing to an end Friday night after starting quarterback Connor Jessop left the game early with an ankle injury and the visiting Brooke Point Blackhawks sped off with a convincing 47-27 win and a spot in the regional finals.

Early on, it actually looked like Broad Run (8-3) was destined for the next round. After both teams traded punts, the Spartans engineered a 62-yard scoring drive, highlighted by Jessop's 6-yard, cross-body touchdown pass to Kevin Taggart. The score gave the Spartans a 7-0 first quarter lead and seemingly control of the game on their Ashburn home turf.

But Broad Run's lead lasted barely 30 seconds as the Blackhawks (9-3) demonstrated the abundance of speed and athleticism that would torment the Spartans all night with a three-play tear. Brooke Point's Terance Parker received the kickoff and worked his way through would-be tacklers all the way to the Broad Run 39-yard line. On the next play, quarterback Zach Deutel found wide receiver Tyus White underneath and the shifty receiver turned a short pass into a 25-yard gain by outracing the Spartan defense. Running back Michael Ford took a handoff on the following play and blasted up the middle for a 14-yard touchdown run.

"They're quick. They're explosive, well-coached," said Broad Run coach Matt Griffis about the Blackhawks. "I felt like they were the best team we saw on film all year. They're a great football team."

While the Spartans knew what to expect from Brooke Point heading into the game, nothing could have prepared them for what happened on their next offensive series. On a second-down play, Jessop scrambled to his right and gained four yards before being taken down awkwardly by a host of defenders. The talented quarterback – recently selected as the Cedar Run District's Offensive Player of the Year – immediately clutched his right ankle and remained on the ground, clearly in pain.

The shock seemingly sucked the air out of the Spartan stadium as fans watched Jessop, unable to put any weight on his right leg, being helped off the field.

"It's tough. Connor's a special player. There's no doubt about it," Griffis said, adding that losing the starter “takes you out of your ballgame, takes you out of what you want to do. I thought the kids handled the adversity really well. Everybody wanted to rise to the challenge and do it for Connor." 

At least initially, Broad Run did rise to the challenge. Freshman quarterback Brady Reitzel entered the game and helped finish the drive, which culminated with a 10-yard Derril Thomas touchdown – just as Jessop was carted off the sidelines to chants of "Connor, Connor!" Preliminary indications after the game were that Jessop suffered a severe high-ankle sprain.

The score temporarily breathed some life into the Spartans and their fans, but the Blackhawks took advantage of a strong starting field position to quickly regain momentum.

Taking over at the Blackhawk 43-yard line, Deutel found wide receivers White and Akil Abdulbarr for big gains to setup a 1-yard touchdown plunge by running back Jonathan Horsley. A missed extra point left the Spartans with a slim 14-13 lead that would not last long.

On the second play of the next series, Broad Run running back Kevin Taggart lost control of the ball and the Blackhawks recovered at the Spartan 30-yard line. Four plays later Deutel found White in the end zone for a diving 17-yard touchdown.

The score gave the Blackhawks a 20-14 lead that they carried into halftime and never relinquished. Then, Deutel and White connected for the first two scores of the second half to extend the lead to 33-14.

The diminutive White – who is listed as 5-foot-8-inches tall and meager 145 pounds – appeared to be the fastest player on the field and finished with a game high seven catches for 101 yards and three touchdowns. Deutel missed some open receivers deep but nonetheless finished with 262 passing yards and four touchdowns.

Even while facing a big second half deficit, the Spartans never gave up, and perhaps caught a glimpse of happier Friday nights in the future with the spirited play of their freshmen quarterback. Reitzel connected with Michael Stratton and Dorian Jenkins for 31-yard scoring strikes to keep the game interesting, but the Spartans never got closer than two scores as the Blackhawks answered every challenge and closed out the scoring with another short run by Horsley.

The loss seemed like an unfitting end for a Broad Run team that made a successful jump to AAA competition this year. The Spartans captured a share of their first ever Cedar Run district title, with seniors Jessop and Caleb Lindsey capturing honors as the offensive and defensive players of the year.

"I'm very proud of these seniors," Griffis said. "They did a great job of rising to the challenge of jumping up to AAA, and they're great people. I'm going to miss them."

Brooke Point faces North Stafford next Saturday at 2 p.m. in the regional final.