Game Blog - #3 Tuscarora 28, #1 Stone Bridge 27 in Class 5, Region C Finals

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Follow Live Updates as the top-seeded and undefeated Stone Bridge Bulldogs (12-0) play host to the #3 seeded Tuscarora Huskies (10-2) in Ashburn for the Class 5, Region C Championship.

Back on October 20th, these two teams played and Stone Bridge won a nail-biter 14-13. Tuscarora has already avenged one of their two defeats during the season by eliminating Broad Run in the second round of the playoffs a week ago. Stone Bridge comes in winning its games by an averageof 26.8 points per game.

We'll have updates here and via my Twitter feed @ hatfieldsports with some observations sprinkled in...

 

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These Tuscarora defenders on the back end - Kaplan, Alex Lee, Chris Board and others - will be pivotal to the Huskies' success all afternoon.

 

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Great start for the Stone Bridge defense, which All-State candidates all over it, none maybe more influential than d-linemen Jack Kosko and Kellis Martin.

 

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For those wondering, Bulldogs Head Coach Mickey Thompson will go for it on fourth down any time, anywhere. So this is not something out of the ordinary. Now his defense needs to make a stop.

 

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Like his coaching counterpart Mickey Thompson, Tuscarora Head Coach Mike Burnett isn't shy about going for it on 4th down either. A bit surprised they didn't try the 32-yard field goal there, but he knows his kicking game better than me and probably thought that was the better percentage play there.

 

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A chance now for the Bulldogs to get on the board first.

 

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Love Donofrio's motor. He's been everywhere in this first half.

 

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A really good defensive battle in this one. Won't be surprised to see a turnover decide this game.

 

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What a year Daniel Thompson is having. From our writeup coming in...

Stone Bridge tight end Daniel Thompson, who checks in at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, might be a difference-maker. While he was held out of the end zone in the previous meeting, he has 48 receptions for 1292 yards and 18 touchdowns on the campaign. That includes six games of over 100 yards receiving – two of 200-plus yards – and four wins in which he scored three times. So far in the playoffs, he’s got 13 receptions for 336 yards and 6TD’s.

 

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Thorne was the guy who had the improbable game-winning touchdown pass as time expired from Allen to stun John Champe on the road in one of the wildest finishes in the state all year.

 

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Thorne had a pair of 3rd down catches to move the chains for Tuscarora. Allen has played very gutsy, too, against a physical, strong defensive front of the Bulldogs.

 

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For those keeping track at home, Thompson has 5 receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown as we are deadlocked at 7 with four minutes till half-time.

 

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Right now, it's neck-and-neck between Thompson and Jenkins for Player of the Game. But Jenkins may get the nod, especially if his team goes ahead here before the break, because he's playing both ways.

 

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Mike Burnett is watching his Huskies come of age and really step up in a pressure spot on the road.

 

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Hard to draw up a worse finish to the half for Stone Bridge, which was driving to go up 14-7 before the break prior to that INT. But the Bulldogs would be glad to keep Tuscarora out of the end zone and go to intermission only trailing 14-7.

Tuscarora knows it would be enormous to go up two scores - giving Stone Bridge its biggest deficit of the year - going to the half. Plus, the Huskies get the ball first to begin the third quarter.

 

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If this score holds, it'll be the finest hour for the Tuscarora/Burnett side in this rivalry against Stone Bridge and Mickey Thompson.

Burnett led Broad Run to back-to-back State Championships before coming to Tuscarora to build the Huskies' program. A win here would put them one step closer to capturing that ring at Tuscarora, which lost to L.C. Bird 22-19 in the 2014 State Championship game.

 

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Some half-time numbers forthcoming...

 

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Stats at the break...

Tuscarora 21:
Justin Allen - 5-11 for 109Yds. 2-0TD/Int. ratio; 2Car. 5Yds.
Leron West - 8Car. 42Yds; 1-1 for 14Yds. TD pass
Kyle Jenkins - 4Rec. 84Yds. 3TD's
Adam Thorne - 2Rec. 39Yds.
Caleb Donofrio - 5 Tackles, 2TFL, Sack
Renny Adjei - 5 Tackles (1 Solo), TFL
Alex Lee - 4 Solo Tackles, 2PBU

Huskies - 26 plays for 178 total yards (6-12 for 123 yards passing; 14Car. 55Yds.); 3 penalties for 35 yards; 0 turnovers; 5-7 on 3rd downs (began 0-2)


Stone Bridge 7:
Mason Tatum - 7-15 for 104Yds. 1-1TD/Int. ratio; 8Car. 8Yds.
Nick Mell - 8Car. 29Yds.
Daniel Thompson - 5Rec. 71Yds. TD
Mark Williams - 2Rec. 23Yds.
Joey Nameth - 6 Tackles (3 Solo), PBU
Kellis Martin - 5 Tackles (3 Solo)

Bulldogs - 32 plays for 143 total yards (7-15 for 104 pass yards; 17Car. 39Yds.); 4 penalties for 49 yards; 1 turnover on INT; 1-4 on 4th downs

2nd Quarter total yards:
Tuscarora with 169
Stone Bridge with 59

 

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It'll be Tuscarora football to begin the second half, leading undefeated Stone Bridge 21-7. The Huskies begin at their own 20-yard line.

 

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A 3 and out created by the Stone Bridge defense. Kudos to Joey Nameth and Josh Lawyer making a couple of stops before a screen pass on 3rd & 7 was incomplete by Tuscarora.

 

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But hold on... Tuscarora has the ball back.

 

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Stone Bridge absolutely has to finish this drive off with points, preferably a touchdown.

 

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On 3rd & 21 from the Tuscarora 21-yard line, Stone Bridge draws a pass interference on a pass intended for 6'4 TE Mark Williams in the end zone.

 

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Why not go for 2? Mickey Thompson rolls the dice and it pays off...



Touchback as the kickoff goes into the end zone. Now we'll see how Tuscarora responds as the Bulldogs are starting to pretty much turn to their passing game to bring them back.

 

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This game has turned into a passing match now as both defenses are bottling up the other's rushing attack fairly well.

Subtle defensive maneuver by Stone Bridge HC Mickey Thompson and d-coordinator RJ Windows as they move Ajani Gillis from corner back to safety. The Huskies passing game has sort of hit a lull here lately.

 

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Couple of gutsy runs by Leron West of Tuscarora as well as Allen, who has been noticeably limping, here on this series.

 

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You know it's a pass. Can Allen find Thorne or Jenkins to keep the drive going though?

 

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Another huge stop by the Bulldogs defense.

 

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The counter play with Tyrese Johnson is starting to work for Stone Bridge. It gains 6 yards.

Daniel Thompson nearly hauls in his 3rd touchdown of the day - and 21st of the year - as he appeared to have brought it down in the end zone among the trees that were defenders. Nonetheless, the refs say it's incomplete.

 

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Mell is up to 69 yards rushing on 13 carries. Noah Crawford on the interior of that o-line is really getting great push. His older brother, Aaron, is a junior d-tackle at North Carolina.

 

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Oh that tricky Mickey Thompson does it again. He didn't go for 2, but he pulls out the onside kick and his Bulldogs recover.

Stone Bridge has it now at the 45-yard line of Tuscarora.

 

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It's simply Daniel Thompson's world and we're all just living in it! But surprisingly, again, the usually aggressive Mickey Thompson (no relation to Daniel we should also point out), decides to go for the PAT try instead of the 2-point conversion.

That's the second straight PAT miss. We might see 2-point tries the rest of the way, should they score again.

So far in the playoffs, Daniel Thompson has 22 catches for 502 yards and 9TD's. That's 3 games worth and those are filthy numbers.

 

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Pass is incomplete, so Tuscarora will punt it away after the Bulldogs time-out.

We've seen a totally different Stone Bridge defense in the second half. Tuscarora can't generate much offensively. Just 1 of 9 through the air after a 5 for 11 start passing for 109 yards and a couple of TD's from Justin Allen, the Huskies QB.

 

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Junior center Alex Nandury got hurt earlier in the half and that may have played a role in Stone Bridge's short-yardage game failing to work.

 

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Eight different Bulldogs defenders have deflected a pass.