Year 1: A Cultural Shift
When Deshon Brock was hired as the new head football coach at Bradwell Institute in 2020, he knew he was coming into a program that needed lifting up.
The Tigers were coming off a winless season and, like everyone else around the state, were battling through the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic brought both on and off the football field.
Brock’s first season was 2021, and while wins are always important in any high school competition, he knew that putting Bradwell Institute’s football program on solid ground was the first step before they could even think about anything else.
“When I got here that first year, it was all about changing the mindset and culture to try to move forward, but I felt I owed it to the guys that were there to help them make the most of their time at Bradwell,” Brock said.
He recognized a handful of players who wanted to be a part of trying to make a change, even if they were set to graduate.
“We had a great core of guys that I felt could help me rally the team,” Brock said.
Those players turned out to be five seniors: Mikah Kent, KJ Melvin, Michael Prince, Ormondo Hall, and Elijah Leataua.
While that first year didn’t yield any wins on the scoreboard, Brock and his players had created a culture of buy-in that resonated with the team and its returning roster of players.
“Those guys were part of a great group of seniors who bought in to what we were trying to do here to change the culture, and I wish we could have had more time with them to continue to build on what we started with them that first year,” Brock said. “We may not have won a game, but you could see glimpses of better things to come.”
Kent is now playing football at Davidson, and Leataua is doing the same at Kennesaw State University.
Year 2: Building Confidence
Year 2 saw a more competitive Tigers team under Brock, and it finally paid off at the end of the season with a 20-9 victory over Greenbrier.
“That was the first win for this program in a while, and the timing of it, coming at the end of the year, allowed us to go into the offseason with a renewed confidence that these kids had never felt before,” Brock said.
Indeed, that confidence came through in a big way in the team’s spring football game versus Windsor Forest.
“We had an offensive explosion in that game and scored 49 points, while our varsity defense gave up one touchdown,” Brock said. “Windsor Forest was able to score a touchdown late on our JV guys, but 13 points was all the defense gave up.”
Bradwell had not only won a game, but they had now won the last two games they had played. With the last regular-season win from the 2022 season coupled with a blowout win in the 2023 spring game, the Tigers were finally starting to believe in themselves, which carried over into summer workouts.
“Our guys were now starting to see their hard work was paying off,” Brock said.
The team visited a few summer camps, and Brock was pleased with how his team represented themselves.
“We went to a Florida State 7-on-7 passing camp and did really well, then went to Camden County’s contact camp and competed well there too,” Brock said.
The team was ready to enter the 2023 season with a new outlook.
Year 3: Competing for a Playoff Spot
With their confidence building, Brock could finally see things beginning to take shape with the team, and the Tigers rode that momentum into the 2023 season. They finished 3-7, and that includes a region win.
“We had a great year,” Brock said of the 2023 season. “After a tough opening loss to Wayne County where we competed well, we won our second game of the season against our big rival, a 26-13 win over Liberty County to start the season at 1-1.”
Liberty County had won 10 of the last 11 games between the two teams.
The Tigers put themselves in a spot to actually compete for a playoff spot. Although the team couldn’t get the wins to clinch a postseason berth, it was the first time since 2019 that Bradwell Institute could even think about playing for a shot at the playoffs.
“It was just a great year for our team as a whole, and we had several players really make a name for themselves, including All-American offensive lineman Elyjah Thurmon, who signed with Clemson,” Brock said.
In all, six Bradwell Institute players signed college scholarships to play football.
Year 4: More Growth in 2024
As Brock prepares for his fourth season at Bradwell Institute, it’s safe to say that things are better now than when he started, and the support he has received has helped.
“Our administration has been so supportive,” Brock said. “I never have been told that we needed to win a certain number of games. They just wanted to see incremental growth and improvement throughout our program, and I think we have been able to do that so far.”
Interest in the football program has definitely grown since Brock first arrived at Bradwell Institute.
“We had 55 players that first year, and that has grown every season,” Brock said. “We went from 55 to 75 to over 100 last season. So far we have around 75 players out this spring, but there are quite a few athletes who are playing other sports, so we’ll get them back before the season starts.”
Brock will have most of his defensive starters back from a year ago, and if the offense continues to get better, 2024 could be the year that Bradwell Institute and head coach Deshon Brock say, “We are back!”
