One step forward

BRADEN RIVER — Raymond Thomas knew an opportunity would present itself one way or another.
It was only a matter of time.

But it wasn’t until the opening drive of the second half, with Braden River up 17-14, that the sophomore running back saw his chance.

Thomas and fellow running back Carlos Crawford combined for 58 yards on the ground with Thomas capping off the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run.

Thomas says he knew if they kept the ground game strong, holes would start to open in the defense.

“It was really tough at first,” Thomas says. “We knew we just had to keep pounding it and do our job.”

In front of a packed Pirates stadium, Thomas rushed for a career-high 156 yards and three touchdowns to lead Braden River to a 44-28 victory over Pinellas Park in the Class 7A-Region 3 quarterfinals Nov. 14.

“That first drive of the second half was really big for our football program,” Braden River coach Curt Bradley says. “We were disappointed going into the half, and then we sort of put things into perspective telling the kids, ‘If you would’ve told us back in August that we’d have a three-point lead in first half of a playoff game, we all would’ve taken it.’”

With the win, Braden River, which was making its first playoff appearance since 2010, earned its first home playoff victory in school history. Several former players, students and longtime fans of the Pirates’ 2010 playoff team were on hand to watch the Pirates embark on their playoff journey.

Facing a wing-T offense for the first time, Braden River watched Pinellas Park take the opening kickoff and march 65 yards for a touchdown.

“The wing-T, you can’t simulate it in practice, and we were caught off guard by how fast they executed their offense,” Bradley says. “But I think once we got our feet underneath of us, we started to play better defense.”

But, rather than getting discouraged, the Pirates made the most of their opportunities. Braden River forced five turnovers — four of which led to touchdowns for the Pirates.

“We prepared,” says defensive back JoJo Louis, who had a pair of interceptions. “We spent all night thinking of what we had to do or how we were going to do it.”

After stalling on its opening possession, Braden River scored on seven of its final 10 possessions.

Thomas scored on runs of 28, 2 and 59 yards. Quarterback Jacob Huesman threw an 11-yard touchdown to Ryan Neuzil for the game’s first touchdown and later connected with Travis Williams for a 20-yard touchdown. Jaylin Austin added a 3-yard touchdown run, and Kyle Thoma hit a 20-yard field goal.

Braden River will seek to extend its unbeaten streak Friday night when the Pirates host Tarpon Springs East Lake, which beat Palmetto in the regional semifinals. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Pirate Stadium.

“I’m happy for these young men and the school and everybody,” Bradley says. “The attendance was great. The fans were great, and our team just came out and fought.

“We knew we were going to be in for a fight, and they rose to the challenge,” Bradley says.