Talented junior pivots to starring role for Braden River High's football team

Two-way players are by no means an uncommon sight on the high school football field.

Smaller rosters and an emphasis on talent make it so that a player's development is rarely constrained to one position. Some coaches have even come to expect such versatility.

Defensive end and running back, though, are wildly different roles. That fact doesn't limit the imagination of Braden River football.

“We’re a collective a lot of times on our staff,” Head Coach Jason Grain said. “Our defensive line coach and our offensive line coach said, ‘Hey, this guy is different.’”

They watched David Louis and dreamed. His athletic ability and ball skills stood out early in the team’s preparation for this fall, distinguishing the junior from his teammates.

With the Sept. 5 rivalry game against Lakewood Ranch now on its radar, Braden River has benefitted from two weeks of Louis operating out of the backfield and at defensive end. He's not just another option for the offense as it searches for ways to gain yardage.

He is the featured back.

"I've always had a positive attitude (about it)," Louis said. "It was more like a natural transition to me because I don't really feel any different between d-line and running back."

Louis stormed out of the gates in Week 1, racking up 124 rushing yards — 7.8 per carry — to power a 27-24 win over Cypress Creek. Things turned sour for Braden River Aug. 29 in its 27-7 loss to Sarasota, but it was Louis who scored the only touchdown by shedding several tacklers during a 51-yard, catch-and-run.

At 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds, Louis’ build is more comparable with that of a collegiate running back than one at the high school level. But how could it be otherwise? He spent all of last season on the defensive line, worrying about stopping running backs well before becoming one himself.

Months upon months of conditioning were necessary to physically prepare for a demanding, new role. The genesis for such a transition stems from the impression he made away from the field.

“David’s a very talented athlete,” Grain said. “He was great in the weight room in the offseason. He puts up great numbers.”

Braden River’s second-year head coach — a former USC offensive lineman — has been impressed with Louis in both his seasons. Leading up to this fall, he dubbed the junior an “athletic freak.”

Louis wasn’t a potent force from the get-go as a sophomore. His emergence, rather, came at the close of the season, when the defensive end tallied one sack along with a pair of tackles across two games of action. 

Photo by Jack Nelson

Those flashes — combined with a strong body of work during the offseason — assembled enough evidence for Grain and his fellow coaches to place their trust in him as the leader of the Pirates’ rushing attack.

“What he does is he gives us a power running game (and) allows us to have better looks in the passing game,” Grain said. “In a perfect world, he would be able to help us close games out and just get the tough yards when we need it.”

Louis is not the only new impact player in the Braden River backfield.

Junior Louisen Desinor transferred to Braden River from Southeast High this past spring as a quarterback. He's the new game manager and Louis is his right-hand man.

However, the pressure is there for both to perform. That comes with the territory.

The two playmakers are taking the journey together. Listening and reacting is paramount in building the kind of chemistry that can fuel the fire of this Pirates offense as Grain works to rebuild the program.

"It's him just telling me what to do so I don't really mess up as much," Louis said of Desinor. "So I don't make as many mistakes during games."

When Desinor isn't dropping back in the pocket and going through his reads, he's often handing the ball to Louis. But it is apparent the two juniors will be connecting through the air, too.

Desinor knows if he gets the ball to Louis in the open, such as his 51-yard touchdown, Louis can impose his will on the opposition.

Rarely are one or two defenders enough to stop him. He barrels through the line of scrimmage and fights for every inch. In the open field, he can out-muscle defensive backs.

That high motor is powered by a season-long commitment he's made to his teammates.

"Not letting my teammates down," Louis said. "Just give the best I got out there."

A grueling season lies ahead. Now active on both sides of the ball, Louis won't have many moments to stop to catch his breath.

Braden River's coaches are confident he is up to the task.

It takes a unique person to embrace playing on both sides of the ball. They know they have one in Louis.