By Angela WattsManaging Content Editor, DigitalSports.com
** Look below the story to find a video player link filled with more than 50 highlights from Friday's game!**
The message that Stone Bridge Coach Mickey Thompson delivered to his team following Friday's decisive, 49-7 victory over Robinson was as powerful as it was clear: "This puts us on the map. But don't take this for granted.
"We have a bigger goal."
But the truth is, the message that his players sent on the field carried even more weight.
The top-ranked Bulldogs did not simply defeat the Rams, the only team that marred an otherwise perfect record a year ago. The defending Virginia AAA Division 5 champions manhandled their opponent. Stone Bridge totaled 457 yards of offense, 49 points and 21 first downs in the victory, while Robinson managed only two first downs.
"I was reading some article and they said that we couldn't play in the Concorde District," senior quarterback Patrick Thompson said. "So we definitely made a statement, just pounding it at them out there."
The Bulldogs scored so fast -- and so frequently -- that even the Stone Bridge cheerleaders, who do push-ups after each score to match their teams' total number of points on the scoreboard, had to eventually switch to back flips to ease their load.
"We got it back for last year's guys, for our coaches and for ourselves," senior linebacker Mike Olson said. "It means the world to us. This is one of the biggest wins that we've ever had. And to do it two weeks in a a row with two Division 6 teams coming in here ... it's all smash-mouth football.
"Last year was tough; they just came at us so hard. This year we had such a good scheme and so much confidence coming into this game."
Stone Bridge mixed a healthy dose of its spread offense with the power of its single-wing rushing attack on Friday, and the results proved nearly a dead heat: 241 yards rushing, 216 passing.
Thompson did the brunt of the damage, completing 14-of-24 pass attempts for 201 yards and an interception while also rushing nine times for 53 yards and three touchdowns. It marks the second consecutive game that Thompson has thrown for more than 200 yards despite wearing a splint on his right, throwing hand that protects a ruptured tendon in his ring finger.
Senior running back Daniel Allen was explosive, totaling 108 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 19 carries -- an average of 5.7 yards per attempt.
Senior wide receiver Michael Prince added 64 yards receiving on three catches and also rushed one time for 35 yards and a touchdown. Senior tight end Nick Sheehan caught four passes for 30 yards and fellow senior tight end Zach Thompson hauled in three passes for 36 yards.
"What I worry about is that people go and they look at this and they say, 'Well, Robinson might not be that good,' " Mickey Thompson said. "But you watch: Robinson is a good football team. Tonight, we were just that good."
The Rams, meanwhile, struggled not only against the Bulldogs but against themselves with untimely penalties, turnovers and defensive breakdowns. Robinson scored its lone touchdown in the second quarter on a 37-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Timmy Meier to senior wide receiver Xavier Duncan.
"Getting off to a tough start at the beginning put us in a hole," Robinson Coach Mark Bendorf said. "And any team, particularly a veteran team, is going to take advantage of that and play hard when they're ahead.
"Hopefully, we'll respond the way they did last year."
While Robinson must next face West Springfield in another tough match-up, Stone Bridge readies for the start of its Liberty District schedule, where the Bulldogs have not lost a game since joining the league (21-0 since 2005). In fact, Stone Bridge has not lost a district game since a 34-21 loss to Park View while competing in the Division 4 Region II, Dulles District.
"We're decent, I guess," Mickey Thompson said when asked what his teams' two wins over West Springfield and Robinson by a combined total of 91-35 meant. "And we're playing very well right now."
His son, respectfully, disagreed.
"We're real explosive on offense," Patrick Thompson said. "We've proved we can score at any point, whether in 30 seconds or on a drive that takes five or 10 minutes. And our defense, I think, is one of the best in the state.
"So, ya know, I think we're a little bit better than decent."
Email: awatts@digitalsports.com
No. 5 Robinson 0 7 0 0 -- 7
No. 1 Stone Bridge 14 14 14 7 -- 49
First Quarter
SB - P. Thompson 6 run (Shaban kick)
SB - Allen 1 run (Shaban kick)
Second Quarter
RB - Duncan 37 pass from Meier (kick)
SB - P. Thompson 6 run (Shaban kick)
SB - Allen 27 run (Shaban kick)
Third Quarter
SB - P. Thompson 1 run (Shaban kick)
SB - Allen 1 run (Shaban kick)
Fourth Quarter
SB - Prince 35 run (McConnell kick)
Top Individual Performers
Rushing -- SB: Allen 19 carries, 108 yards, 3 TDs; P. Thompson 9 carries, 53 yards, 3 TDs; Prince 1 carry, 25 yards, TD.
Passing -- SB: P. Thompson 14-of-24 passing, 201 yards, 1 INT.
Receiving -- SB: Sheehan 4 receptions, 30 yards; Prince 3 receptions, 64 yards; Z. Thompson 3 receptions, 36 yards; Ansell 1 reception, 27 yards; Bladel 1 reception, 18 yards.
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Stone Bridge High School - 43100 Hay Road - Ashburn, Virginia 20147
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