By Phil Murphy
Senior Multimedia/Content Manager, Washington D.C. Metro Area
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Twice in the fourth quarter, the stadium announcer incorrectly identified Lake Braddock junior quarterback Michael Nebrich as senior Thomas Stickford, a defensive back.
But looking at Bruin box scores this season, one could easily mistake Stickford for an offensive player.
He has four interception-return touchdowns in four games this year, six interceptions overall.
Stickford recorded two of those four pick-sixes on a soaked Saturday in Alexandria, as Lake Braddock held off T.C. Williams, 35-26.
The Bruins, as a team, intercepted the Titans five times.
“They were having trouble running the football, then they had to throw,” said Lake Braddock coach Jim Poythress, whose defense yielded nine rushing yards on 24 carries. “The kids stepped it up and tried to make some plays, they were able to do that.
“[Stickford] is the luckiest man in America … I bet that’s a region record already. If you want to throw at him, take your own risks.”
The Bruin offense, meanwhile, known for its pass-happy style, opted for a conservative approach, running trap play after trap play when the rain picked up in the second quarter.
Nebrich and senior running back Osman Mansaray combined for 51 rush attempts, 39 after the first quarter. Nebrich finished with 32 carries for 164 yards and two touchdowns.
He entered with 30 total carries in Lake Braddock’s first three games.
In the first quarter, before the rain started, Nebrich was 5-for-8 passing for 101 yards and a 11-yard touchdown to senior receiver Brandon Johnson. Over the next three quarters, though, he went 5-for-20 passing for 50 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions.
“We weren’t allowed to switch the balls in and out of the game,” sixth-year coach Poythress explained. “We felt like we had a wet ball and we weren’t allowed to switch a ball into the football game.
“The ball was, in our opinion, wet. We had to run the ball more, establish the run and not lob up some water-logged brick.”
T.C. Williams (2-2, 0-1 Patriot) trailed throughout the game, but mounted a comeback thanks to timely completions and, what Poythress described as, Lake Braddock mental miscues.
Electrifying Titan senior Cortez Taylor returned a third-quarter kickoff 69 yards for a touchdown and senior quarterback John Bray and junior Doug Murphy combined to go 20-for-46 passing for 261 yards and three touchdowns.
Poythress said those miscues nearly gave T.C. Williams its second-straight come-from-behind win. Similar mistakes, he told his team post-game, would cost it next week against Robinson (4-0, 1-0 Concorde).
The Bruins (3-1, 1-1 Patriot) have lost their last 10 games against the Rams.
“The one directive in the huddle was ‘Don’t kick it to No. 26.’ And what do they do? Kick it right to No. 26 and he runs it back for a touchdown.
“Good teams have to put people away. We kept letting them play, letting them play, letting them play. I will say, for whatever reason, whenever you came over here over the years, it seems like they stay around. They did it last week with Oakton and beat them at the end. That was my fear today.”
Email: pmurphy@digitalsports.com
Box Score 1 2 3 4 — F
Lake Braddock 15 0 13 7 — 35
T.C. Williams 0 7 6 13 — 26
Scoring Plays
1Q — LB — Nebrich 1 run (Nebrich run) — 6:02
1Q — LB — Johnson 11 from Nebrich (Weiler kick) — 1:16
2Q — TC — Richardson 10 from Bray (Crawley kick) — 1:45
3Q — LB — Nebrich 3 run (kick blocked) — 9:31
3Q — TC — C. Taylor 69 kickoff return (kick blocked) — 9:20
3Q — LB — Stickford 18 interception return (Weiler kick) — 7:27
4Q — LB — Stickford 13 interception return (Weiler kick) — 10:39
4Q — TC — Conteh 18 from Murphy (Crawley kick) — 7:06
4Q — TC — Jenkins 25 from Murphy (kick failed) — 5:14
Passing
LB – Nebrich – 10-for-28, 151 yards, TD, 3 INT. TC – Bray – 15-for-26, 155 yards, TD, 3 INT; Murphy – 5-for-20, 106 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT; Carter – 0-for-1, 0 yards; C. Taylor – 0-for-1, 0 yards.
Rushing
LB – Nebrich – 32 car, 164 yards, 2 TD; Mansaray – 19 car, 69 yards. TC – Jenkins – 1 car, 20 yards; Carter – 14 car, 11 yards; Murphy – 1 car, 4 yards;
Bray – 4 car, -12 yards; C. Taylor – 4 car, -14 yards.
Receiving
LB – Johnson – 3 rec, 88 yards, TD; Banihashemi – 2 rec, 22 yards; Williams – 2 rec, 16 yards; Resetar – 1 rec, 10 yards; Ta. Quigley – 1 rec, 8 yards; Mansaray – 1 rec, 7 yards. TC – Coker – 6 rec, 85 yards; Jenkins – 5 rec, 66 yards, TD; Conteh – 5
rec, 63 yards, TD; Richardson – 3 rec, 25 yards, TD.
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