Bradford’s love for football continues to grow
Darius Bradford just loves to play football.
The West Laurens running back amassed 4,243 yards rushing and scored 44 touchdowns in his career and will play his final high school game at 3 p.m. on Saturday at Fort Valley State in the Middle Georgia Football All-Star Game.
Bradford has been able to have an amazing career despite battling injuries throughout.
“I tore all the tissue off my rotator cuff as a sophomore, and then I tore my meniscus and ACL my junior year,” said Bradford, who led West Laurens to a 24-13 record the past three years. “It was very frustrating because I knew I was falling behind other football players, and most of all I couldn’t help my team win football games. I just tried to bounce back and be a leader when I can’t play.”
Bradford was able to start in the season opener his senior season but once again tweaked his knee and missed the second game of the year. But after that, he stayed healthy and led the Raiders into the second round of the playoffs by rushing for 1,218 yards and 18 touchdowns.
“I was very hesitant at the beginning of the season, and that’s probably why I got hurt,” Bradford said. “When I got back on the field, I was determined to stay on the field, and thankfully I was able to.”
Bradford has no college offers but is hoping to garner interest.
“I had ACL surgery last January, so that was just a year ago, but I want colleges to see that I am 100 percent healthy now,” Bradford said. “Playing in any all-star game is an honor, and I just want to go out and have the best game I can.”
Saturday’s game features some of the best juniors and seniors in Middle Georgia. The red and black teams were picked by the coaches, and many of the players are still looking for college opportunities. The game is expected to draw college coaches from around the Southeast.
“I am excited to play in front of college coaches, and I am still looking for a chance because I really want to play college football, but I am just ready to get back on the field and playing football,” said Westside quarterback Savion Knowlton, who threw for 1,337 yards during his senior season. “I was lucky enough to play for a great high school program like Westside, and I am planning on having a great game and having a lot of fun on Saturday.”
Middle Georgia Football All-Star Game Rosters
Team Red
No. Name Position School
1 Ulysses Williams WR Monroe
2 Armaun Smith WR FPD
3 Jay Watkins RB Perry
4 Jaquez Jackson OLB Peach County
5 Desean Dinkins OLB/RB Northside
6 Darius Johnson FS Jones County
7 Keinijus King CB Perry
9 Vanden Vicsotka SS/FS Veterans
10 Curt McDonald DB Macon County
11 Jaquez Durham WR/DB Jones County
12 Cody J. Farr QB Covenant
13 Erick Sanchez K/P Rutland
14 Eli Watson WR Houston County
15 Tylan Morton QB Griffin
17 Savion Knowlton QB Westside
18 Jaylen Lowder TE/WR Veterans
21 Darius Bradford RB West Laurens
24 Armand Childs SS Northside
25 Robert Johnson FS FPD
26 Jabari Miller CB Warner Robins
34 Robert C. Ferguson OL/G Covenant
35 Kameron Tate LB Northside
38 Kor’Darius Melton DE Houston County
40 Landon Quarles FB/LB Veterans
46 Mataio Elvine DE/DL West Laurens
55 Ryan Rogers OL Skipstone
57 Keyshawn Prince DT/G Crawford County
65 Desmond King T/NG Rutland
69 Joey Knight OL West Laurens
76 Javius Johnson DT/NG Central
77 Kavontez Farrow OL/DT Bleckley County
78 Tez Raybon T Warner Robins
80 Rasheed Marshall WR Spalding
89 Jam’l Dillard DE Warner Robins
96 Elijah Thompson DT Warner Robins
97 Bobby Kelly DE Warner Robins
99 Dillon Bronstein G Warner Robins
Team Black
No. Name Position School
1 Jaevon West RB/WR Houston County
2 Mark Robinson RB Lee County
3 Michael Bradley CB Warner Robins
4 Amarrian Brown RB/SS Veterans
5 Curtis Harris RB/LB FPD
6 Jermall Lucas DT Veterans
7 Amari Colbert WR Houston County
8 Isaiah Nelson SS Northside
9 Trashon Owens DE Northside
10 Adam Morris TE Crawford County
11 Jarius Hart RB Perry
12 Taykwan Northern DL Northside
13 Bradley Hunnicutt QB Jones County
15 Ethan Mann SS Peach County
16 Antonio Gilbert Jr. QB Peach County
20 Omar Cervantes K/P Peach County
21 Avery Vining CB/WR Howard
22 Andrew Brown CB Houston County
24 Kaiman Smith CB Veterans
26 Tavores Pearson CB Westside
32 Kam Burnett ILB Northside
51 DJ Journey C Houston County
53 Terrynn Lyons DE Northeast
54 Tay Jarrell OLB/DE Mary Persons
55 Nathaniel Freeney DE Twiggs County
57 Fletcher Hooks LB Peach County
61 Josh Herring OL Northside Warner Robins
64 Willie Williams OL/DL Baldwin
69 Solomon Davis G Northeast
70 William Causey Jr. T/DT Northeast
71 Michael Jackson G Warner Robins
72 Jacolbey Davis OL Baldwin
74 Ham Williams C Northside
78 Ashon Hayes DT Taylor County
80 B.J. Fembro WR Northside
84 Tyson Harris WR Lowndes
86 Jhi’Marre Brown WR Perry
90 Antonio Addie Jr. C Crisp County
99 Jeffery Jones DT Twiggs County
This story was originally published January 10, 2017 at 5:11 PM with the headline "Bradford’s love for football continues to grow."