By Phil Murphy
Senior Multimedia/Content Manager, Washington D.C. Metro Area
Lake Braddock (11-2) vs. Battlefield (12-0), Saturday, 3 p.m.
Points Per Game Scored: Lake Braddock – 32.6; Battlefield – 28.3
Points Per Game Allowed: Lake Braddock – 14.8; Battlefield – 11.2
For all the statistics and trends reported in these weekly previews this year — e.g. Stone Bridge is unbeaten when Harris gets 100 all-purpose yards, Lee is 7-0 when passing for more than 9.0 yards per attempt — try this one on.
Battlefield is 12-0 when taking the field.
Four of those wins were by single digits, including a 32-27 win in the Division 6 Northwest Region championship over Osbourn Park (10-3).
In the last five weeks, the Bobcats have not been held under 32 points.
Headlining the Battlefield offense is 6-foot-7, 229-pound senior quarterback Bo Revell. This season, he is 103 for 182 passing for 1,517 yards, 14 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Revell has thrown a touchdown pass in nine consecutive games.
His favorite target is senior receiver Jamie Robinson, who has 29 receptions for 468 yards and three touchdowns this year. Not far behind is senior Blaine Mason, with 26 catches for 538 yards and five scores.
In their offensive backfield, the Bobcats feature a pair of capable junior tailbacks in Nagee Jackson and Cedric Agyeman.
Jackson, a transfer from Bowie, Md., has carried 245 times for 1,237 yards and 19 touchdowns. Agyeman has 82 carries for 509 yards and eight scores, but has only been granted more than 10 touches in three games.
Lake Braddock features the Northern Region Offensive Player of the Year in junior quarterback Michael Nebrich. Nebrich has thrown for over 200 yards nine times this season and rushed for over 100 yards three times.
He’s accounted for 39 Bruin touchdowns, 22 rushing.
Plagued by interceptions early in the season, Nebrich has thrown just five in the last eight games.
The forecast calls for snow Saturday and inclement weather has hurt Nebrich in recent weeks. Only twice was he held under both 100 passing yards and 100 rushing yards: the regional quarterfinals against Fairfax and the regional final against Woodson.
Against the Rebels, rain forced the game to be moved to nearby West Springfield High School, which has a synthetic field. Against the Cavaliers, the ball was mud-caked at the kickoff and a soaked field from days rain resulted in uncertain footing.
Still, the Bruins’ defense more than made up for the dampened offense.
Lake Braddock forced three second-half fumbles against Fairfax and had a plus-five turnover margin in its 27-20 regional championship win at Woodson.
Even when a water-logged ball resulted in three interceptions at T.C. Williams in Week 5, senior Thomas Stickford returned two Titan interceptions for touchdowns to secure the Bruin win.
Battlefield’s defense is more than capable, too, featuring defensive tackle Zavier Stringfellow and linebacker Christian Delgado. Stringfellow was the Cedar Run District Defensive Player of the Year.
The determining factors Saturday will be size and coaching.
No team outside of the NCAA matches the Bruins’ size and, don’t forget, they have two head coaches on the sideline.
The winner faces unprecedented territory as neither the Bruins or the Bobcats have ever reached the state championship game.
Lake Braddock is the only one of the two with a state tournament appearance. It fell, 31-10, to eventual state champion Indian River in 1995.
The first team to 20 points wins.
Email: pmurphy@digitalsports.com
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