He was suddenly put in the lineup. Now he’s the leading rusher at Braden River High.
Trayvon Pinder’s varsity call up didn’t exactly go to plan.
It was the first game of 2021, and Pinder was the third-string running back for the Braden River Pirates as they prepared for rival Lakewood Ranch. The starter suddenly left the program during the week, and the backup, who became the starter, broke his ankle on the first play of the game.
Pinder went from getting promoted from the junior varsity team, without expecting to play, to moving to the top of the depth chart one play into his varsity debut.
He ran for 199 yards on 18 carries with four touchdowns.
Pinder ran for more than 100 yards five additional times that season en route to 1,190 rushing yards for the year.
“You never know when your number will be called,” Braden River head coach Curt Bradley said. “He could have easily pouted, he could have easily transferred, he could have easily done a lot of things. But he stuck the course and rushed for what, (1,190) yards as a sophomore. And he’s having a good start to this season.”
That start includes two straight 100-plus rushing yard games. He ran for 142 yards in an overtime victory over Palmetto and tallied 179 rushing yards against East Manatee foe Lakewood Ranch last week.
“Football tends to reward players that stick with it and work hard no matter the circumstances that they’re in, and he’s a testament to that,” Braden River offensive coordinator Eric Sanders said. “It’s not easy to be deep on a depth chart, but if you stay ready and consistently work hard and be prepared, chances are something good is going to happen to you down the line and you’re going to get rewarded for your persistence and your hard work.”
This week’s test is Manatee High. The Hurricanes boast physical play in the trenches on both sides of the ball, an area Bradley has pointed to each season as the place where high school football games are won and lost.
“This is going to be the biggest challenge we’ve had up to date and maybe throughout the regular season as far as their offensive line and their defensive line,” Bradley said.
“This is a very big, physical group on both sides of the football. We’ll be undersized in this matchup, but we put a lot of faith in our guys. Our kids do a really good job of understanding the game plan, executing, fighting and understanding we’re not going to make every block but we’re going to fight you and do the best we can.”
Aiding Pinder’s explosive start to the season are the offensive linemen. That unit includes a few players, who Pinder played with at the JV level. Having that familiarity and bond has an added bonus under the Friday night lights.
“Especially when it gets tough, you know they’re not going to quit on you,” Pinder said about his O-line. “That’s a big thing. You know that they’re going to give it their all.”
Bradley said Pinder “is the biggest, most downhill back we’ve had.” He’s different in comparison to a more recent running back with the Pirates, DeShaun Fenwick, who currently leads Oregon State in rushing.
“DeShaun can run inside the tackles, but DeShaun did so many different things for us as far as catching footballs and those things, where Trayvon is a true downhill tackle-to-tackle running back that we describe him as heavy,” Bradley said. “Not that he weighs a ton. Because he doesn’t weigh not a super heavy back, but when he hits you, he feels heavy. He’s a heavy kid to try and tackle.”
And this year, he has a little pop when hitting the holes. That’s due to the work Pinder put in last spring during track season. He joined the team to work on his speed and it’s paying off this season.
“He’s got another half a step of acceleration and speed when he hits the hole,” Sanders said. “He’s always been a big, bruising tailback. But now he’s got a little burst to him that can help him get through little skinnier holes, little tighter holes or maybe a fit that he might not have bursted out of last year, he can get through this year.”
A win this week for the Pirates (2-0) would mark their third win over county programs. They have five county teams on their schedule, and an unbeaten record would allow Braden River to claim a mythical county championship.
“You want to win every game you play, that’s first and foremost,” Bradley said. “And then there’s a lot of good football played in Manatee County. This year we’re playing five schools in the county.
“Obviously you want to win every game you play, and if we’re able to put ourselves in a position where we’re able to do that, then yeah, it matters. There’s a lot of really good football in this county and if you beat the teams you play in the county, that’s a really good season.”
This story was originally published September 15, 2022 at 3:48 PM.
