54 For 54

Easton honors former teammate Bradley in more ways than one

EASTON — It started with the sun breaking through cloud cover at just the perfect time.

It ended — at least for many connected with Easton High’s football program — with a final that seemed perfect, yet almost unimaginable: Easton 54, Washington 0.

“A lot to take in,” said Easton High senior wide receiver Brandon Booze, who had perhaps the game of his life on a night when his late brother, John Christopher Bradley, was honored prior to kickoff. “I wanted to do well for my brother Christopher, and I wanted to go out here and get this win for him. Just the 54 on the scoreboard at the end of the game … it’s already bringing me to tears.”

Bradley, who had played football at Easton for three years and would have been a senior this season, died in a car accident on Oxford Road on April 18, 2017. He was 17.

“Meaned a lot, especially with 54 left on the scoreboard,” Easton senior running back Connor Butler said. “He was just a really close friend, so it was good to get the win for him.”

Though not threatening, clouds hovered over Warrior Stadium during warmups. The sun began peeking through though as public address announcer Ron Vener, his voice at times trembling with emotion, spoke of Bradley before asking for a moment of silence. Many in the large crowd bowed their heads, while others battled tears.

Game officials soon summoned each team’s captains toward the middle of the field for the coin toss. Holding Bradley’s No. 54 jersey, Booze and senior quarterback Mason Ledford moved onto the field with fellow captains Carter Taylor and Tahjiere Nixon. After the coin toss, Booze and Ledford walked No. 54 back to the sideline, then watched as Easton kicked off.

Washington ran three plays and punted, giving Easton possession at its own 34-yard line.

The Warriors’ 11-man offense broke from its huddle and moved into their respective positions. But as Ledford began calling the signals, Booze — as planned — jogged off the field, as Easton recognized their fallen teammate with the missing-man formation, while players and coaches raised their arms and pointed their index fingers toward the sky. Booze returned to the field on the next play, the field now blanketed in bright sunshine.

“Right when I got back on the field I was just locked in,” Booze said. “I just wanted to do good by him.”

“It was hard,” said Ledford, another close friend of Bradley’s. “But we knew he was with us. We were playing with 12 the whole night. He was watching over everything we did. He’s the reason why we were so successful tonight. He was on that scoreboard just like we were tonight; on the field with us.”

Booze had three first-half receptions — a fourth went for a touchdown but was nullified by penalty. That hardly slowed Easton, which scored touchdowns on its first seven possessions, leading 27-0 after the first quarter, and 47-0 at half.

Ledford found Booze for a 20-yard pickup on the second play of the second half. Three snaps later, after penalties backed Easton up to its own 44, Ledford connected with Booze for a 56-yard touchdown pass down the visiting sideline, giving the senior wideout five receptions for a game-high 138 yards. Alex Stecher-Scott, who booted five extra-points in the first half, drilled his sixth with 5 minutes, 54 seconds remaining in the third quarter to give Easton a 54-0 lead.

“Everything before the game really sort of fueled you to really do this for him,” said Ledford on a night when he completed 17 of 22 for 314 yards and a career-high five touchdowns. “Once I threw that touchdown pass to Booze it really hit me; kind of broke down a little bit, had a little moment. But it felt really good to come out with a W, especially putting up 54 points.”

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

Warriors roll in opener

Ledford passes for five TDs, Butler runs for three in rout

Easton 54 — Washington 0

EASTON — There was a lot going on at Warrior Stadium on Friday night.

Talbot Goes Purple, the county’s initiative to raise awareness and educate against substance abuse, had a strong presence. And there were the emotional moments honoring John Christopher Bradley, the former Easton High football player who died this past spring in a car accident.

“We were a little concerned with how our kids would respond,” Warrior head football coach Matt Griffith said. “One or two things were going to happen and luckily for us the latter happened, where they came out and played really well. I thought the boys played well from the start to the finish.”

Easton’s offense started by running the missing-man formation in honor of Bradley, then went out and scored 54 points — the jersey number worn by their fallen teammate — to finish with an impressive season-opening shutout over Washington.

“It was a good night,” Griffith said.

Though he’ll probably spot concerns when reviewing film this week, Easton gave Griffith a slew of reasons to be pleased on opening night.

The offense scored touchdowns on its first seven possessions to erect leads of 27-0 after the first quarter and 47-0 at halftime. Senior quarterback Mason Ledford connected on 17 of 22 attempts for 314 yards and a career-high five touchdowns, hitting four different receivers with scoring strikes, including sophomore Marquii Thompson twice.

“I had a lot of time back there,” said Ledford, who was barely touched while working behind an almost entirely new offensive line from a year ago. “They’re strong and they’re fast. There was nothing around the edge, nothing really up the middle. And our receivers were catching the ball great. I was getting it out. They were running their routes right and we were just connecting tonight.

Among those Ledford connected with was Bradley’s brother, senior wideout Brandon Booze, who caught five passes for 138 yards, including a 56-yard touchdown reception for the only score of the second half.

“Just working the outside, trying to get separation from the DBs,” Booze said. “Just fundamentals basically. It just worked out well for us tonight.”

Senior running back Connor Butler, who carried 11 times for a game-high 91 yards that included touchdown runs of 18, 6 and 14 yards, also praised the teammates in front of him.

“Offensive line, holding their blocks for me and holes opened up,” Butler said. “I just had to hit them. They did really well; lot of cutback lanes.”

Then there was Easton’s defense, which limited Washington to 39 yards in offense and just one first down on 11 possessions, that coming with less than a minute remaining on the running clock in the third quarter, when quarterback Eric Ballard hit Gavin Fontaine for a 13-yard pickup, the Jaguars’ biggest gain of the game.

“I thought we played extremely well,” Griffith said of his defense. “When you are facing an offense like that, there’s so many different things that you have to prepare for and plan for. Our kids keyed on their assignments.

“Big, big way to start off the year with a shutout,” Griffith continued. “I don’t care who you play, if you get a shutout you’re doing something well. We cycled some players through that all got some experience tonight, and I thought Jarin Winters and Carter Taylor, Mason Conley, Noah Greene Thatcher Knox played very well. Clayton Tyler, too.”

After a three-and-out by Washington to start the game, Easton took over at its own 34-yard line, with Booze running to the sideline to set up the missing-man formation on first down. Booze returned and on his first pass attempt of the season, Ledford hit Tahjiere Nixon for a 29-yard gain. Four plays later, Ledford found Ryan Farr open in the left flat, then watched the senior receiver cover the final 12 yards for the game’s first touchdown with 8 minutes, 55 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Alex Stecher-Scott drilled the first of his six point-after kicks for a 7-0 lead.

Butler scored the first of his three touchdowns before Ledford hit Thompson with scoring passes of 42 and 18 yards to help extend the lead to 27-0 at the end of the first quarter. Butler sandwiched a pair of scoring runs around Ledford’s 12-yard touchdown pass to Grant Copper to help fatten the Warriors’ cushion to 47-0 at the half.

Easton’s string of scoring drives ended at seven when a Ledford pass went off a Warrior receiver’s hands into the clutches of Washington’s Maurice Burgess for an interception at the Jaguar 10 with a little over a minute remaining in the first half.

“Thought he played well, not great,” Griffith said of Ledford. “He had a couple of things he’s normally better at that he knew right away. But he played well enough for us to put up enough points to be successful tonight.”

Washington had five drives end in punts, three by turnover and two on downs. The Jaguars’ final possession of the first half ended as time expired.