Burnett Completes Turnaround With State Title
Broad Run's head coach Michael Burnett and linebacker Kenny McAdow share an emotional hug after Saturday's state championship win over Amherst. McAdow was a sophomore when Burnett took over the Spartan program, and now he has helped his coach win the first state championship in school history.
Photo By: Dave Bernhardt / Gameday Magazine | VIEW GALLERY
Broad Run head coach Michael Burnett was emotional after Saturday's state championship win over Amherst. The Spartans won thier first title in school history 13-0 in the snow at Liberty University.
Photo By: Dave Bernhardt / Gameday Magazine | VIEW GALLERY
Broad Run's T.J Peeler had another solid performance against the Lancers. His impact on the Broad Run offense has been tremendous since his return to the lineup in the middle of the season. He will return to help Broad Run defend their title in 2009.
Photo By: Dave Bernhardt / Gameday Magazine | VIEW GALLERY
LYNCHBURG, VA - A tearful Michael Burnett tried his best on Saturday night to keep his emotions in check in his post-game talk to his team after they had just won Broad Run's first ever football state championship. But it was visibly hard for him to do.
The inspirational 3rd year head coach and his team completed one of the great feel good endings to a story that has been evolving in front of our eyes over the past few seasons by beating Amherst 13-0 in the state championship.
When Burnett took over the Broad Run job, he had his work cutout for him. The Spartans were 1-9 in 2005, and had endured several losing seasons. Many thought that the opening would go to a local assistant coach from Loudoun County, but Athletic Director Jack Kirby went with the unknown commodity in Burnett.
At the time, I wondered if Burnett knew what he was getting into. We had been covering the Spartans for a few years by then, and while they had some solid talent on the field, football was not the most popular sport in the school.
Burnett's first job when he moved in from California was to get his staff in order. He arrived in the summer, so there wasn't much time to spend patiently looking for his assistants.
Often when a new coach takes over a program that was 1-9, he brings in new people. But Burnett needed someone who could keep continuity with the players, so he kept defensive coordinator Adam Fortune.
Fortune was a local guy who had been at Broad Run for several years, and had endured the tough times. However, Fortune's defenses in the tough years were just that, tough.
When I attended Burnett's first summer training camp practice in 2006, I noticed something different in his defensive coach. I could tell he was excited, and he had a renewed sense of optimism.
Fortune had bought in to Burnett's style quickly, and the chemistry between the two was a perfect match. They were both young, and both able to relate to the players to get the most out of their abilities.
Burnett handled the offensive side of the ball and installed his power running game, and left Fortune to create one of the meanest and toughest defenses in Group AA football.
In the first year, they struggled some, but by the end of the season Broad Run was starting to turn the corner. You could see it mostly in their defense and how they attacked, but Burnett's offense was starting to hit on all cylinders as well.
Despite a 5-4 record, the Spartans had an outside chance at the playoffs if they could knock down defending champion Park View in the regular season finale. Nobody gave them a chance though, except Burnett.
I was broadcasting another game that night, but I remember watching our live scoreboard online and closely monitoring Broad Run, who was leading the Patriots 21-7 at halftime.
The Patriots came back to win the game behind the heroics of former All Gameday great Deric Dudinski, but it was very visible that something special was brewing with the Spartans.
2007 rolled around and now Broad Run was a favorite. Burnett had already won over his players and coaches, and he was doing the same with the local media. I was one of those media guys that thought Broad Run would knock Park View from their perch in the Dulles District, and that prognostication proved accurate.
Burnett's team finished 10-0 and made the playoffs, and their undefeated regular season was the first ever in school history. They lost the next week narrowly to Park View, but again, you could tell something special was going on with Burnett and the Spartans.
At the 2008 Gameday Media Day this past July, Burnett looked calm and confident like always. He talked about how his returning players weren't ready for playoff success in 2007 because they hadn't been there before. With regard to making a run in 2008 though, it was easy to see that Burnett wasn't expecting another disappointment.
Through the first 3 games of the 2008 season, Burnett's team steamrolled its non-district opponents and looked unstoppable. While the offense was putting up a ton of points, Burnett couldn't stop talking about his first team defense on his weekly radio show "The Spartan Report".
"Our first team defense hasn't given up a touchdown yet this season," Burnett said after their 3rd win of the season. "I always feel good about a game when you can say something like that."
Heading into a showdown against Briar Woods, many thought the Spartans were up for a big test with their cross town rival coming to town. But after the 1st quarter, it was evident that Broad Run was clearly a superior team. They beat Briar Woods that night 29-0, and that was without junior tailback T.J Peeler, who was nursing an injury.
I left that game thinking Briar Woods was just highly over-hyped, but after they finished the regular season 8-2, it became clear that Broad Run was a great football team.
Great football teams play their best games when the stakes are highest, and that was definitely the case with the Spartans in 2008.
During the middle of the season, Broad Run began to play down to their competition, and some, including our own Tom Whipple started to see some chinks in their armor. After a few weeks of sloppy football, Burnett needed something to re-focus his team, and he got it.
Potomac Falls was coming to town with district title hopes of their own, boasting an undefeated 7-0 record. Whipple said this was the week that the Spartans would fall, and according to Burnett, he especially irritated the Broad Run defense by saying Potomac Falls would score 35 points in his prediction.
Using the tabloid talk like any good coach does, Burnett posted that score prediction up in the locker room, and challenged his team to show everyone who was the king of the area on the gridiron.
Broad Run responded with a crushing 38-0 win, and the Spartans sent a message to the rest of the state. They shut down Loudoun County the following week, then crushed Freedom, Park View, and County again in the first round of the playoffs.
After those four wins, the Spartans welcomed the Panthers back for a rematch for the regional championship, and again the defense was called under the rug by our guy Tom Whipple.
He didn't say Potomac Falls would win, but he did predict that the Spartan defense would allow 27 points in the rematch. Fortune's defense again responded with a dominating performance, holding Potomac Falls to just 6 points in a 33-6 regional championship win.
At that point, it became clear that a state championship was possible. The Spartans had some cards lined up for them. They were hosting the state semifinals, and the Chancellor team they were going to play had a run first philosophy. That fit perfectly into Broad Run's strength.
If Broad Run would have any chance to advance to the title game, they had to do one thing; play great defense.
With one of the better tailbacks in the state in Dominque Wallace carrying the football for Chancellor, the Spartans also would need some help from their offense to secure the win, and they got it.
All year long, tailback Breon Earl had shown he was good for at least 3 or more big plays in a game. Whether it was catching a screen pass, taking a handoff, or returning a punt, Earl was the game breaker that Burnett turned to when things were stalling out, and each time Earl delivered.
Earl's big punt return against Chancellor was the play that broke things open for the 24-12 win. But it would be remiss to not mention the play of T.J Peeler. The junior tailback is the size, make, and model of a major college football player, but the beginning of the season proved difficult for the talented ball carrier.
He was hurt, and Broad Run carried on without him, and wasn't having a problem winning games.
While the Spartans were clearly the best team in the area, Burnett would be the first to tell you that when Peeler returned to the lineup healthy, it completely changed Broad Run's chances of winning their first state championship.
His first big performance came against Loudoun County in the regular season when he rattled off long run after long run. Peeler finished with 4 touchdowns on the night, and Broad Run's power running attack had re-emerged.
The bi-product of Peeler returning was that it made Earl that much more dangerous. By the time the Spartans were preparing for the state semifinals, Earl was averaging a touchdown every 5 times he touched the football, a stat that is unheard of.
The Spartan's dynamic duo began to feed off of one another. Earl would make a play, then Peeler would break a long run. All the while, the Spartan defense was playing their best football of the season. They shut down Wallace and the Chancellor Chargers, winning the game 24-12 en route to their first ever state championship berth.
Standing in their way on the road to glory was two-time defending champion Amherst. The Lancers knocked out the favorite Pulaski County the week before to make their 3rd straight appearance in the final game.
During Monday's practice, Burnett and I chatted about his team's chances. Again, he was calm and confident.
"If this were last year's Amherst team I would be worried," Burnett said while Fortune worked on the defensive plan. "If we play like we are capable of, we should win this game."
At one point in practice that night, Burnett interrupted the defensive coaches and told his players that while the Amherst skill players were good, he warned them not to show them too much respect.
Burnett was shaping the mentality that his players needed to beat the mighty Lancers. His message was simple. Give them respect, but don't get caught up in the mystique.
On Thursday, Burnett and his team were making final preparations for Saturday's big game. And the coach again sent a message to his players when I asked him on camera how he felt about Broad Run's chances to win.
"I think they are a very beatable team," Burnett said. "They have had a couple of solid teams the past two years, but I like our chances."
Burnett's game plan was not going to be much different than the previous 13 games. He was going to utilize Earl, Peeler, and rely on his defense to get the job done.
However, it was clear that Burnett was asking his team to buy into what he was saying one more time, to believe that they were the better team in Saturday's match-up.
Burnett is a motivator, but his greatest strength may be in getting those that follow him to play and coach with passion. His players love playing for him, and his coaches just want to make him proud.
Minutes before the start of the state championship game Saturday, Burnett's team sat in the Liberty University weight room. Senior Shawn Lewis addressed his teammates, then an emotional Kenny McAdow did the same thing.
Once his senior captains were finished, Burnett took his turn. Burnett's style is different than many coaches. He wasn't yelling, and he didn't appear overly anxious. His final message to his team was about the gifts they had been given together, and he spoke passionately from his heart.
"This is a gift. God gave me a gift to spend this time with you," Burnett said. "The thing about gifts gentlemen is, you have to embrace them. You've got to hold on to them because you don't know when they will come around again. I don't know when I'm ever going to get a group like you guys again. I want to live it every minute, and I want to squeeze every last ounce out of the gift God gave me. Do it, embrace the gift, love the gift. Play for it, play with love, play with passion, play to win, and let's go win ourselves a state championship!
The room erupted with emotion, and every player on that team was ready to run through a wall for him. After watching the video of his speech once, I was ready to run through a wall for him too.
Burnett's motivational style is similar to the great Joe Gibbs. His players and coaches have so much respect for him that their worst fear isn't making a mistake, but instead letting him down.
In arguably the biggest game of their lives, the Spartans didn't let Burnett down, and they played with a passion that inspired all in attendance. The defense bottled up Amherst and pitched a shutout. Quarterback Chris Jessop made play after play including a huge touchdown throw right before the half to Adrian Flemming to give Broad Run the 7-0 advantage.
T.J Peeler ran hard all day, and in a fitting ending to the 2008 Broad Run story, Breon Earl, who has always played with the heart of a champion, iced the championship with a touchdown run.
After the game, Burnett shared several emotional moments with his players. The photos tell the story, especially the one with linebacker Kenny McAdow and Burnett. McAdow was in tears and in the midst of a bear hug from his coach. Overcome with emotion, McAdow embraced his coach as if to say, "We did it coach, we did it."
They players fought so hard for this moment, and they never allowed anyone on the outside to tell them that it couldn't be theirs. In the end, they just wanted to reward their coach with the joy he had given them, and simultaneously, they did that, and united their entire community.
In his post-game speech, Burnett didn't talk with just his players and coaches, he addressed the Spartan Nation that stood right behind him. You see, they have been his project too.
Burnett hasn't just inspired his players and coaches, the Broad Run fans have bought in as well. The Maroon Crew has become an extension of Burnett's roster, and he doesn't want to play a single game without them waving their towels and cheering loudly.
So as Burnett spoke about how much he loved his team, and just appreciated the time he was given with each of them. His final message was directed at everyone that could hear.
"Winning and losing doesn't matter that much," he said. "It is the time that we have spent together that really matters. Win or lose, I love you guys. But winning was a lot more fun."
Burnett then turned to the hundreds of fans behind him, and said. "I want to tell all of you guys too, today was a gift from God. To be able to be part of this and to be a part of your lives, this was a gift. We have to embrace the gifts we are given, and we have to all celebrate them."
And just as his team does after every practice and game, Burnett called his team up to break it down one more time together. But this time he invited the fans to join them.
As he held the trophy up high, the players, coaches, faculty, students, and families gathered in the snow to yell out 1-2-3.....BROAD RUN!
That is what high school football is all about.
On behalf of the Gameday staff, we'd like to congratulate the Broad Run Spartans on their first state championship. We'd also like to thank Coach Burnett and his staff for allowing the Gameday Radio Network to share in this magical season every step of the way. We are all very proud of what you guys stand for, and what you have accomplished!
