Running Game Has Spartans One Win From Championship

One was a fullback, another a backup quarterback, and two others logged little or no playing time in reserve roles last season.

But along with returning starter Shawn Lewis, No. 5 Broad Run's motley crew of offensive linemen -- seniors Nick Galzerano and Will Field and juniors Taylor Evans and John Meier -- have made up one of the critical components of an offense that has the Spartans (13-0) playing for the first football state championship since the school opened in 1969.

Despite what was a largely inexperienced line, Coach Mike Burnett installed a power running game to carry the load the second half of the season. The Spartans, who have outscored opponents by 24 points per game this year, are averaging 227 yards per game rushing (more than seven yards per carry) and have allowed just two sacks in 13 games.

"Coach Burnett went out and . . . he found athleticism and put them on the line," Galzerano said. "Their footwork and strength has come along as the season progressed [and] we just jelled and we were rolling going into the playoffs."

In a 24-12 win over then-No. 7 Chancellor in the Virginia AA Division 4 semifinals on Saturday, Broad Run ran the ball on 43 of its 53 offensive plays, including every snap of the second half but one, a punt, and finished with 253 yards rushing.

The game reflected the shift in offensive mentality adopted by the Spartans this season.

After opening the year with plans of running a spread offense, Broad Run slowly shifted back to the power running game it leaned on in 2007, when the Spartans finished 10-1 and won the Dulles District title.

The change occurred both because of the growth of the inexperienced linemen, and also the return of junior running back T.J. Peeler to the lineup, Burnett said.

"We ran an offense that used our athleticism and asked kids to get in front of people and not blow them away," Burnett said. "They got good at that, at moving their feet, and they got better and better. So as we moved through the season, we transitioned to what I think you need to do to win games in November and December -- and that's run the ball."

Peeler, who missed three games with an elbow injury, has rushed for 978 yards on 98 carries and 15 touchdowns in the past seven games. And along with Region II offensive player of the year Breon Earl (903 yards rushing, 17 total touchdowns), Peeler is part of one of the most dynamic backfields in the region.

Since Peeler returned to full health against Loudoun County on Oct. 17, when he rushed for 243 yards and four touchdowns on seven carries, Broad Run has been almost exclusively a running team.

The Spartans have run the ball an average of 35 times per game as opposed to passing just 10, and have rushed for at least three touchdowns each week. Before Oct. 17, Broad Run was averaging 28 rushes and 18 passes per game.

For the offensive linemen, getting back to smash-mouth football is proof that the unit has earned the confidence of its coaches.

"It's great that Coach Burnett has that type of faith in us," Meier said. "Of course the strength and conditioning has the biggest effect. I'm not the biggest guy so the strength really helps. . . . [But] it's a lot more fun running the ball, just mauling people, because it sends a message to the other team."