2021.10.29 Football: Broad Run @ Loudoun County

Leesburg, VA (October 29, 2021) - There is a jumble at the top of the Dulles District standings. At the beginning of the night Broad Run, Heritage, Loudoun County, and Tuscarora were virtually tied for the top spot. Each team had just one loss overall, but the Broad Run Spartans were the only one undefeated in district play. Meeting Loudoun County on the Captains' home turf would be a chance to create some separation (a Broad Run win) or tighten things up (a win for County).

Chas Sumser Photography was there to capture the action and emotion and posted a gallery of images from the game.

It had rained all day, but shortly after the National Anthem the showers ended. Still, the wet turf and damp air created conditions that would not favor a passing game. So, both teams came out running. And that was okay because both teams had featured strong ground games throughout the season.

The Spartans first drive was methodical and effective. There was nothing magical about it except for a 21-yard scamper by quarterback Brett Griffis--perhaps one of the best runs of the night--that was called back on a penalty. That just meant a few more short runs before Griffis made the Broad Run lead official, 7-0.

Loudoun County then put together their best drive of the night, but couldn't quite push into the end zone and settled for a field goal by Zachary Hensch. While that made the score close, 7-3, it turned out to be as close as the Captains would ever get.

Just 1:30 remaining in the second quarter, Griffis found Ryan Wozniak in the end zone for a 14-3 Broad Run lead. With pace, County moved the ball to midfield, but Jimmy Daughtrey was intercepted by Arnav Thornhill deep in Spartan territory to end the half. Workhouse County running back, Jason Murray, was clearly slowed by the injury he suffered at Independence last week, and he would not return after halftime making it even more difficult for the Captains to mount a comeback.

After Griffis scored on a third quarter quarterback keeper to make it 21-3, Loudoun County had their last best drive. Aided by a pass interference call, they moved into the red zone, but turned the ball over on downs at the Broad Run sixteen yard line. From that point, Broad Run's offense controlled the clock and the game, scoring twice more in the fourth quarter to remain undefeated in district play.

Final Score: Broad Run 35 - Heritage 3