Taliaferro Lifts Falcons to 30-9 Win Over Pride
In freshman quarterback Edwin Mends's first game as starter, he was able to notch a 30-9 win over Heritage...
Photo By: Chuck Moore / Gameday Magazine
Bryan Mahoney and the Briar Woods defense kept the Heritage offense under wraps in their 30-9 homecoming victory...
Photo By: Chuck Moore / Gameday Magazine
ASHBURN, VA - Senior Ray Taliaferro ran 26 times for a school-record 221 yards and three touchdowns to lead Briar Woods to a convincing 30-9 win over visiting Heritage on Senior Night Friday evening at Falcon Stadium.
The Falcons, who improved to 7-1 overall and 4-1 in the Dulles District with their fourth straight win, virtually assured themselves a berth in the Division 3 Region II playoffs for the second consecutive season. Meanwhile, the Pride fell to 5-3 overall and 2-3 in district action, and the loss likely ended their hopes of a Division 4 post-season bid.
The Briar Woods win, coupled with Potomac Falls' 38-0 loss to Broad Run Friday, sets up an intriguing contest between the Falcons and Panthers Halloween Night in Sterling. Both squads will enter that game with identical 4-1 district records, and the winner will have an outside (yet unlikely) shot at a share of the Dulles District crown. First-place Broad Run is in the driver's seat; the Spartans host Freedom and visit rival Park View in the final two weeks of the regular season.
Heritage opened the game against Briar Woods in impressive fashion, taking the kickoff 50 yards in 11 plays before settling for a 32-yard field goal by Josh Thiel. It would be an unfortunate theme - solid drives resulting in only field goals -- for the Pride throughout the first half.
Usually known for grinding, time-consuming scoring drives, Briar Woods needed just two plays and 59 seconds to take the lead for good. On the Falcons' second offensive play of the night, Taliaferro took the handoff, weaved through traffic around the line of scrimmage and outran the secondary for an 86-yard touchdown. Freshman David Clements added the extra point to give Briar Woods a 7-3 lead with 7:47 left in the opening quarter.
Ross Madison gave the Pride a spark with a long kickoff return to the Falcon 37, but the drive stalled at the Briar Woods six. Thiel nailed a 22-yard field goal to cut the lead to 7-6 with 5:50 to go in the first stanza.
Heritage's inability to finish off drives became more compounded when Madison left the game with a knee injury late in the first quarter. Madison, who entered the night with a Dulles District-leading 876 rushing yards to go along with 12 total touchdowns, did not return to the contest. He helped Heritage move the ball well against the Falcons in the first quarter, finishing with 69 yards on just eight carries, but the Pride offense struggled once he left the contest.
Briar Woods extended its lead to 10-6 when Clements connected on a 30-yard field goal early in the second quarter, but Thiel countered with a 32-yard kick to again trim the lead to one, 10-9, with just under four minutes left in the first half.
The Falcons then turned in the crucial drive of the game on the ensuing possession, marching 83 yards in nine plays. Taliaferro capped the drive with a 12-yard scoring run just 21 seconds before halftime, and Clements hit the extra point to give the Falcons a 17-9 lead at the break.
The third quarter was mostly a stalemate as the teams combined for five punts on the first five possessions, but Falcon senior linebacker Jake Ashton intercepted a Heritage pass near the Pride 35-yard line in the final minute to set up a one-yard touchdown plunge by fellow senior Matt Eisenmann early in the fourth quarter which gave Briar Woods some breathing room at 23-7.
Heritage was forced to punt on its next possession, and a nice return by junior Kyle Haufler set the Falcons up at the Pride 23. Taliaferro capped a short drive with a nifty 10-yard scoring run, and Clements drilled the extra point to put Briar Woods up 30-9 with 4:34 to play.
The Falcons picked off a pair of Heritage passes in the closing minutes - the second by senior Bryan Mahoney on the game's final play - to seal the victory.
Briar Woods held a 340-229 advantage in total offense and held Heritage's high-flying offense - which came in averaging 32 points per game - to its lowest scoring output of the season.
In addition to his key interception, Ashton also caught four passes for 47 yards and was instrumental in the Falcons' strong defensive effort.
