Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Stonewall Jackson may have two nationally rated running backs, but the Raiders only needed one to defeat Freedom-Woodbridge on Thursday, 28-14.

Junior Damien Thigpen -- who was recently named one of the top 100 juniors in the nation by Rivals.com -- rushed for 189 yards on 20 carries and scored a touchdown, while teammate Ryan Williams (ranked the sixth-best running back in the nation according to the same Web site) rested a high ankle sprain.

Thigpen also blocked a punt and an extra-point attempt and had two pass breakups at cornerback to help Stonewall improve to 3-0 for the first time in the five seasons Loren Johnson has coached the team.

Both likely will be needed for the Raiders to knock off arch rival Battlefield (2-1) in the Battle of the Bull Run on Friday. When Battlefield opened, the school drew from the Stonewall boundaries, but Stonewall has won each of the matchups. Both teams appear to be competitive on the regional level this season.

"This is the biggest game that we have had on this [western] end of [Prince William] county in my five years," Johnson said. "They are a formidable opponent and a very good football team."

-- Stephen A. Norris