Brandon... he is one year older than my oldest grandson. He and my grandson were quite the WR duo in HS. Lot of exciting moments. In Brandon's senior year he caught a playoff game winning 47yd TD pass as the final gun sounded during the play. It was perhaps the most exciting win in Kerman's sports history.
2 years later my grandson and Brandon teamed up once again at Reedley J.C.... but Brandon seemed to have lost the 'eye of the tiger'. Competition at Reedley was intense, and Brandon rode the bench most of the time.
Went to Walmart yesterday and ran into Brandon... he now works there, in the electronic department. He quit college. I stopped by to say hello. He knew my grandson was headed to Colorado to play. We talked about Sean, now Wyoming's starting QB and his QB in High School. He asked me if I could make him a DVD of the Taft game, (where he caught the game winning TD), which I did and will deliver to him later this morning.
Brandon is doing well... steady job... positive attitude.... but during our conversation it was easy to see that the loss of those 'glory days' played heavily on his mind.
So anyway... last night as I lay in bed semi-watching the old classic movie "To Catch A Thief" I got to thinking about a lot of those players, kids, that I had followed from playing as Mighty Mites thru their H.S. Senior Varsity year..... and today I know where very few of them are. I believe, (could be wrong), only 3 of them are still playing football, in college.
Tough thing to go thru, I think... from football hero, (or any sport), to 'just another guy/gal'. For me I had the Army that made that transition less traumatic.... but for Brandon, and the others... I think the sudden transition from running thru the giant inflatable Lion onto the football field to entering the back door of Walmart a very difficult one. - JamesJM
