Focused on the Finish

BRADEN RIVER — Every spring game is virtually the same.

There are no live kickoffs at the beginning of each half or following a scoring drive.

Punters don’t face the anxiety of a calculated pass rush.

And the second string and junior varsity team players typically see at least a full quarter of action.

But although the spring game rules remain the same, each team’s mindset and approach to the game varies from year to year.

For Braden River, the past three weeks have been all about improving and becoming fundamentally sound.

“When you have 16, 17, 18 practices in the spring, you work on the basics,” coach Curt Bradley says. “We’ve got some new guys that we have to develop, and we just want to continue to move this program in the right direction. Progress is what we’re looking for.”

Across the field, Cardinal Mooney coach Josh Smithers simply wanted to see his players show effort for four quarters. The Cougars knew they were going to be outmatched upfront on both sides of the ball, but spring is all about learning and finding a team’s weaknesses well before the regular season begins.

“You know that with spring you aren’t really preparing for a game,” Smithers says. “We spent most of the time learning how to line up. I would’ve like to see a little better execution, but that’s what spring’s for. We’ll go back and evaluate it and we’ll try to get better.”

Both teams showed good effort while at the same time proving there’s still plenty of room for improvement.
Braden River quarterback Jacob Huesman, who will assume the starting role this season after serving as a backup last year, connected with Travis Williams for a 31-yard touchdown with 6 minutes, 17 seconds remaining in the second quarter. The two also connected for the 2-point conversion. The touchdown proved to be the lone score of the night, as Braden River held on to beat Cardinal Mooney 8-0 during its spring game May 22.

Braden River and Cardinal Mooney both had several opportunities to get on the scoreboard, but fumbles and dropped interceptions hindered the teams’ performances.

“We did not finish drives,” Bradley says. “A couple turnovers we had hurt us there. Whether it be the last rep in the weight room or the last sprint in summer conditioning, we’ve got to finish so that we have that mentality that close enough isn’t there. We have to get over that hump and finish it off.”

“I would’ve liked to have seen a little better execution,” says Smithers, whose team recovered three fumbles. “Our execution at times wasn’t real strong.”

With exactly three months between last Thursday’s spring game and the fall kickoff classic, Braden River will spend the summer improving to build off last season’s 5-4 record. Meanwhile, the district champion Cougars will spend the majority of their time in the weight room adding size and strength to their offensive and defensive lines.

Braden River will travel to Poinciana High Aug. 22 for its kickoff classic, before opening the regular season Aug. 29, at North Fort Myers. Cardinal Mooney will host Bradenton Christian Aug. 22 in its kickoff classic before traveling to LaBelle for the season opener Aug. 29.

“I told them, ‘How good can we get?’” Bradley says. “‘How much better can you get as an individual? How much better can you get as a team? In these next 90 days, how much can we progress and improve this football program? That’s the goal.’”

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].