Kate Hunter, Editor-in-Chief
@khuntercourant
As temperatures drop and students flood the high school hallways again, Friday night lights return. Each year, a new group of senior captains step onto the football field to potentially make their mark. This year, the group includes star offensive lineman Ned Brady.
Ned, who stands six-foot five inches and weighs 250 pounds, is a versatile player. “I usually play left tackle, but this year I am playing center and nose guard,” Ned said. “Left tackle and center are offensive line positions and they block for the running back and quarterback. Center is the one that hikes the ball and the nose guard is on defense in front of the center.”
Ned is heavily committed to the game. “For the past year, I’ve woken up at 4:30 every day to work out,” Ned said. “I go to school and then, afterwards, I usually go to practice. I usually go to bed at 10:30 at the latest, so I get about six hours of sleep, but I deal with it.”
It is perhaps this versatility and work ethic that led Ned to be attracted to and later recruited by division-one football program, United States Military Academy West Point in West Point, New York. “West Point mostly appealed to me because of the military aspect,” Ned said. “I’ve always wanted to serve.”
Brady has received three varsity letters after being pulled up to varsity his freshman year. So, when he was named captain for his senior season, he was ready. “I’ve had four years of watching other captains do what they do and what they did well,” Ned said. “It’s been really fun so far. I also have a lot of really good relationships with the other guys.”
Like most elite athletes, Ned’s story has an ordinary beginning. He started playing football when he was eight years old. Since then, his passion for the sport has only grown with the bond of his team. “My favorite part of football is the team aspect because you create a lot of relationships, especially in high school,” Ned said.
As captain, team camaraderie is important to Ned and he values team bonding traditions. “I really enjoy the lock-ins.. Usually we do them before a Saturday game, so no one goes out and gets in trouble,” Ned said. “The coaches lock us in there and people bring Xboxes. This year, we watched movies.”
On game day, Ned might be eating a Tony’s deli sandwich or be listening to music. “Sometimes I listen to classical music before games because I’m already hyped up,” Brady said. “I used to get in trouble for being too rowdy when I was younger. Listening to classical music helps me think clearer and stuff, especially being a captain now I can’t just be off the wall.”
As for this season. Ned has high aspirations for the team. “I want to win a State Championship,” Ned said. “I think we can definitely do that.”
