Happy Friday! If it's Friday that means it's gameday...and if it's gameday that means it's time for the Breakdown. We'll do things a bit differently on the blog today, spreading our love to all the playoff games and not just our Game of the Week. Loudoun County - Broad Run will get a little extra attention, and then we'll give you keys for other games.

Here we go.

BREAKDOWN: LOUDOUN COUNTY AT No. 16 BROAD RUN

Broad Run's T.J. Peeler has rushed for 662 yards and 10 touchdowns in the past four games. (Photo by Preston Keres, The Washington Post)

Broad Run Offense vs. Loudoun County Defense
The Raiders have Chase Williams in the middle of the field but with T.J. Peeler, Breon Earl, Adrian Flemming and Chris Jessop, the Spartans just have too many weapons to be contained offensively. - MB
Advantage: Spartans

Loudoun County Offense vs. Broad Run Defense
Loudoun County has been running the ball effectively, but Broad Run boasts the top defense in the district -- led by LB Kenny McAdow -- and will likely crowd the box to stop Andrew Walczak. Joe Bushrod must hit his targets when they bring eight and nine men, but they'll be covered by All-District DBs Chris Jessop and Breon Earl. - PT
Advantage: Spartans

Three Keys for the Spartans
Don't Get Cute: You've been perfect so far with a combination of suffocating defense and exploitative offense. Just keep doing what you've been doing and you'll advance.
Make the Raiders Stop the Run: Hand the ball to T.J. Peeler and Breon Earl and force County to put more men in the box to stop your dynamic backs. Once they're all packed in around the line of scrimmage, pick apart their single coverage downfield.
Force Bushrod to Beat You: County has had recent success on the ground but you are the best run defense in the league. Plug up those holes and make the quarterback beat you with his arm. - MB

Loudoun County's Joe Bushrod must be sharp tonight if the Raiders hope to pull of the upset. (Photo by Preston Keres, The Washington Post)

Three Keys for the Raiders
Establish the Run- We've already beaten this to death, but Loudoun County must continue to run the ball and run it effectively. Andrew Walczak is a bruising runner and if he can keep the Spartans offense off the field that would be critical.
Make them Pay- When the Spartans crowd the box to stop the run, and they will, QB Joe Bushrod must hit his open receivers to make Broad Run pay. Chase Williams and Mike Ayoub can get open and they did against Heritage, Bushrod must find them to keep the Spartans honest.
Win the Turnover Battle- Causing four fumbles and recovering three was critical in the Raiders win over Heritage. Against the powerful Spartans, this is one category Loudoun County cannot afford to lose. - PT

OTHER GAMES

BRIAR WOODS AT MONTICELLO

Three Keys for the Falcons
Pound the Football on the football: That whole spread offense craze was cute, but you're a smashmouth, running team. Hand the ball to Taliaferro, Eisenman and McDonald and make Monticello stop you in the trenches where you're big bodies up front give you the advantage.
Stay Home Defensively: Monticello has a very balanced attack with QB Michael Graham and two good running backs. You're defensive front needs to create pressure on the running game and the quarterback without committing extra bodies to the line of scrimmage. If you leave receivers in single coverage, Graham will pick your DBs apart.
Don't Make Mistakes: The Mustangs are the more experienced team. They've been here before and they're playing in front of their home crowd. You can't afford to give them more possessions, especially early on, if you want to have a chance to win this game on the ground.

Briar Woods' Ray Taliaferro was named the Division 3 Dulles District Player of the Year. (Photo by Ricky Carioti, The Washington Post)

Three Keys for the Mustangs
Rely on Your Experience: The Falcons are in the second playoff game ever with a freshman QB while you made the state final last year. You're at home where you haven't lost this season, so play your game and make the lower seed beat you.
Stack the Box: Briar Woods will run the football all game long if you let them. Bring extra bodies up to the line of scrimmage to force their inexperienced QB to beat you downfield.
Keep the Falcons Guessing: On offense, mix up your play calling with inside runs and a variety of passing plays to keep Briar Woods off balance. They know how to stop the run but when they've faced teams with strong passing attacks - Potomac Falls and Broad Run - their defense has faltered.

JAMES WOOD AT POTOMAC FALLS

Three Keys for the Panthers
Establish the Running Game Early: Michael Baker is one of the top backs in the area this season, so hand him the ball and let him be the workhorse that he has for you all season before opening up the passing game.
Stop the Colonels Rushing Attack: James Wood will be trying to do the same thing with Brock Lockhart. Play aggressive, yet disciplined defense at the line of scrimmage and make the them take chances throwing the ball.
Turn it into a Shootout: This offense averages 35+ points a game and is most successfull when they're in a high-scoring battle. Put points on the board early, get the home crowd into it and make James Wood keep pace.

The Panthers' Michael Baker will look to lead the Panthers to a win in the program's first postseason appearance. (Photo by Richard A. Lipski, The Washington Post)

Three Keys for the Colonels
Stop Michael Baker: The senior back is the engine that makes the offense go. If you can limit his yardage - like Broad Run was able to do - the Panthers become one-dimensional and will be forced to take chances in the air.
Stay in the Game Early: The Panthers would love to return a pick-six or break a long scoring play in the opening moments to get their crowd going and force you out of your game. Weather the storm early on and try to put together a long scoring drive to get your team in rhythm for the long haul.
Keep the game in the 20s: Potomac Falls thrives in back-and-forth shootouts. Use your running game to control the clock and limit their offensive possessions. If the game is close in the second half, you'll have a great shot to pull the upset.

MOUNT VERNON AT No. 2 STONE BRIDGE

Three Keys for the Majors
Protect the Football- Against the Bulldogs, the one thing you can do to throw away any whiff of an upset is to turn the ball over and give Stone Bridge extra possessions. Mount Vernon must play smart and prevent turnovers.
Out-Want the Bulldogs- Stone Bridge has been here before, if they win tonight it'll be a seventh consecutive trip to a regional championship, and Mount Vernon hasn't seen this type of success since Thomas Clayton was on campus. If the Majors come out fast and play with more energy, they might be able to hang around.
Keep it Close- I think this has been a key for every team that has played Stone Bridge. The longer you stay in the game, the more pressure mounts on Stone Bridge and the more momentum swings to your sideline.

Michael Prince will be a big part of the Bulldogs offense tonight against the Majors. (Photo by Joel Richardson For The Washington Post)

Three Keys for the Bulldogs
Stay Healthy- This is probably the most important thing for a Stone Bridge team that has been haunted by injury all season. They need guys healthy if they want to keep winning in the postseason.
Get it to your Playmakers- With Patrick Thompson still coming back from injury, the Bulldogs should continue to get the ball to Michael Prince and Daniel Allen to guide them past the Majors.
Play Like It's Your Last Game- Nothing's guaranteed from here on out, and unlike last year, this will mark your last home game this season. Give the Bulldogs faithful a show.