Highland Springs falls in state Class 5 football title game, 13-10

You can’t win them all.

That’s a reality that Stone Bridge High School head football coach Mickey Thompson knows all too well. Facing Highland Springs in the Class 5 State Championship for the fourth time in six years, Thompson and the Bulldogs were looking for their first win in those matchups.

Thanks to an overtime touchdown pass from quarterback Billy Wiles to Jacob Thomas, they were able to accomplish that goal, defeating the Springers 13-10 on Saturday in the title game at Varina High School.

“This was one of those games where it wasn’t good enough just to get here for us,” Thompson said after the win. “We’ve been here so many times before, it’s just internal pressure from me to win. I’m just tired of getting here and not winning.”

After losing to Highland Springs in the championship game in 2015, ’16 and ’18, the Bulldogs finally broke through thanks to strong defensive play and some clutch moments on offense.

The Springers came into Saturday’s matchup with a 9-0 record on the season. They hadn’t been held to fewer than 13 points all year, and only one opponent had scored in double digits during the regular season. But at halftime of this year’s championship game, they trailed Stone Bridge 7-0.

It looked like Stone Bridge had the momentum coming into the third quarter, but after a three-and-out from each team, the Bulldogs missed a field goal that would’ve made it 10-0 in their favor.

The Springers took the ball over at their 20 yard line and drove down the field at a steady pace. Facing second-and-three at the 50-yard line, senior running back Jordan Jackson outraced every Bulldog defender to score the first points of the game for Highland Springs, pumping excitement into the crowd of 1,000 fans at Varina.

Neither team was able to get much offense going after that touchdown until late in the fourth quarter, when Stone Bridge leaned on its running game to drive down the field, putting the Bulldogs in the red zone with a prime opportunity to take the lead and leave little time for Highland Springs to answer.

Junior running back Eli Mason took the ball on three consecutive one-yard runs, ending up at the two-yard line with 2.8 seconds left and the Bulldogs facing fourth down.

Thompson sent the field goal unit back out for another try, this time with the game on the line. A wide left kick kept it tied and sent the undefeated teams into overtime.

“It was pretty tough there at the end,” Thompson said. “If we’re gonna do it we might as well do it a little more exciting than just that score at the end. We might as well go into overtime.”

Overtime rules were similar to those of NCAA football, with the exception being the possessions starting at the 10-yard line instead of the 25. Highland Springs received the ball first, gaining three yards on a first-down run before an incomplete pass on second down.

On third-and-goal from the seven-yard line, Springers quarterback Juwan Dent dropped back to pass, but the Bulldog defensive line got to him in the backfield, bringing him down for a six-yard loss. The Springers settled for a field goal to take a 10-7 lead.

Stone Bridge looked to win the game on the first play of their possession, but senior running back Najee Richards was brough down two yards short of a score. A chop block penalty on third down sent the Bulldogs back to the 16-yard line, making it seem as if the game was destined for two overtimes.

That’s when Wiles stepped up.

Headed to Clemson this fall as a preferred walk-on, Wiles came into Saturday’s championship game completing 80 passes this season for 1,243 yards and 13 touchdowns. The Bulldogs offense that he led was averaging 55 points per game and had not scored fewer than 42 points in any contest this season.

On third-and-16 following the penalty, Wiles dropped back to pass and heaved the ball to wide receiver Jacob Thomas in the left corner of the end zone.

“I told Jacob to run across the end zone the other way,” Wiles said. “They covered well. I think number 5 was inside of him. I looked at him and he kinda knew.”

Thomas brought the ball in as he fell to the ground, securing Stone Bridge’s second state title in program history.

After going 1-8 in state championship games since 2005, the Bulldogs were relieved to finally bring home another trophy.

“We have the one, thank goodness. Now we have two,” Thompson said. “I think it brings a lot more credibility to the ones that we’ve lost. Once you get another one and get another one, then the fact that you’ve been there so many times, the credibility of those teams increases.”

While one sideline was overcome with excitement, the other was left with a more somber atmosphere. But Highland Springs head coach Loren Johnson isn’t going to dwell on the loss for too long.

“It’s not what I wanted,” Johnson said. “But hey, you win some, you lose some. I guarantee we’ll be back though.”

Johnson and Thompson have both had successful careers, but differ when it comes to winning the championship game. Three of Johnson’s four championships as a head coach have come against Thompson’s team. Whereas Thompson knows what it’s like to come so close and be just short of reaching your goal, this was a new feeling for Johnson

“It’s tough right now,” Johnson said. “It’s the first time that we felt this situation when we lost in the state championship, so that’s a little bit different. But I’m excited about what our football program has done.

“Definitely not happy with the result, but I’m very thankful for our program to be in this situation and to see it from a different perspective.”
The veteran head coach is using this loss as a learning opportunity for his athletes, and while there are lessons to take from Saturday’s game, it’s not necessarily something they want to keep in the front of their mind as motivation for next season.

“We don’t need any bulletin board material,” Johnson said. “We know what we’ve gotta do to get back to this point. It doesn’t feel good right now, but we’ll be back. I guarantee that.”

In the immediate future however, Johnson plans on taking some time away, spending time with his family, and being able to come back refreshed and focused to lead his team next season.

“I got some yard work I gotta do. I’m just being real with you man,” Johnson said. “And I’m gonna enjoy doing those things, but that gives me an opportunity to get away from it a little bit. Then I can come back sharp for these guys and help these guys get back to where they wanna go and do the things they wanna do.”

While their coach is ready for a vacation, the Highland Springs players are ready to get to work on the fall season.
When asked if they were looking forward to the quick turnaround between seasons, they all responded with a resounding “Yes.”