Strawberry Crest offensive lineman Jackson Bradford never stops working hard. Bradford is one of the captains of the varsity football team this season and also competes in the shot put and discus events for Crest’s track and field team. He has a 5.6 GPA, is a member of the National Honor Society and has an offer to play football at Bowdoin College after graduation. Bradford is also working on his Eagle Scout rank and finished his Eagle Project over the summer.
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We’re now most of the way through football season. What’s something you learned from the experience this year that’s really gonna stick with you going forward into college?
Learning how to be a leader. Being a senior this year, I was one of the guys coaches trusted with leading the offensive lineman. It’s been great for me to learn how to set an example and be there for them. I think the most important thing about being a leader is setting an example for people who follow you. If you don’t do things you want people who follow you do to, they won’t be where you want them to be. For a group to be effective, you have to set the example.
What were your goals for yourself going into this football season, and how have they come along since then?
My top goal was to win some games. That’s not over yet. We have two more we can compete in and we can beat them if we work hard. Also to be closer with my teammates and I think that goal, we’ve become a tight-knit group.
How did you get started in football?
I started freshman year. I want to play before then but my parents wouldn’t let me.
You’re working on attending Bowdoin next year. What about that school and that football program made you feel like that was the best fit for you?
It’s academic. They’re in a high academic conference similar to the Ivy League. It’s one of the best schools in the country. Academics are the most important thing for me. I’ve talked to the coaches and I’m impressed. They have a record of turning programs around. I’m impressed with the way they run things, so I’m excited. I’m not entirely sure what I want to major in yet. Maybe business and economics. One thing I’m considering is sports management.
You work hard on the field and in the classroom. How do you manage your time so you can succeed where you need to?
It’s definitely quite a bit, but I just make sure to focus on what I need to do and set my own priorities so I get things done. Just keep going, basically.
For your Eagle Project, you turned a storage area at ECHO into an office for their volunteer coordinator. How did you decide on that for your project?
This past summer I was doing an internship there and my project was something I needed to get done in the next few months. I figured ECHO would be great, so I asked them what they needed me to do and they told me. So I got it done.
Since you’re in the home stretch before high school graduation, what would you say you’re most proud of when you look back at the last four years?
Probably last year’s win against Brandon. I thought that was a great team win for us. I feel like things came together in that game, we were able to get a really good win and everybody was happy and proud. It was a great moment for us.