Duncan also knew what to do as soon as Evans-Trujillo met him in the end zone; the pair had rehearsed a special touchdown celebration before their 55-14 victory in Woodbridge began. Duncan dropped to one knee and gifted the ball to his senior quarterback as penalty flags littered the ground.

“I knew what would come with that, but I was okay with taking that [flag] for my guy because he deserved it,” Duncan said.

Evans-Trujillo’s touchdown pass, his second in Freedom’s dominant win over Madison (12-2), set a career passing touchdown mark for Virginia. Evans-Trujillo is up to 120 career touchdowns, surpassing Phillip Sims’s state record of 119 set in 2008 at Oscar Smith.

Evans-Trujillo can grow his total next week when the Eagles (13-0) face off against Highland Springs (13-1) in the Class 6 final Saturday at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.

“When I first came here, of course I knew we had playmakers and everything, so it was always a possibility,” Evans-Trujillo said of breaking the record. “I just wanted to come to this program and install this winning culture.”

Practice makes perfect for Freedom football, which hasn’t lost since 2021

Freedom Coach Darryl Overton said he recognized early in Evans-Trujillo’s tenure that he would have the chance to put up big numbers. Overton saw it in him each time he ran onto the field before any of his teammates for practice as an underclassman.

Evans-Trujillo has grown to become Freedom’s dependable signal caller — a leader respected by teammates who have reaped the benefits of his play.

“Having a teammate break records around here in Prince William County, not too many quarterbacks are going to do that,” junior running back Jeff Overton Jr. said. “I just feel good being a part of that.”

Players such as Overton, who scored four first-half touchdowns in the lopsided win over the Warhawks, are often rightfully thrust into the spotlight as the Eagles — No. 2 in The Washington Post’s Top 20 — emerged as a must-see team amid their 28-game winning streak.

But Saturday afternoon, it was Evans-Trujillo’s time to shine. After racing back to the sideline and embracing his coach, he was mobbed by teammates. He leaped onto the team’s bench and raised his arms, soaking in the adoration from Freedom’s cheering fans.

Lake Braddock falls in semifinal

Lake Braddock’s season ended against defending state champion Highland Springs on Saturday at the Richmond-area school. The Bruins fell, 35-10, to the Springers, who moved up to Class 6 from Class 5 this season.

The loss ended an 11-3 campaign for Coach Mike Dougherty’s team, which captured the fourth region championship in program history with a 39-20 win over Fairfax last weekend. This was the Bruins’ first state semifinal appearance since 2010.