Brandon High school is very tradition rich. Numerous athletes have gone on to play college and professional sports, that walked the halls at Brandon high at one point. Specifically pointing to football, the Eagle were a force in the 70s, 80s and early 90s. Since then, they have been very erratic when it comes to winning seasons, finishing above .500 seven times since 1990.
New head coach Dean Eychner sees change coming. Maybe not in the “W” column right away. But, laying a foundation for years to follow. “Trying to raise the bar of expectations here. With regards to work ethic and attitude. We put some demands on the kids that you have to place on them if you are going to establish a program and establish an identity, that can be one that can lead to success. What we are doing may not translate to wins and loses right away, but it will tranlate to a strong foundation and an expectation in our program.”
2013 team leaders, Cyrus Dooley and Isaiah Harris will be the glue to bond the brick together. Cyrus Dooley is an accident waiting to happen for any ensuing tackler. The “Brandon Bully” stands a shade under 6-0 and a solid 240 pounds (give or take a few pounds). While I observed the Eagles practice yesterday, Dooley was carrying defenders for a chunk of yards at a time. After he finished playing taxi, taking defenders for rides, he would bust one for 40 yards.
2013 LB 6-1/225 – Harris will enter his senior year with a position change. Last season, Harris was a standout defensive end that caused havoc in the offensive backfield. This season, he will transition to line backer. A move that hopefully will set him up for success and a future playing college football. Though he was a really good DE in 2011, 6-1 is undersized for the position, yet perfect for a line backer. Harris has great speed and is physical. LB should be a perfect fit!
The two players mentioned above, along with the rest of the team, are in for a change. But, one that Eychner feels will benefit them as young men and players. “If you are going to be a member, you are going to be held accountable to do these things. To the credit of the kids, it has been a slow turn of the wheel, but they are responding. I think if you talk to several of the players, much of what we are doing, they are not particularly use to doing. They are seeing, if they do it, it is worth their while.”
The Eagles do not have a team full of talent, but they do have dedicated coaches. Brandon will be sound on both sides of the ball as plenty of coaching and attention to detail was evident at practice. Coach Eychner likes what he sees, “So we know we are on track. We are just going to keep grinding. It’s an old school, blue collar way of doing things. But, I think those are the type of kids and the type of community we have. That’s why we have to do what we are doing.”