Pirates football still finding its way

After Braden River High's 35-21 road loss to Charlotte High on Sept. 18, Pirates Coach Curt Bradley did not mince words. 

"We were terrible tonight, to be honest," Bradley said. "I was terrible. We have to put our kids in better positions to succeed. We have to learn from our mistakes. Some of the mistakes we made in practice showed up tonight. We have some new guys out there. As coaches, we have to learn what they can and cannot do. We have to do a better job."

Bradley was upset with the Pirates' (0-1) performance, but he was also strong in his belief that his team will rebound. Most of the Pirates' woes in the opener were caused by one player.

Charlotte (3-0) was led by senior quarterback John Busha, who is equally adept with his legs and his arm and gave the Pirates' defense fits. Busha accounted for 331 total yards (178 rushing and 153 passing) and five touchdowns. Charlotte ran some designed quarterback runs, but Busha also bailed his team out of multiple third-down situations with his scrambling ability. The Pirates will not have to face a dual-threat quarterback as talented as Busha every week, and if they happen to play one, they will have this experience to use in preparation. 

Bradley also knows his team showed steady improvement last season. The Pirates had a slow start, losing their first two games and four of their first six. Braden River learned from the losses and played its best football late in the season, sneaking into the playoffs at 4-7 and giving No. 1 seed Palmetto High, which would eventually reach the state semifinals, a scare in a 24-21 first-round road loss. 

Even more so this season, teams have a chance to adjust from slow starts. The COVID-19 pandemic caused the Florida High School Athletic Association to make changes, one of them being that all teams that elect to play a full season will reach the postseason. 

"Fortunately, this season the regular season isn't quite what it has been in the past," Bradley said. "You do have the flexibility to have nights like these. In the past, too many would be a death sentence. So we are going to build on this. We're going to get back to the drawing board and get this thing right."

Offensively, the players who are expected to be team leaders played like it. Senior quarterback Shawqi Itraish, a Rice University commit, was efficient, completing 13 of his 19 passes for 176 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. Both touchdowns went to senior wide receiver Carson Goda. The Pirates running game was also effective, with senior Jaheim Hodo and junior Lavontae Youmans combining for 203 yards on 21 attempts (9.67 yards per attempt), with Hodo adding a touchdown. While there were some mistakes, like a botched option pitch that resulted in a turnover deep in Pirates' territory and a missed 38-yard field goal, the unit should be potent throughout the season.

Bradley said it felt good to be back on the sideline with the world how it is, but mentally, he had already moved on. 

"We're excited to have an opportunity to play again next week," Bradley said. 

The Pirates will play Lakewood High (St. Petersburg; 2-0) at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 25 at home.