Pirates quarterback forces opponents to shiver their timbers

Bryan Gagg was gone.

In his first real football game, Gagg, then 7 years old, and his team had received the ball on his own 10 yard line. He was always a quarterback, even then playing flag football. (Yes, flag football, but he says it still counts.)

On one play that drive, Gagg scrambled until he saw nothing but grass.

Ninety yards later, Gagg crossed the goal line untouched. It’s his earliest football memory, he said, and for good reason. Ever since then, there’s been no stopping him.

Not in flag football. Not at Sarasota High, where Gagg spent his first two high school seasons, starting under center for the Sailors’ varsity teams in both, and not at Braden River, where Gagg transferred in the spring.

“You have control of the game every play,” Gagg said, of why he is drawn to the position. “You get to be a leader, which has come naturally to me.”

His teammates agree. Senior offensive lineman Brendan Bengtsson said Gagg can occasionally be goofy in the locker room, but that changes when on the field. That’s when he gets serious.

“Every time we get in the huddle (with Gagg), we know it’s time to work,” Bengtsson said.

The quarterback said his experience at Braden River thus far has been everything he hoped, except for the lack of actual games. Due to Hurricane Irma and other lightning storms, the Pirates have only completed one game, a season-opening 49-32 win against Colorado’s Chatfield High in Orlando. They also lead Clearwater High 21-7 in a suspended game that will be completed in October.

“It’s frustrating,” Gagg said. “We’ve put in a lot of practice and a lot of hard work.”

The hard work began over the summer with what Gagg called “super hard running.” Braden River would occasionally run conditioning drills that increased in distance incrementally, first 10 yards and back, then 20, then 30, until they ran the length of the field … and did it all over again with only short breaks between runs. It was difficult, sure, but Gagg said it also brought the team together, encouraging players to pick each other up while “dying.”

Gagg has played well when the storms have stayed away from Friday nights. He has thrown four touchdowns to just a pair of interceptions. That first number could be even higher if not for the weapons sharing backfield space with him, specifically juniors Camaron White and Knowledge McDaniel and senior University of South Carolina verbal commit Deshaun Fenwick. All three are used in both the running and passing game at Braden River. Gagg called the situation a quarterback’s dream.

“It’s awesome to throw the ball 5 yards and then watch them take it 80,” Gagg said of his receiving corps, and added that Pirates offensive coordinator Eric Sanders is “really good at what he does.”

During the offseason, Gagg worked on reading defenses and knowing where to go with the ball on a given play, he said, and it has shown. He also knows how to let go of a play when it looks dire instead of forcing an unwise throw.

College scouts have taken notice. Gagg said he has been in talks with numerous schools, including two Power 5 conference teams in the universities of Wisconsin and South Carolina. He does not have an official offer from either yet, but is excited about the possibilities, he said.

The Pirates are preparing for perhaps the biggest test of their season Sept. 28, a home game against Venice High. The Indians were the only team to beat the Pirates last season, and they did it twice, including in the playoffs. Braden River hasn’t played a game since Clearwater Sept. 1. The Pirates may have some rust to shake. They may start over-amped.

Whatever happens, they’ll have confidence in the quarterback tasked with leading them, and he’ll trust them right back.