Brownlee's 4 TDs Help Falcons Take Flight
Although it was Senior Night at Briar Woods High School, it was a pair of juniors who took the spotlight for their respective teams. Both Michael Brownlee and Deandre Reaves were key for their respective teams, but it was Brownlee's Falcons that would claw their way to a victory and end the regular season on a high note...
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Titan junior Deandre Reaves scored both of his team's touchdowns on the evening and racked up almost 200 yards on the ground...
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Sophomore defensive back Alex Carter is a name you will be hearing a lot of over the next few years for the Briar Woods Falcons. Carter is a force on the gridiron and plays bigger than his years...
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BRAMBLETON, VA - It might have been Senior Night on Friday at the Falcons' Nest in Brambleton, but it was two juniors that stole the show as Briar Woods surged past Dominion 35-12.
Each offense featured an old-school look, with each hiking the ball directly to its dynamic running back and letting him find a hole. Filling that role for the Falcons was juking junior Michael Brownlee; running the pivot for the
Titans was speedy junior Deandre Reaves.
The two offenses mirrored each other in style and in substance through the first half, as Brownlee and Reaves ran out of their offenses' "wildcat" formations for chunks of yards and frequent scores despite a flurry of penalties levied at both sides.
Brownlee opened the game's scoring by running for a pair of touchdowns, topping his second score off with a two-point run, for an early 14-0 Falcon advantage.
But Reaves led the Titans back, guiding his team to scoring drives on successive Briar Woods turnovers. A blocked extra point try and a failed two-pointer kept the score at 14-12 entering the second quarter.
As the Briar Woods defense keyed more closely on Reaves and prevented the shifty, superfast sophomore from breaking containment, the Dominion defense had a tougher time consistently keeping Brownlee at bay.
Midway through the second, Brownlee ran up huge chunks of yards on three straight runs out of the wildcat. After being tackled at the 8-yard line during the third carry, he hobbled gingerly off the field, favoring an ankle.
Undaunted, senior Allen Jackson -- normally a lineman -- took over Brownlee's role and rumbled it in on the next play for a 21-12 Briar Woods lead.
Brownlee was back for the next series, and -- as usual -- ran left and ran right, culminating with his third touchdown of the opening half on a nifty tackle-breaking 14-yard run. The tally gave the homestanders a 28-12 halftime margin.
The third quarter was played scorelessly, more due to both teams committing inopportune turnovers than to stalwart defenses. Each quarterback -- who rarely threw the ball at all -- tossed interceptions, and the two sides
combined for three fumbles.
Twice in the second half, Dominion was able to penetrate deep into Briar Woods territory only to come away with missed field goals on attempts of more than 40 yards.
In the later stages of the fourth quarter, Briar Woods senior Kyle Haufler ran a punt back to the Dominion 20-yard line. Brownlee converted that into a quick touchdown drive, giving the Falcons an insurmountable 35-12 lead with mere minutes left. That would remain as the game's final score.
Brownlee finished with four touchdowns and well over 200 yards on the ground. For his part, Reaves notched both of the Titans' scores and rang up nearly 200 yards himself.
Senior Falcon defensive end Omar Omokhodion made his presence known in his final high school game, batting down a pass and dropping several tackles for loss, including a sack. Defensive teammate Victor Rizzardi hauled in an interception of a Reaves pass.
Senior Titan defensive back Derrick Lewis stepped in front of a deep ball thrown by Brownlee, collecting a pick.
Both squads end their 2009 campaigns with 4-6 records, falling short of play-off status. The Falcons miss the postseason for the first time in three years, while the Titans complete one of their most successful seasons in the school's nine-year history.
