Battle Royale: Bulldogs, Eagles To Rumble
Levi Barber and the Edison offense have their work cut out for them when they go up against the highly-touted Stone Bridge defense this upcoming Friday night...
Photo By: Gameday Magazine
Stone Bridge's Daniel Allen will be going up against perhaps the toughest defense he's faced all year in the fast and physical Edison Eagles...
#1 STONE BRIDGE vs #4 EDISON
Kickoff: 7:30pm Friday
November 21st, 2008
Where: @ Edison High School
MEDIA COVERAGE:
The Gameday Radio Network
Live Coverage Begins At 6:30pm
Online At GamedayMagazine.com
And Simulcast Live On AM 1200 WAGE
BROADCAST TEAM:
Andy Hayes - Play By Play
Sean Griffin - Color Commentary
Grant Paulsen - Sideline
Derek LeComte - Halftime Analysis
ALEXANDRIA, VA- We've waited quite a long time for this. In fact, this is the match-up everyone had predicted since August and it's finally arrived.
Yes, the Edison vs. Stone Bridge rematch is upon us, and the hype for this game has probably exceeded anyone's expectations, much more than anyone thought at the beginning of the year.
For starters, there is Stone Bridge, a team which is nearly the unanimous #1 team in the area (and were ranked so since the start of the year), but ended up as the second seed in the Division 5 playoffs. Very few saw that one coming.
Second, is Edison's 10-0 run. After losing all-everything quarterback Ben Barber and their two starting running backs, the Eagles have reloaded with much more ammunition and firepower than most could imagine. The end result is an undefeated record and homefield advantage throughout the regional playoffs.
The Stone Bridge and Edison championship is a scene that's been played out over the past three years, but with a different landscape that is very unfamiliar to all football fans. Stone Bridge plays in their first regional road playoff game since 2002 while Edison will be hosting their first-ever regional championship game.
Needless to say, this is one of the biggest games of the year which is why we're bringing to you the most comprehensive, in-depth and up-close preview of anyone around!
KEY MATCHUPS:
Presented By: Ticonderoga Farms
Stone Bridge defensive line vs. Edison offensive line
With a defensive line that includes three DI-A commits, Stone Bridge's defensive front may be one of the best in the Mid-Atlantic area. Yes, they are that good. Yet this ultra-talented grouping of players will be faced with their biggest test of the year. Edison features a DI-A commit of their own in Frank Figueroa while every other lineman is a returning starter, meaning they've faced the likes of Stone Bridge before last year and know what to expect.
ADVANTAGE: Stone Bridge... too much talent, size and speed for the Eagles to overcome in this department.
Edison athleticism vs. Stone Bridge defense
As we highlighted earlier, Stone Bridge has a ton of talent on the defensive side of the ball and they haven't faced an offensive test like this since back in Week 1 against West Springfield.
Edison has speed, size and power. Not only that, but they're very well balanced and are by no means a one-dimensional team. Can Stone Bridge keep up their dominant ways or will the Edison offense break through?
ADVANTAGE: Stone Bridge... See above. Just too much talent defensively for Edison to overcome, but don't expect by any means a complete shutdown of the Edison offense.
Stone Bridge passing game vs. Edison secondary
One of the breakthroughs of Mickey Thompson's offense has been the advancement of the passing game behind quarterback Patrick Thompson. Yet they won't have an easy task this Friday night. Edison quite possibly possesses the best secondary in the area, a unit led by a very explosive Corey Washington, and they have what it takes to shut down the likes of receivers Michael Prince and Nick Sheehan.
ADVANTAGE: Edison... Stone Bridge may be good in this department, but Edison is better.
Edison front seven vs. Single-Wing offense
Edison has seen nothing like the single-wing offense before, that's for sure. It's tough to get a scout team to replicate the exact motions, so simply put, it's an offense that is tough to prepare for and even harder to stop. Luckily for Edison, they have boatloads of talent up front. Defensive lineman Josh Page is one of the better players in the area and there may be no better linebacker than Stephon Robertson. What's important to keep in mind about Edison is they are very well coached defensively and have the aggression, speed and ability to get the job done. Then again, no one has come close to stopping the Stone Bridge offense all year.
ADVANTAGE: Push... this really could go either way. Both sides have the talent and the coaching, making the winner in this battle a bit murky.
KEYS TO VICTORY:
Presented By: The Fractured Prune
For Edison:
Jump out to an early lead and don't fall behind
Find a way to consistently move the ball
MUST limit penalties
For Stone Bridge:
Keep up stellar defensive play
Stay composed should the game get close
No special teams mistakes
STORYLINES TO WATCH:
Presented By: Ticonderoga Farms
Revenge or Repeat?
The one thing which has been on Edison's mind for the whole offseason was to beat Stone Bridge. On the contrary, Stone Bridge's main aspiration is to repeat as Division 5 state champs, so something has to give here. Should Stone Bridge be potentially looking forward to a highly anticipated rematch with Phoebus next week, their chances of victory decrease dramatically. This Edison team is poised and determined to say the least.
Coaching
It's should come as no surprise that both of these teams have some of the best head coaches and coaching staffs in the entire area. Mickey Thompson has helped build a powerhouse out in Loudoun, while Vaughn Lewis has been a permanent fixture in the Northern Region and with Edison, as he already has earned one state championship ring back in 1986. Thompson as well holds one state championship ring which he won last year.
So which coach will be bring his team best prepared? Or which one will be able to make the necessary adjustments? This could evolve into a chess match late in the game, so be prepared to enjoy two well-coached teams.
Homefield advantage
Will homefield advantage truly matter in this game? It possibly could. Keep in mind the travel time involved is pretty lengthy for Stone Bridge. Edison, meanwhile, is in their comfort zone while Stone Bridge is not and have never traveled out to Edison before. But in Edison's last five regular season losses, four of them came at home. So the homefield factor may in fact not be much of a factor at all.
EXPERT PROGNOSTICATION:
Anyone expecting this game to be a blowout or over before it starts is sorely misguided and must have a short sense of history. In 2006, when these two met at Stone Bridge for the title, the Bulldogs came in as a very heavy favorite and I can't personally remember anyone expecting Edison to even keep it close. Yet that year, Edison showed why they play the games. They came out and beat Stone Bridge on their own turf after the Bulldogs had been dominant the whole year. There is a similar parallel to that very year, but let's not get too far ahead of ourselves.
Edison is extremely talented and could even compete for a Division 6 regional title. Yet this Stone Bridge team has a chance to go down as one of the best teams to ever come out of the Northern Region, up there with the Annandale and T.C. Williams powers of the 70's and 80's and up to the Westfield and Hylton squads in this current decade. Unfortunately for Edison, the Bulldogs are too big of an obstacle to overcome:
Stone Bridge 31 - Edison 20
