Coming off a 13-10 victory against Battlefield High School, the Bruins will take on the Westfield Bulldogs, in hopes to return to the 6A Northern Region Final for the first time since 2010.

The matchup bodes to be a tough one for the Bruins. Westfield enters the game with an 11-1 record, with their only loss handed out by South County, a game which the Bulldogs lost 26-19 in the third week of the season. Since that week three loss, the Bulldogs have held their opponents to an average of nearly 10 points per game, while scoring an average of 29 points per game. Westfield will put their streak of five straight trips to the 6A North final game on the line, and try to make it six straight years in a row.

“I think Westfield is a great team,” junior Lamont Atkins said, “they have one of the best defenses in the state. We have our work cut out for us.”

The Bruins, also 11-1 with their lone loss to South County, 30-33 in overtime of the final game of the regular season, comes into the game with a dominant rushing attack, led by Atkins and junior Ibrahim Mansaray. The tandem has combined for over 2,000 yards and 30 touchdowns, both rushing and receiving. With two powerful running backs, it takes most of the  pressure off of senior quarterback Kyle Edwards, by not relying on the pass so heavily to put up points.

“[We have to] control the line of scrimmage,” Edwards said. “Every game is decided there, and it’s going to be a battle of two titans going at it all afternoon.”

Despite successful regular seasons in the past 2 years, the Bruins have struggled to win in the postseason. In the past two seasons, LB has had their championship dreams ended by Westfield, losing to the Bulldogs in the regional semifinal both times. In 2013, led by former quarterback Caleb Henderson, the Bruins’ undefeated record was ended after a blocked field goal was returned 92 yards for a touchdown, prompting a Bulldog comeback for the win and shocking the home LB crowd. In 2014, Westfield again took on the Bruins, this time at Westfield. Westfield dominated the game, scoring 21 points in the first quarter and going on to win 42-20 over LB.

The key matchup of the game will be the strong Bulldog defense against the Bruins’ balanced offensive attack. If the Bruins can outlast a strong defense, the game will be theirs for the taking.

“The biggest challenge we’ll face is that they have a little more size than us,” Mansaray said
Kickoff is set for 1:30 on Saturday, November 28th. The game will be played at Lake Braddock.