Virginia 5A North football: Broad Run rallies, then holds off rival Briar Woods The Spartans stopped the Falcons on a two-point conversion with 19.9 seconds left to hang on and advance in the Virginia 5A North playoffs. By Joey LoMonaco November 21 at 11:38 PM The pair of yellow-orange school buses carrying the Briar Woods football team didn't roll into the parking lot at Broad Run until 6:47 p.m., 13 minutes before the scheduled kickoff of Friday's Virginia 5A North region semifinal. It took the host Spartans even longer to show up. Broad Run fumbled on its first possession and fell behind 9-0 on Jackson Funke's 33-yard field goal with 1 minute 33 seconds left in the opening quarter. But the Spartans closed out the first half with three straight scores, and defensive back Marcel Mingo batted away a potential game-tying two-point pass with 19 seconds in the game left as Broad Run held on for a 17-15 win over its Ashburn rivals. Briar Woods had won the past four meetings, including a 37-34 double-overtime thriller in last year's region semifinals. "I'll tell you what, every time we play them, we sputter in the first quarter," Broad Run Coach Matt Griffis said. For us, it's not a two-round battle. You have to go all 10 rounds. The Spartans (9-3) threw their first jab when Clyde Bryson scampered 17 yards for a touchdown on a third-down draw play to cut the Briar Woods lead to 9-6. Broad Run defensive back Chris Moore was beaten soundly by Falcons receiver Tristan Carter for a 30-yard touchdown on Briar Woods" first offensive play of the night, but Moore charged across the line on the ensuing extra point to block it with both hands. The early special teams play had a lasting impact, as it forced the Falcons (8-4) to attempt a two-point conversion to tie the game instead of kicking an extra point. Trailing 17-9 in the fourth quarter, the duo of Jake and Ben Maffe marched the Falcons down the field. On third and goal with 28 seconds left, junior Jake Maffe sidestepped the pass rush and fired a strike across his body to junior tight end Mark Birmingham, who secured it in the middle of the end zone for the four-yard touchdown. The Falcons appeared to tie the game on the ensuing two-point play, but that first attempt was nullified due to an illegal shift. On the replayed down, Mingo pressed Birmingham at the line of scrimmage and continued to hand check him as Maffe unfurled a fade toward the back right pylon. From his perch at safety, Chuck Davis had the best view as Mingo batted the ball away to preserve the win. "I know they wanted to get the ball to big Mark," Davis said. That's their number one player. So, I guessed on that play, had to use instinct, and I ran over and helped my buddy out. In the postgame huddle, Griffis told his team they've been in six games that came down to the wire this season, and each time, the Spartans persevered. The loudest cheer came when he reminded the group they have practice next Thursday - Thanksgiving morning. Next week, they'll face a rematch with top-seeded Tuscarora, 42-14 winners over Wakefield, in the 5A North semifinals. "That's something that you look forward to every year," quarterback Brady Reitzel said. Because if you're practicing on Thanksgiving, you should be proud of where you are.