- May 8, 2024
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For the eighth-straight time, Braden River High football (2-0) took down rival Lakewood Ranch High (0-3), this time by a 41-23 margin at home Sept. 8 in a game the Pirates controlled from the jump.
Yet Pirates Head Coach Curt Bradley was not happy with his team.
"I'm still waiting for this team to play a four-quarter game," Bradley said. "Too often there was a lack of focus tonight."
When looking at the Pirates' schedule, Bradley's concerns are given context. Braden River will hit the road for four weeks, next facing Manatee (2-0) and following it with games against Booker (2-1), Port Charlotte (2-1) and Parrish Community (2-1). The stretch will go a long way in determining how the Pirates' season goes.
Through two games, Braden River High has at times looked like a team that can handle that stretch. The Pirates had a 34-7 lead on Gainesville High in the fourth quarter in the first week — but let the Hurricanes score two late touchdowns to make the game appear closer than it was. Against Lakewood Ranch, it was a similar story as the Pirates led 27-6 in the second quarter, but instead of extending that lead, Braden River allowed the Mustangs to launch a comeback. Lakewood Ranch had the ball down 34-23 with 8:22 left in the game and threatened to get within one possession, but the Mustangs turned the ball over on downs.
A two-yard touchdown run from junior Marcus Galloway on the ensuing possession sealed the game for Braden River, but Bradley knows that type of effort is not good enough, going as far as putting his starters on notice that changes will come if lax efforts continue.
"At the end of the day, we have to find the right guys to get on the field," Bradley said. "Football is a physical sport. We found out some things about some guys today. We have to get back to the drawing board and make sure we're ready to go.
"It's not complementary for us right now. If we score, we then give up a touchdown. If we get a stop, we're then not scoring. And we need to be complementary, on offense, defense and special teams."
The Pirates were coming off a bye. Braden River was supposed to play Palmetto High (2-1) on the road last week, but effects from Hurricane Idalia caused damage to Palmetto's new turf field and forced a postponement. That game has yet to be rescheduled as of Sept. 9.
Last season, the Pirates also had a week off because of Hurricane Ian, and Bradley was not happy with how his team returned from that break. Did the week off this year cause some the team's mental lapses against Lakewood Ranch? Bradley said he didn't think so. This season, it's more an inexperienced team learning how to play for a whole game.
Despite Bradley's concerns, there are reasons for Pirates fans to have optimism entering the difficult four-game stretch, starting with junior receiver/running back Yahshua Edwards, who had three rushing touchdowns, one receiving touchdown and 159 total yards against the Mustangs. Junior Marcus Galloway also found success on the ground, running for 130 yards and a touchdown. The Pirates defense proved itself to be aggressive and turnover-hungry. Braden River forced four Lakewood Ranch turnovers, one coming on a fumbled kickoff return and three coming on interceptions. Junior defensive back Zion Newell returned one of the interceptions for a pick six.
From a Lakewood Ranch perspective, Head Coach Scott Paravicini said his team made progress despite the loss. Turnovers aside, his offense moved the ball better than in last week's 41-6 loss against Cardinal Mooney High.
After a slow start, Mejia started to find a rhythm through the air. He finished 19-of-34 for 186 yards and threw a touchdown to sophomore tight end Cooper Orzel. When the passing game started connecting, it opened things on the ground. Senior running back Simon Freed had 93 yards rushing and a touchdown. It was an improvement from a week prior, when the Mustangs mustered six points and 76 passing yards against Cardinal Mooney High.
Paravicini also acknowledged that there is still a gap between where the team is and where it wants to be. The team has shown a tendency to fall behind early in games, making everything an uphill climb and limiting the plays the team can call on offense. Now that the team has found some things that work, Paravicini said, the next step is getting them to work early and establishing a lead.
"We continue to fight and continue to work hard," Paravicini said. "I keep telling them, we're a puzzle. We're trying to put the pieces together. We put a couple more pieces on the puzzle tonight, but we have a long way to go."
