Thomas spearheads Brookville past Byrd

Logan Thomas may have outdone himself Friday night.

The quarterback, widely considered the best senior college prospect in Virginia, accounted for five touchdowns, including two in the decisive third quarter of Brookville’s 49-34 win over William Byrd.

The Terriers, who trailed by three touchdowns at halftime, cut the Bees lead to seven with 3:34 left in the third. But Thomas, a 6-foot-6 playmaker with scholarship offers from every college imaginable, led Brookville on two quick-strike touchdown drives to put the game away.

He hooked up with wide receiver Chad Mason for a 77-yard touchdown pass with 2:18 left in the third, and zig-zagged his way to a 66-yard touchdown run two minutes later

“That’s what you expect him to do. He’s a ballplayer, and we put the ball in his hands and expect things like that to happen,” Brookville coach Jeff Woody said. “He’s an unbelievable athlete. We’re glad he’s on our side.”

Thomas accounted for 337 total yards of offense (206 passing, 131 rushing). He passed for four touchdowns and ran for another.

“I wasn’t surprised by anything he did. You expect that from him … the way he’s rated across the country,” Terriers coach Jeff Highfill said. “He’s unbelievable, but he’s not the only weapon. … If you put 10 men on him, they’ve got some other people who will kill you.”

Brookville (5-0), the No. 1-ranked Group AA team in the Associated Press poll, allowed 329 rushing yards — 278 by Terriers quarterback Derrick Palmer — but came up with critical defensive stops in both the second and fourth quarters.

Bees linebacker Ben Simmons smothered William Byrd’s Tyler Snow on a quick kick attempt with 3:30 left in the first half. He swatted the kick, causing a fumble, and defensive back Alec Thompson recovered at the Terriers’ 30.

It took one play — a 30-yard Stacey Houston run — for the Bees to get in the end zone for a 28-14 lead.

In the fourth quarter, with Byrd (2-2) trailing by 15, Brookville’s Corby Weiss recovered another Terriers’ fumble at the Bees’ 13. Brookville ran out the clock to seal the win.

“What they do is difficult to stop. It was bend but don’t break, and we were able to cause a turnover at the end of the ballgame that kind of solidified the game,” Woody said.

The Bees’ line opened up huge holes for Houston in the first half. He rushed for 128 yards and two touchdowns on 16 first-half carries. William Byrd changed things up after halftime and did a better job of corralling Houston.

They held him to 24 after the break, leaving it up to Thomas to march the Bees down the field.

“I asked coach Woody to let me carry the ball, to just put it on my back and give me a chance to go out here and score some points and win this game,” Thomas said. “And he let me do it.”

Brookville’s first two drives of the second half resulted in punts, and the Bees had a third-and-14 from their own 24 on their third possession.

Thomas rolled to his left, saw Mason running down the left sideline with a big gap between him and the defensive back, and hit him in stride for a 77-yard scoring strike.

“It was probably more than a perfect pass. I didn’t slow down. I just went regular stride and got under it and caught it,” Mason said.

The Bees’ defense held the Terriers without a first down on their ensuing drive. Then Thomas struck again.

He faked a handoff to Houston, ran to his right and then cut all the way across the field. A stiff arm and a couple of stutter steps freed him from the grasp of William Byrd’s defenders, and he darted down the left sideline for a 66-yard run.

“I just saw it open on the right side. I was actually supposed to hand it off to Stacey, and I just saw it open on the right side, so I took it,” Thomas said. “I took my chance, and I ended up getting lucky. That’s all it is.”