MACON — Don’t let the glare fool you.
Whether it’s from the left, the right, or the middle, Dylan Bradley will be watching. He may take a conventional three-point stance. He may stand up on the end and try to fool you into thinking he is going to take a play off.
If you buy into the con you risk getting driven into the ground.
“This year, I am playing with a chip on my shoulder because I didn’t make Dandy Dozen, and that is something I have been working for since I was in the ninth grade,” Bradley said. “I talked with my defensive coordinator, coach George Richardson, and he said, ‘You deserved it, you worked hard for it,’ but I just didn’t make he cut. I went out Friday to prove a point that I wanted to be and I am working my tail off.”
Bradley, a senior defensive end, had four sacks Friday night to spearhead a stellar defensive effort in Noxubee County’s 29-8 victory against Starkville in the season opener for both teams.
For his accomplishment, Bradley is The Dispatch’s Prep Player of the Week.
“I expect a healthy Dylan to play like that every game,” Noxubee County coach Tyrone Shorter said. “He is capable of playing that way.”
The 6-foot-2, 255-pounder led a defense that limited Mississippi State University commitment Gabe Myles to 1 of 11 passing for 6 yards and rushed 18 times for 10 yards rushing on 18 attempts. Noxubee County held Starkville, the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 5A North State champion in 2011, to 83 yards offense.
Bradley said the effort he was a part of Friday night is just the start of a focused, energized approach the Tigers will take every game this season. He said he and the other 22 seniors are on a mission to erase the disappointment of a 21-20 loss to Amory in the second round of the Class 4A North State playoffs.
“I am going to let my pads speak, and that’s basically what I did Friday,” Bradley said.
Bradley hurt his shoulder in Noxubee County’s jamboree game at MSU last season. The injury bothered him all year and forced him to have surgery at the end of the season. Now that he is fully recovered, Bradley feels stronger, quicker, and more focused about leading the defense. While he may not be the loudest talker on the team, Bradley knows the time for talk is over. He said the 2012 team wants to make its mark and go down in history with some of the best squads at the school, especially the 2008 team that went 14-0 and won the program’s first state title.
To do that again, Bradley knows his motor will have to run all year. He said that won’t be a problem, especially when he remembers not being one of the top 12 players in the state, at least in the mind of The Clarion-Ledger.
“I just play with that mind-set that you didn’t make Dandy Dozen, you got kicked out of the playoffs in the second round last year against a team that you should have went up there and whupped,” Bradley said. “I use all types of motivation to get my mind-set. My coaches have told me I can be the best player in the state at my position. The only thing I have to do is put the effort in. That is what I am showing them. You can put the game on my shoulders and I am going to give you 100 percent every time. Every time that ball moves I am out there.”
Bradley also has another weapon in his arsenal. In the past few weeks, Bradley said he has started to work from a standing set as a rush end. After playing nearly all of his career with a hand on the ground, Bradley likes the prospects of playing anywhere on the line. Shorter said Bradley also could drop into coverage depending on the opponent.
Shorter said Bradley had a solid season despite the injury. He said Bradley was disappointed when he didn’t make the Dandy Dozen. He said Bradley told him he was going to play like “an animal” this season.
“He has a good heart, he is a good leader, and he plays extremely hard,” Shorter said. “He plays exactly the way he practices. Sometimes we have to keep him out of practice to get things done. He just has a motor.
“I have seen something else in him this year. He used to be a quiet leader. Now he is more of a vocal leader, and it is like he is playing with an attitude.”
Bradley hopes to use his versatility and his 4.6 speed in the 40-yard dash to make an impression on college coaches. He also feels his mind for the game and his drive to be the best will help him attract the attention he feels he deserves.
Quarterbacks, you have been warned.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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