A multi-sport athlete at Livermore Falls, Brad Bryant has made his mark on the gridiron.
LIVERMORE FALLS – Brad Bishop was asked what separates his junior fullback, Brad Bryant, from the top running backs in the Campbell Conference.
“He’s got great vision,” the Livermore Falls coach said. “He sees the field well. I tell him to take a look before the ball is snapped at what’s in front of him for a defense and go from there.”
Bryant has a keen eye for everything unfolding in front of him now. That was not the case when he was starting high school.
A talented all-around athlete, Bryant had little doubt he’d make his mark in athletics at Livermore Falls.
Had he been asked which sport he would excel in, however, football wouldn’t have been his first answer.
“When I was a freshman, I always thought basketball was going to be my sport,” Bryant said. “Football has been the one sport that has kind of stood out, and people keep telling me my best sport is football.”
As a freshman, Bryant was a starting guard on the varsity basketball team.
While he quickly established himself as on the Andies’ best on the hardwood, he’s had to wait a little longer for his turn on the gridiron.
“I felt like I had to prove to the coaches that I belonged on the field,” he said.
Now, according to Bishop, football is far and away Bryant’s best sport, and it’s hard to argue.
The junior has amassed over 1,500 yards and 17 TDs rushing while averaging over six yards per carry, and he’s one of the reasons the Andies are 6-3 this year and facing top-seeded Lisbon today in the Western Class C semifinals.
It seems Bryant was born to play football.
“I’m convinced he could play any position. He could be a good guard, center, end, whatever,” Bishop said. “He’s one of those kids in Class C that could play in Class A. They’d find a place for him, because he’s got great hands and athleticism.
Most people wouldn’t look at Bryant’s 5-10, 165 pound frame and think “fullback,” but with his vision, quickness and durability, he’s perfect for the Andies’ Wing-T.
Bryant spent his sophomore year learning the position while backing up Ransom Hoar, and as one might expect from a member of the school’s National Honor Society, he learned quickly.
The most important lesson he was taught, he said, was that he’d have to be a workhorse back, just as capable of moving the pile or breaking off a big run on his 40th carry as his first.
He lugged the ball 47 times in an 18-7 win at Madison last month, a victory that effectively sealed the Andies’ first playoff berth since 1999. He also was one of the few backs to top 100 yards against Lisbon this year.
“Coach told me last year that I’d have to step up and fill Ransom’s shoes. He got a lot of carries last year, so I knew this summer, I had to keep telling myself. ‘Alright, you’re the go-to guy. You’ve got to condition yourself.’
“Right now, I think I’m in the best shape of my life. Getting all those carries just gets me in better shape.”
One thing Bryant didn’t have to learn was to trust his line, even though it lost two of its best blockers, Shawn Demaray and Travis Tardif, to graduation.
“We have a great nucleus of linemen. Growing up, playing AYS (Area Youth Sports in Livermore Falls and Jay), I always ran behind people like Matt Brochu and Tom Durrell, and I just trust them,” Bryant said. “They’re one of the smallest lines in the conference, but I have all of the confidence in the world in them. Anybody in the world could run behind those linemen.”
Just not as well as Bryant, unless they could see what he sees.
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