New Braden River High QB Bryan Gagg braces for position battle

When Bryan Gagg transferred to Braden River High School from Sarasota High School in March, the Pirates had their answer to who would be the quarterback to follow Louis Colosimo.

Or did they?

While Gagg could be named the starter at any point, head coach Curt Bradley said there’s a competition battle for the starting gig between Gagg and last year’s backup, Jake Hepler.

“Jake does have two years of experience in the program, whereas Bryan has two years of varsity of football experience over Jake,” Bradley said. “There’s give-and-take both ways.”

Offensive coordinator Eric Sanders’ playbook is extensive, and Hepler is already familiar with Sanders’ system. Hepler, a rising junior, spent last fall learning in practice and on the field during blowouts, in which Colosimo and the starters exited early.

This spring, he is splitting reps with Gagg, who came in as a known quantity among the Manatee-Sarasota county area after throwing for more than 2,500 yards and 27 touchdowns during his first two varsity seasons with the Sailors.

“There’s no butting of heads,” Hepler said. “It’s friendly, but we know it’s a competition and one of us at the end of the day is going to win.”

Gagg is comfortable with the position battle.

“Competition’s never a bad thing,” Gagg said. “It can only bring the best out of people knowing that you’ve got to bring your ‘A’ game every day. You can’t have a bad day, per se.”

Deshaun Fenwick, Knowledge McDaniel and Craivon Koonce each played a part in helping Gagg acclimate to his new school. Gagg’s family relocated to East Manatee, which paved the way for him transferring mid-semester. But he said he already knew fellow classmates at Braden River High, and he’s taking the same courses he did at Sarasota High.

Gagg leaned on Fenwick for advice on what to expect. Fenwick came to Braden River by way of Louisville, Ky. Gagg played 7-on-7 with Koonce and McDaniel, so the familiarity with those two was already there. Plus, Gagg played against the Pirates the past two seasons with the Sailors.

“Having that experience, I think, has really helped me a lot with that,” Gagg said.

So adjusting to the new place mid-semester wasn’t a huge difference.

“All that’s gone smoothly, and my grades didn’t get affected by it at all,” said Gagg, whose grade point average is in the 4.3-4.4 range.

He’s using that acumen on the football field, too, especially when grasping Sanders’ playbook. While the playbook is extensive, Gagg said Sanders has it set up so it’s easy to learn. Sanders also played quarterback in college, and his previous two pupils — Jake Huesman and Colosimo — signed to play college football.

“The biggest thing is he fits in well with the team,” said Bradley of Gagg.

Braden River’s spring game is set for Friday, May 19, at home against St. Petersburg Lakewood.

The Pirates will not have heralded defensive back Tyrone Collins, who tore his anterior cruciate ligament during the offseason, for that game. Still, Braden River returns a lot off last year’s regional semifinal team, including a more experienced offensive line.

As was the case with the state semifinal team two years ago, their long-term success come the fall is predicated on the line’s play.

“That’s where you win and lose football games,” Bradley said.

This story was originally published April 26, 2017 at 5:47 PM with the headline "New Braden River High QB Bryan Gagg braces for position battle."