Nebrich Ends his High School Career, Moves on to UConn

Michael Nebrich, Lake Braddock's prized quarterback and a University of Connecticut recruit, saw his high school career come to an end Saturday afternoon when his Bruins lost 35 - 27 in the state semifinal to Haymarket's Battlefield High School.

The teams were competing for a spot in the state's highest-level championship game, which will be held next weekend at the University of Virginia's football stadium.

Nebrich accounted for almost all of the Lake Braddock offense, throwing for 344 yards and three touchdowns and running for 83 yards on 15 carries, but he also threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown and was stripped of the ball in his own end zone, resulting in another score. If that wasn't enough, he fumbled while scrambling midway through the third quarter during a drive that could have tied the game at 21 apiece.

The signal-caller, who wears No. 12 and had shaved his hair into a mohawk for the playoffs, will graduate early and arrive on the University of Connecticut campus sometime in mid-January. And he'll arrive feeling as if he left some business unfinished in high school.

"My goal this year was the state title, and I didn't get it," he said as the lights illuminated the Lake Braddock field. "It's tough. You're a senior. You've played four years on this field. And then you've got to go out like this."

Some say great athletes play right on the edge of recklessness, and Nebrich seems to tiptoe that line with the best of them. When he stays under control and free from pressure, he can have games like last week's regional championship, when he ran for almost 100 yards and four touchdowns while throwing two others in a 15-for-16 passing day. But when he tries to make too much happen -- holding onto the ball under pressure or scrambling into the teeth of the defense -- he can have games like he did on Saturday.

So if Nebrich takes the helm of Connecticut coach Randy Edsall's offense next fall, fans should be prepared for some edge-of-their-seats spectating. There should be plenty of daring scrambles and 50-yard heaves, but there may be some interceptions and lost fumbles, too.

Nebrich was one of the most exciting football players in the history of Virginia high school football, setting the state record for total yards in a season in 2010 with 5,002, but the Battlefield defense pressured him all game, piling up at least eight sacks plus multiple other hits. The lack of a running game from Lake Braddock didn't ease the pressure. Nebrich accounted for 427 of the team's 433 yards from scrimmage, but he shouldn't have to worry about running the show next year alone as a Husky if junior running back Jordan Todman, who rushed for over 1,500 yards this year, returns for his senior season.

Nebrich will not only leave a hole in the Bruins' offensive attack, but the team will also miss his attitude and confidence.

"He's a great kid. But he's going to go on now and do bigger and better things," Lake Braddock coach Jim Poythress said. "I wish him the best. I hope he has a great, successful college career. …  He's still the best player I've ever coached. And it was a joy to coach him every day."

Battlefield had a five-minute touchdown drive in the fourth quarter that made it 35 - 20 with 2:55 to play, but Nebrich and Lake Braddock's offense didn't roll over. With the help of a pass interference penalty on 4th-and-2 from the Bobcats' 41, Nebrich marched the Bruins' offense on an eight-play, 53-second drive that resulted in a 23-yard touchdown to Penn State-bound wide receiver Matt Zanellato. The ensuing onside kick was recovered by Battlefield, but had the ball taken a crazy bounce and Lake Braddock recovered, the Bruins, in spite of an imperfect game by their star, would have been in position to tie the score.

It seems with Nebrich at the controls, you're never out of a game.

"He's been a great athlete since he was real young. He played baseball, he played little league football, and just slowly built into the athlete his is today, so we're real proud of him," Mark Nebrich said of his son. "He [always] had that heart of a champion."

Will he miss seeing Michael every day?

"Oh goodness gracious, are you kidding me? We're going to miss him a lot. How could you not miss Michael?,"  Mark Nebrich said. "He always has a good attitude. He's always an optimistic person. I think we'll miss just sitting down and talking football."

As Saturday afternoon turned into evening, Michael Nebrich's thoughts moved from what happened in his final high school game to what the future holds.

"It's going to be fun to start the college life early and get a chance to compete in spring training," He said. "We'll see what happens with that." 

This story was originally published on in Connecticut.