In front of 10,000 screaming fans at Glynn County Stadium in December 2015, the Ware County Gators took on the Glynn Academy Red Terrors. The winner would get a trip to the state title game in the Georgia Dome. The atmosphere in the stadium was electric. It was one of the biggest games in Southeast Georgia football history and a night Raja Bradley will never forget.
“It was my first time playing in front of a crowd as large as that,” the Ware County running back said. “As a high schooler, you only get that type of experience a limited number of times.”
Now a senior for coach Franklin Stephens’ Gators, Bradley spent the offseason working on his strength and stamina preparing for a return trip to the big stage.
“We talk about kids being good football players or good students; he’s the kind of person you want in your program,” Stephens said of Bradley. “He’s a high academic kid, he’s a high performer in the weight room, a high performer on the practice field, everything you could want in a kid.”
At 5’9” and 186 pounds, Bradley is not the biggest back in the region, but he may be one of its most elusive runners. He has the ability to break tackles and find the outside corner. If the offseason is any indication, he is only getting better. He spent January and February coming in before school to do footwork and bag drills.
“I believe my vision and footwork have improved since last year,” Bradley said. “I’m also learning how to set up my blocks better.”
Bradley did not start playing football until his fifth-grade year. He continued playing the following year at Ware Middle School, adding basketball and track along the way. He played all three sports his freshman year at Ware County High School but decided his sophomore year to concentrate on football and track, where he runs the 100-meter dash and 4×100 relay. He got the opportunity to play varsity his sophomore year, and his first big play came in the first game of the season against Brooks County. The Gators were on the 30-yard line when Bradley got the call.
“After getting across the line of scrimmage, I broke three or four tackles, and before I knew it I was in the end-zone,” he said.
The following week he got to run through the banner at Waycross Memorial Stadium, which he compared to walking through office doors to go to work with his teammates. A total team player, Bradley does whatever is necessary to make his team better.
“My favorite part of football is when me or one of my teammates makes a big hit or a big run,” he said. “That’s when all of our energy surges.”
The Gators made strong playoff runs in Bradley’s sophomore and junior seasons. In 2015, he was a sophomore playing behind current Georgia Tech running back Dedrick Mills. Last year Bradley was in an offense centered around quarterback JeMar Lincoln. While Bradley has seen significant playing time, he has not had a breakout season that gets players noticed by recruiters. That, Stephens said, is about to change.
“I believe some of the things we are going to do this year offensively will help facilitate his recruiting,” he said. “I think he’s that guy who is going to blossom.”
Last year, Bradley and his teammates were ranked in the top 10 all season and went undefeated in Region 2-AAAAA to take the region title and home field advantage in the first two rounds of the state playoffs. Now, Bradley wants to lead the Gators even farther into the playoffs.
When he carries the ball, Bradley runs downhill, hitting the hole quickly and breaking tackles as he goes. He is good at getting extra yards when they are needed and protects the ball well.
“Before the ball snaps, I have to tell myself to be patient and explode through an opening when I find it,” he said.
He picks his way through blockers and would-be tacklers, watching all sides to know where he is on the field. Bradley is also adept at slipping out of the backfield to make himself an extra receiving target for the Gators.
“My parents and coaches have done a good job helping me prepare for this upcoming season,” Bradley said.
The son of Jacqueline Hill and Rodney Bradley, he is the youngest of four sons. He plans to play football in college while earning his degree as a surgical technician or a physician’s assistant. Stephens sees Bradley playing in college to help pay for his education. With his abilities on the field and in the classroom, he will be a recruiting steal for a college.
“He’s that kid you know will be there every day,” Stephens said. “He’s going to show up, and he’s going to do a tremendous job. And as a football coach, that’s all you can ask for.”
MI – Raja Bradley (Ware)
By Rob Asbell
Photography by Jennifer Carter Johnson
