After losing to the Madison Warhawks on Monday, the Stone Bridge Bulldogs looked to bounce back when they visited the Langley Saxons on Friday, October, 23, 2009. The Saxons had won three straight games and were hoping to keep their winning streak alive.
After Langley was forced to punt on their first possession, Stone Bridge gave the ball back after Stone Bridge quarterback Kyle Gouveia fumbled the ball at the Bulldog 44-yard line. After getting a first down, Saxon quarterback Braden Anderson threw a touchdown pass to tight end Joey Kiffe to give the Saxons the lead. Kicker Farhan Khan kicked the point after to put Langley up 7-0.
On the Bulldog’s next drive they decided to stick with running plays, and began a 12-play march down the field. Stone Bridge running back Marcus Harris got most of the carries on the 75-yard drive. Stone Bridge had a 1st and goal but an illegal procedure penalty hindered the Bulldogs, and they could only manage a 22-yard field goal by Spenser Rositano.
Later in the 2nd quarter, Stone Bridge’s defense helped them take the lead, as cornerback Dexter Rogers intercepted a pass from Anderson and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown. Rositano kicked the extra point to give the Bulldogs a 10-7 advantage.
With halftime nearing, the Bulldogs moved the ball into Langley territory, but turned the ball over on downs with 25 seconds left in the half. Langley didn’t take a knee, but attempted to score. Anderson threw a 45-yard pass, and then took a time out with 17 seconds remaining. After an 11-yard throw to Kiffe, the Saxons attempted a field goal with 11 seconds left. Khan’s kick was short and Stone Bridge went in to half time leading a 10-7.
Stone Bridge started the 2nd half with the ball, and Harris continued to lead the offense. The Bulldogs moved the ball to the Langley 35, but a fumble gave the Saxons the ball at their own 40-yard line. Four plays later the Saxons scored on a 40-yard run by running back Abe Yi. Half-way through the 3rd quarter, Langley was up by a score of 14-10.
Stone Bridge responded with a long, 12-play drive where once again, Harris had the majority of the carries. He scored what ended up being the game winning touchdown for the Bulldogs on a two-yard run. Rositano made the point after, and Stone Bridge was up by a score of 17-14.
With just less than four and a half minutes left in the game, the Saxons had the ball on their own 8-yard line. Anderson completed a 20-yard, and then a 23-yard pass to bring the Saxons into the Stone Bridge territory. They were also helped by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against the Bulldogs. However, the Stone Bridge defense was able to stop Langley from scoring, and sacked Anderson twice.
Stone Bridge took over the ball with 1:46 remaining, and most thought the game was all but over. However the Bulldogs could only gain three yards, and were unable to get a 1st down. Langley used their timeouts to prevent Stone Bridge from running out the clock, and the Bulldogs were forced to punt the ball back to the Saxons. The punt went to the Langley 31-yard line with 48 seconds remaining on the clock. Anderson completed a series of 10-yard passes to get the Saxons to the Stone Bridge 23-yard line. On a 4th and 1, Langley brought their field goal unit on the field to attempt a 40-yard kick that would have tied the game and sent it into overtime. However Rositano came to the rescue again, and blocked the kick, just as he had in the Bulldogs’ first game of the season against Westfield.
With five seconds left in the game, Gouveia took a knee, and the Bulldogs were able to hold off the Saxons as they tried to come back and win.
After beating Langley, Stone Bridge’s record is 7-1 and 4-1 in the Liberty District. Next Friday, October 30, the Bulldogs will travel to McLean for another district game against the Highlanders, who are 5-3, (3-2).
With Friday’s loss to Stone Bridge, Langley’s record falls to 3-5, (2-3). Next week the Saxons will visit the South Lakes Seahawks, who are 5-3, (4-1).
