Bracken Christian is Ready to Make Noise

  Go Warriors

Bracken Christian has been going strong for 10 years now as they finished out of the playoffs in just their first year of existence as they have been winning ever since.

Last year the Warriors had a younger team than their first campaign back in 2006 and if a losing record could have been made, that was the year.

That young group of players not only pulled off another winning season, but played well in the playoffs too.

Now, one year later, BCS will have a chance of making more noise as 18 players will be ready for getting the Warriors in the thick of their district and a longer run in those playoffs.

On Friday, Bracken had three other teams in attendance at their stadium as the first scrimmage was in full gear to start the 10th year of Bracken football.

Noble Simmons is ready for Defense

“I think we are two weeks ahead of where we were last year,” Head Coach Hosea Stredic started when asked about his opinion of the scrimmage. “We are more confident in what we are doing and we have new guys who are contributing in one way or the other.”

That is huge as Bracken Christian not only had a lot of freshman playing but a new coach with a new system to boot.

“We will have two transfers that will be starting,” Coach Stredic said. “Our depth will help our team tremendously and it is a very positive.”

Bracken has had a long line of good quarterbacks and this season the Warriors will have Brady Beene returning for his final year as well as other players who will be able to make a pass.

“We will have four legit quarterbacks and in our spread offense we can have three quarterbacks in the backfield,” Stredic said excitedly.

This means whoever gets the pitch after the snap will be able to throw or run the ball leaving the defense defenseless.

       Hit Man says Go Warriors

“Pretty good,” Senior Beene said when asked about what he thought for this year’s offense. “We will still have to battle for the ball, but our spread will open up so many options.”

Two years ago, Bracken Christian might have had 3 or 4 players on the sideline that could play and now BCS will have a wealth of resources in comparison for this season.

“We will be able to have a fresh back in there all the time,” Beene said with enthusiasm. “It will be huge to be able to rotate….we are confident that we have anyone can come up and take over.”

Beene will have a chance to end his time at Bracken without being gassed by going both ways for an entire game.

Defensively Bracken will have fresher legs that will be able to help the offense by clamping down on opposing teams this year, too.

“I’m helping by putting a lot of work in practice,” Noble Simmons commented after the scrimmage. “We will have defensive end depth which means we can keep more men to transfer in and out and then be more aggressive.”

Another sign that depth will have a chance in making the defense as lethal as the offense this season.

Jr. Cristian DeLeon will be looking passes this season

“Being a team and having a winning season,” Simmons said in response to what he wants as this season continues. “We have a lot of pressure because of all the other teams we have had at Bracken.”

That says a lot as the Warriors have graduated several players with several skins on the wall for accomplishments.

Junior Cristian DeLeon has been nails as a receiver and cornerback for this first two seasons and will look to add more wins and a chance of going further into the playoffs this season.

“Me and Brady (Beene) have talked bout this year for a long time,” DeLeon said in response in having a chance for those freshmen to have a chance to improve going into year two. “Everyone know what we are doing and we have adapted to Coaching.”

DeLeon will have the same coach for the first time this season and that might help in getting more into what needs to be done in those tight games.

“We are definitely a strong offense and Brady (Beene) is good and it is real exciting that all the quarterbacks will be able to throw to me.”

DeLeon is inching up the receiving charts and with two more years of playing that position can only catapult this 6’2 player to new heights.

DeLeon will be starting this season in 5th place in receiving yards.

       player           no.      yds    td     apc (ave. per catch)
      Jeff Camp         67      1428    29     21.3
      Grant Granato     87      1276    21     14.7
      RJ Braune         40      1067    17     26.7
      Grady Achillies   25       673    12     26.9
      Cristian DeLeon   40       641    20     16.0

“We have our identity and now this is not new to us, we just need to build,” Beene said in closing for this important campaign.

                         This Year's Roster
      name               position      height      weight       year
      Corey Slater       center         6'1         197          So
      Mason Wilkinson    te    de       5'9         179          Jr
      Cristian DeLeon    wr    cb       6'2         173          Jr
      Brady Beene        qb    cb       5'10        172          Sr
      Presley Day        rb    cb       5'10        184          So
      Guy Bishop         wr qb cb       6'1         156          So
      Brendon Mahan      g     de       5'7         161          So                   
      Reese Smith        qb wr fs       5'11        135          So
      Lucas McCrum       qb rb cb       5'8         146          So
      Cade Middleton     rb    de       5'11        195          Jr
      Zachary Carrington wr             5'7         137          Sr
      Travis Wolf        qb wr cb ss    5'8         128          Fr
      Carlos Navarro     kicker         5'6         176          Sr
      Noble Simmons      de             6'2         184          So
      Liam Ortman        g     ng       6'0         182          Jr
      Seth Smith         c     de ng    5'11        212          Sr

Go Warriors