| The News & Advance
12/3/99 The Brookville football team has been an underdog all year. The Bees (10-3) haven't been ranked all season, they finished third in the Seminole District behind Amherst County and Jefferson Forest, they haven't put up gaudy offensive numbers and they don't have any prime-time players. Bobby Johnson's Bees will be the underdogs again tonight at 7 p.m. when they face No. 6 ranked James Handley of Winchester in the Group AA, Division 3 state championship game at James Madison University's Bridgeforth Stadium. The Judges (12-1), who finished second to Park View-Sterling (13-0) in the Northwestern District, have outscored three playoff opponents 121-49 while the Bees have scored 67 points while holding opponents to 26 in the postseason. Handley has a senior quarterback in Lang Campbell (6-foot-3, 185) who has thrown for 1,921 yards and 13 touchdowns and a senior running back in Adam Woods (5-10, 175) who has a school record 28 touchdowns and 1,609 yards rushing. But, the Bees won't be intimidated. They proved that last week when they went into a hostile environment at Gate City and won 21-14. "What, they (Brookville) do is simple but effective," said Gate City coach Nick Colobro after the game. The Bees simply line up behind a solid front wall and try to eat up clock with the running of tailback Dejon Kennedy (1,400 yards and 23 touchdowns) and fullbacks Matt Burch, Russell Lomax and Jeff Torrence who have combined for 1,000 yards. "We need to control the line of scrimmage, establish a running game and then mix things up," said Johnson. "We're predominantly a running team but that doesn't mean we won't throw it. We'll take what the defense gives us." Brookville sophomore quarterback Scott Nixon has completed just 28 passes but has thrown for 480 yards and seven touchdowns. The Bees often lull the defense to sleep with their running game before Nixon hits wideouts Martellus Braxton (25 catches 324 yards) or Levar Anthony (13 for 322) for a big play. The Handley defense has not been invincible. In postseason wins over Fluvanna and Harrisonburg, the Judges outgained their opponents by an average of just 34 yards. In fact, Harrisonburg moved the ball down the field most of the day but managed just one touchdown in a 31-7 loss. "We're not an overpowering team," said Handley coach Todd Hill. "We try to play good technique and stay in position. If you're going to score, we want to make you work it down the field. It's hard for team to go the length of the field without making a mistake." Last week, the Judges capitalized on five Southampton turnovers in a 59-13 win. Hill thinks the key to tonight's game could be special teams and errorless football. "The team that makes the fewest mistakes will probably win," he said. Johnson said the Bees were fortunate to escape with a win at Gate City after losing four fumbles. "I don't know if we can make that many mistakes against Handley and still win," he said. The Bees' defense will be tested often agains the Judges with their balanced offense which features a wide-open passing attack and potent ground game. However, Brookville has allowed just 208 yards per game and have been especially tough against the run thanks to a strong defensive line that includes tackles Tarik Ghriri (6-2, 295) and Lomax (5-11, 242). Bees' linebackers Burch (124 tackles) and Torrence (115 tackles) are the top defenders and defensive backs Anthony and Steven Key have 11 of Brookville's 19 interceptions. "We're aggressive on defense and we like to attack," said Johnson whose defense held Gate City to 63 yards rushing last week. "Another key for us is to have a great game on offense so that we can limit the times that they have the ball," said Johnson. "They'll probably complete some passes but we're going to play physical Seminole-type football on defense and I don't know if they've seen that this year." Notes: Senator Steve Newman (23rd Senatorial District) is betting on the Bees. He has wagered a Dinner Bell Ham against Russ Potts (27th Senatorial District). The latter has put up a bushel of apples….Handley won the state championship in 1994 but Brookville is looking for its first state title ever…Handley has outscored its opponents 431-166 while Brookville has scored 308 points and allowed 170…Campbell has rushed for 616 yards and six touchdowns….The Judges have two great wideouts in Adam Dutton (47 catches, 70 yards) and Daniel Vipperman (46 for 583 yards). |