Spartans Celebrate Title Again With Rings
Members of the Broad Run Spartans' State Championship team listen intently to coach Michael Burnett as he speaks to the team one last time. Coach Burnett addressed the team during the ring ceremony held in Ashburn on Thursday night...
Photo By: Marc Gold / Gameday Magazine | VIEW GALLERY
Coach Michael Burnett addresses his State Championship team one last time on Thursday evening in Ashburn. The ceremony was held at a private residence to reinforce Burnett's message that this team was a "family" ...
Photo By: Marc Gold / Gameday Magazine | VIEW GALLERY
Senior Kenny McAdow listens intently to Coach Burnett during the team's ring ceremony on Thursday evening. McAdow, the emotional leader of the team, was the first to receive his ring...
Photo By: Marc Gold / Gameday Magazine | VIEW GALLERY
ASHBURN, VA - It has been a few months since the end of the 2008 football season, but don't tell the Broad Run Spartans. They are still living it up in a big way. While they are no longer wearing their pads and helmets, they are sporting new state championship rings.
Head Coach Michael Burnett gathered his 2008 team, including managers and team supporters, to hand deliver the jewelry that had arrived mid-week.
"It's special," said Burnett. "We miss those days in our life and you don't realize that people don't get together in groups that often, so to get together one last time with these guys was great."
One of the most excited to receive his state championship ring was senior linebacker Kenny McAdow. McAdow was the emotional leader of the Broad Run defense, and after pestering his head coach about when the rings would be arriving, Burnett decided he would give his team captain his ring first.
"It was tough to sleep and tough to focus in class today. The ring is the icing on the cake," said McAdow. "We didn't play for a ring, we played for each other. But the ring is a great way to symbolize that."
Quarterback Chris Jessop said receiving his ring was great, but he enjoyed the time with the team just as much.
"The rings are great," Jessop said. "I really like them. And it was really special to spend time with the entire team one last time."
Before Burnett handed each player a commemorative plaque and their rings, he spoke to them about humility.
"These aren't the biggest rings, and they're not the shiniest rings that you'll ever see. But it is a reflection of what is important," Burnett said. "To me, this is something we can carry forever, something that is a symbol of something special."
In many ways, the 2008 Broad Run football team could be described the same way. They weren't always the biggest or the flashiest team on the field. They played the game the right way, and this week, they were rewarded with one last token for their hard work.
"Everyone put in the hard work," said senior Shawn Lewis. "All the seniors, and everyone put in hard work in the weight room, and we knew we could do it."
"It's a great feeling to come out of high school winning the state championship," said senior Will Field. "Today was a lot of fun with our friends and our coaches."
During the ceremony, the players watched a DVD that was made by Burnett himself, featuring highlights of every game from the 2008 season. As the players sat and watched, and sometimes howled at their buddies when a big hit was made, Burnett stood quietly glued to the television set. The humble natured coach said he had watched the DVD over and over and still wasn't tired of seeing the highlights.
"It doesn't get old," said Burnett. "It took me about 100 hours to put it together, and I've probably watched it another 100 times. And it is just as good the 100th time."
Team Mom Karen Miscovich hosted the event at her residence in Ashburn, and the team enjoyed some pizza and snacks during the ceremony while hanging out in the basement.
The ring ceremony was a private event open only to the immediate team members, staff, and most involved supporters of the Spartan football program. Burnett said he could have hosted it at a restaurant so families could have attended, but he wanted to just be with his team exclusively one last time.
"It's the last time I get to be with them," Burnett said. "I got a lot of e-mails from people who wanted to be a part of it, but in the end, this is the group that was there in the weight room, at practice, and we wanted to do that one more time with everybody."
So as Broad Run officially closed the chapter on their 2008 state championship run, the question of what the future holds for Burnett's Spartans snuck into the conversation at the end of the night.
While Broad Run graduates some outstanding talent, the cupboard is far from bare. The Spartans will be a favorite again in the Dulles District with tailback T.J Peeler and receiver Adrian Flemming returning for one final run at a championship.
The bad news for anyone on Broad Run's schedule in 2009 came from Spartan strength and conditioning guru and defensive line coach Jason Dawson.
"We are already ahead of where we were last year at this time as a group in the weight room," said Dawson. "The kids are working harder than ever."
THE POINT AFTER:
It was an honor to be invited to share in this moment with the Broad Run football team as they received their state championship rings this week. I've had an interesting perspective of how the program has evolved over the past 8 years since I've been covering the team.
I think people always want to know what the secret is, or how a program could go from the bottom to the top so quickly, and I'm not any different. One thing that stood out to me about this Broad Run team was their chemistry. They truly behave as a family, and that starts with the coaching staff on down. They like being around each other, and when you think about it, most championship teams have that same quality.
I can see why Coach Burnett was so moved by this group of players. You can coach all of your life and not get the perfect blend of leaders, skill players, and tough guys to chase a championship with. Burnett had that perfect blend in 2008, and he knows it. I'm not sure you can ever replace the special chemistry the 2008 Spartans shared, but we'll find out if Broad Run can in a few more months.
If there is one thing I can note that should give Spartan fans some confidence in the future, it is that Burnett understands what it takes to build a program. He cares about the smallest details. And while some may think that stuff doesn't matter, in the big picture, it absolutely does.
He and his staff started working on those little details 3 years ago, and because of it, his program now owns some pretty nice jewelry because of it. I'll step out on the limb now and say if Burnett is still coaching at Broad Run 5 years from now, my guess is he very well could have more than one option as to what ring he wants to wear before heading to school each morning.
