Sideline Report This Week in High School Football
Sideline Report This Week in High School Football
With last year's starting quarterback injured, running back Daniel Allen will carry more of the burden as Stone Bridge begins its defense of the state title.
(By Preston Keres -- The Washington Post)
TOOLBOX
   Resize
COMMENT
 Discussion Policy
 CLOSE
Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
Who's Blogging  |
ยท No. 10 West Springfield At No. 5 Stone Bridge 7:30 p.m. tomorrow
Entering the preseason, tomorrow night's matchup between No. 5 Stone Bridge and No. 10 West Springfield was billed as two of the top quarterbacks in the area facing off as their fathers -- and coaches -- walked the sideline.
That might not be the case when the Bulldogs host the Spartans, as Stone Bridge quarterback Patrick Thompson suffered an injury to his throwing hand.
But whether Thompson is behind center or not, the expectations for a high-scoring affair haven't been dampened much.
"We feel like we're better than any one person, and we feel like we can overcome whatever adversity we face," Bulldogs Coach Mickey Thompson said. "We really don't have an exact time on when we're going to get Patrick back. It could be a lot faster or slower than people think. [But] we've got guys who think this is for a reason so they can step up and fill in and get playing time and show what they can do."
Last season, the two teams put on an offensive show, with Stone Bridge falling behind 17-0 in the first half before rebounding with 42 unanswered points to pull away for a 56-36 win.
With Thompson probably out at quarterback (he is expected to play linebacker with a splint on his hand if he can't go on offense), senior running back Daniel Allen can expect a bigger workload.
On defense, the Bulldogs will face a Spartans team led by a more seasoned Bryn Renner. Renner, who will play for the University of North Carolina next year, threw for 2,677 yards last season as a junior and was invited to the prestigious Elite 11 prep quarterback camp this summer.
And although the Bulldogs return one of the top defensive fronts in the area, a showdown with Brenner will be an immediate test for an inexperienced secondary.
"I think this is the deepest we've ever been in the secondary," Mickey Thompson said. "Now, the top-level play is a question mark, but as far as good, solid players, we've got more than we've ever had. We just need guys to step up."
If they don't, the Bulldogs' state title defense could be off to a rough start.
OTHER GAMES TO WATCH
