Acorn Athlete Profile: Andy Bradley, 17, senior

Bradley:


MAN IN THE MIDDLE-Andy Bradley anchors the Agoura defense.

MAN IN THE MIDDLE-Andy Bradley anchors the Agoura defense.

By Kyle Jorrey

jorrey@theacorn.com

When the sports minds of years past came up with the phrase "flying around the football," they must have had players like Agoura senior Andy Bradley in mind.


Though he stands just 5-feet-10 and weighs less than 200 pounds, Bradley is a menace on defense from his middle linebacker position, the kind of player you can always find around the ball or at the bottom of the pile.


Born with an engine that just doesn’t stop running, he’s another critical cog in the Charger machine that’s churned out four consecutive wins and is looking for another chance at the program’s first-ever CIF Div. IV title.


"There’s no reason why we can’t go all the way," said Bradley, who also plays guard on the offensive line. "Unlike last year, there aren’t really any superpowers. There are really good teams but there aren’t any teams so far ahead of the rest . . . and we feel like we’re one of the best teams in our division."


The Chargers’ unlikely turnaround arose out of the ashes of this year’s controversial last-second Westlake loss. While other teams might have never recovered from such a devastating defeat, Bradley said he and his teammates used the game as a launching pad for the rest of the season.


"After that game, nobody really came out and said something, everybody just kind of knew what had to be done, especially the seniors," said Bradley, who’s one 24 seniors on the Chargers roster. "In a way, it’s almost good that it happened because that was definitely the turning point in our season. It helped us realize what we need to do to be the best, and that started with winning the next four."


And Agoura has done just that, but not with just its typical offensive output. The Chargers have also been winning with defense, something Bradley credits to the trust his teammates share with each other.


"We work as a unit, everyone relies on the other person to do their job," he said. "I know that if I do my job and everyone else does theirs, our defensive schemes are going to work. And a lot of that goes back to the closeness of the group, the trust we have in one another."


Born in Pasadena, Bradley has lived in Agoura since age 7, just about the time he met many of his present-day teammates.


"All my best friends are guys on this football team and most of us have been friends since elementary school," he said. "We’re always together."


The 17-year-old said those friendships are what have allowed this year’s group of Chargers to overcome adversity.


"Obviously, we’ve hit some real low points this season, but because we are such good friends we have been able to overcome them and reach the point where we are at right now," Bradley said.




Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *