Stone Bridge Run Should Be Appreciated.....
This was the motto of the 2008 Phoebus team, will it be the new motto of the 2009 Stone Bridge football team? Andy Hayes takes a look at Stone Bridge's incredible run over the past two seasons, and to the future of the Bulldog program.
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Stone Bridge's Patrick Thompson was under pressure all day long on Saturday against Phoebus. The Phantoms forced 7 turnovers in a 38-8 win. Thompson finished his career at Stone Bridge with 56 touchdown passes.
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Stone Bridge's Zach Thompson hauls in a touchdown pass on Saturday against Phoebus. The Bulldogs rallied in the 3rd quarter, but couldn't pull within more than two scores....
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ASHBURN, VA - It is safe to say that Stone Bridge's 38-8 defeat to Phoebus was far from expected. I know I wasn't thinking that could happen to a nationally ranked team, and one that had rattled off 26 straight wins. The reality is though, they ran into their equal in the state of Virginia in the Phoebus Phantoms, and when they collided, the Phantoms were clearly better on that day.
According to Phoebus head coach Bill Dee, his club had been stewing since last year's defeat to the Bulldogs in Ashburn. The motto for this season for the Phantoms was "Unfinished Business", and on Saturday, they took care of some of that business.
Phoebus threw the first punch on the first play of the game with DaQuan Romero forcing a fumble that resulted in a touchdown. 10 seconds into the game, the Bulldogs were trailing for the first time this season, and they didn't respond well.
Defensively, one would look at the final score and say Stone Bridge must not have played well, but that wasn't the case. The Bulldog defense actually did play well, but when your offense turns the ball over 7 times, eventually even the best defense breaks.
Phoebus appeared hungrier, and that would make sense. The Phantoms had a hard time last year with the way the 2007 game ended. Anyone who watched that game walked away believing Phoebus had been beaten in the trenches, which is the equivalent of having someone take your lunch money in elementary school.
That was a hard pill to swallow for the Phantoms, who have had the most successful program in this decade in the state of Virginia with 3 state championships. Bill Dee hung up the press clippings, and reminded his boys every day in the weight room that Stone Bridge had kicked their butts, and on Saturday when the first opportunity for revenge was provided, they returned the favor.
They won the second battle by dominating defensively, and their speed was noticeably a factor. They deserved the win with the way they played, and they have to be the clear favorite to win the Division 5 state champion this year again.
For Stone Bridge, the loss ended one of the great runs of any team in our region. 26 games in a row in any era is remarkable. Winning a state championship, 3 of the last 4 regional championships, and 4 straight Liberty District titles is also big time. This senior class for Stone Bridge has never lost a district game.
The funny thing about this Bulldog team is, nobody expected them to be wearing a championship ring. I was one of many that thought head coach Mickey Thompson's 2006 team was his most talented squad, and once they fell short of returning to the title game after a close loss in 2005 to Hampton, I thought the chances of maintaining the success would be difficult.
I was wrong, and that is due to the 2007 and 2008 senior classes of Bulldogs. They took the reigns of a program that had reached a plateau, and then they raised the bar yet again.
It is always hard to play your last high school football game, and while some of the Bulldog seniors will buckle a chinstrap again at the next level, there are many who won't.
I remember my last football game, and I remember the feeling I had when I walked off the field. It was tough, yet I didn't have any regrets, and the Bulldog seniors should feel the same way too.
What they have accomplished is the new standard for Stone Bridge football, and now it is time to hand the proverbial torch to the underclassmen with the hopes that they will carry on the tradition of excellence.
Saturday's loss also marked the last game we will see the Thompson family on the field together. Mickey Thompson's twin boys Patrick and Zach will now take their talents to Wake Forest, and that might have been the toughest part of Saturday's defeat for the coach.
But as a father, how cool is it to say you coached your sons, and during that time you won a state championship together. It doesn't get better than that if you ask me.
With every season that comes to a close, a new one begins with hopes of a championship. Stone Bridge will have some big shoes to fill, but they have proven year after year that there are guys waiting in line to tie the laces of those shoes.
There won't be many people that believe that Stone Bridge will be back in the state playoffs next year with what they lose to graduation and to college football. But again, remember back to 2006 when they graduated the likes of Y'Lou Brown, Andrew Nuss, and Terence Glenn. Nobody thought they would be very good the next season either.
That no-name 2007 team had one star in Jeron Gouveia, and they became the first team ever to win a state championship for Stone Bridge.
In what appears to be somewhat of a pattern that is developing, Thompson's teams that aren't hyped much seem to be the most dangerous in the state playoffs. Maybe we'll see that trend continue in 2009.
On behalf of the Gameday Staff, we would like to congratulate the Stone Bridge seniors and the rest of the team on a tremendous season and run over the past few years.
