The junior running back has helped drive the Bulldogs forward this season
Watch Joshua Breece lead his team to victory over Potomac Falls during the regular season. (Video by Josh Apple for Synthesis/Koubaroulis LLC / The Washington Post)
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November 25, 2015, 12:00 p.m. — It has been an up-and-down year for the injury-plagued, perennial Loudoun County power Stone Bridge, but one player has been a steady rock propelling them forward.
Junior running back and first-year starter Joshua Breece has had a breakout season for the Bulldogs (8-4), a team known to run the ball early and often. As the featured back, he has amassed 1,466 yards rushing with an average of 122 yards per contest.
“My confidence has risen, and that goes to being trusted and having such an amazing offensive line,” Breece said, “and with my confidence I take risks, and just try to play to my best ability every Friday night.”
His big season has included a 289-yard outburst against West Springfield on Oct. 1 and a 201-yard performance against Potomac Falls on Oct. 30.
The 5-foot-6, 150-pound back is also a dangerous big-play threat, as he broke free on a 77-yard touchdown against the stout Westfield defense, had a 66-yard score against conference-foe Potomac Falls, and a 62-yard scamper in the opening round of the playoffs against Orange County.
“I’m a good runner out in space,” Breece said, “I can make people miss, and my leverage, I’m shorter stature but I’m really good at using my leverage to break tackles.”
Through eight games, the Bulldogs out of Ashburn, Va. were just 4-4, having not won back-to-back games all season. They were missing their starting quarterback and Charlotte recruit, Joe Thompson, for a large portion of the season, which made the Bulldogs famous single-wing offensive scheme more predictable.
Now with a healthy quarterback and an emerging star in the backfield in Breece, to go alongside seniors Chase Ridley and Dewayne Winston, Coach Mickey Thompson and the Bulldogs are off and running. They are riding a four-game winning streak, including two consecutive playoff wins.
The Bulldogs knocked off cross-town rival Broad Run over the weekend, setting up a meeting with Massaponax (12-0) Friday night in Spotsylvania, Va.
Joe Thompson, the son of the Bulldogs head coach, says the play of Breece will be critical going forward due to his ability to pick up chunks of yards after contact.
“He’s added the ability to break off big plays once he gets past the first level because of his speed,” Thompson said.
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Breece is certainly a focal point of the offense, but his journey into the Bulldogs backfield is not the typical story.
Through the eighth grade, he was living and going to school in Alexandria, Va. with his mother and sister. Wanting to find the right fit academically and athletically, the family relocated to Ashburn for Breece to attend Stone Bridge.
“We wanted to be a part of a program that recognizes talent and has a good coaching staff,” Breece said. “We did our research on Coach Thompson and he’s the best there is.”
After playing freshman football for the Bulldogs, the family relocated again due to his mother’s obligations to the military. They spent the next year in Chesapeake, Va., where Breece dressed on varsity for Grassfield High School, but saw little action.
Breece and his family then returned to Ashburn prior to this season, and he has found a home on a team that is all about ground-and-pound.
“It definitely makes me feel more secure about playing time and being effective playing for this type of team, I just want to do my job,” Breece said.
Entering the season, the young back set his sights on averaging 50 yards per game, a mark he has more than doubled.
Winston, another key contributor as a wing back, believes Breece has been a huge addition to the Bulldogs attack this season.
“He’s added a sense of stability to the offense,” Winston said, “when things aren’t going right you can depend on him to get the job done. What impresses me most about him is his explosiveness for his size.”
Despite the numbers and the talent, Breece’s smaller frame has scared away any potential college suitors. But, some of the schools high on his early list are Florida A&M, Hampton, ODU and VCU.
In order to prepare for the next level, Breece understands there is work to be done, both in the weight room and on the football field.
“I need to put on some more weight and get a little faster, work on my footwork, and my ability to read holes and trust the holes,” Breece said.
The junior running back also competes in track, but hopes to start visiting schools in the spring when he has breaks from track competition, and is look forward to showing coaches there is more than meets the eye.
“What separates me from other people is my heart,” Breece said, “because I bring a lot with such a small body, that it’s kind of surprising for me to play and do what I do.”
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