Football: Bradyn Fleharty leads Hilliard Bradley to first regional championship
Friday, November 17, 2023
By Michael Rich
mrich@cbussports.com
Upper Arlington’s Cal Thrush tries to block the pass of Hilliard Bradley’s Bradyn Fleharty in a Division I regional final Nov. 17 at Historic Crew Stadium. Photo: John Hulkenberg
Bradyn Fleharty laid on the turf grabbing at his left ankle in the end zone after giving the Hilliard Bradley football team the lead in the second overtime.
The senior quarterback had just given the second-seeded Jaguars the lead with a 2-yard touchdown run. Ultimately, that lead stood up as Bradley downed sixth-seeded Upper Arlington 35-28 in double overtime in a Division I, Region 3 final on Nov. 17 at Historic Crew Stadium.
Bradley (13-1), which captured the program’s first regional championship, faces Lakewood St. Edward in a state semifinal on Nov. 24 at Arlin Field in Mansfield. The Eagles defeated Medina 42-7 to earn their 13th trip to the state tournament.
While the trainers tended to Fleharty on the sideline, Bradley’s defense did the same to the Golden Bears (10-4) as Nicolaj Kisin and Terris Dudley broke up Kyle Cox’s final pass at the goal line on fourth down.
“I twisted my ankle a little bit … it got caught on somebody’s foot,” Fleharty said. “I was ready to go back out there if I needed to. I was going back out there no matter what. Our senior class has been working toward this and it means everything.”
Cox led a last-minute drive in regulation, going 4 of 6, including a 6-yard touchdown pass to Trent Wolpert with 43 seconds remaining.
Upper Arlington’s Cal Thrush (right) and Cameron Baker stop Hilliard Bradley’s Drew Williams in a Division I regional final Nov. 17 at Historic Crew Stadium. Photo: John Hulkenberg
Bradley coach Mike LoParo had freshman Declan O’Neil warming to replace Fleharty if needed. This season, O’Neil completed all five of his passes for 38 yards with no touchdowns.
“We had our freshman quarterback warming up,” LoParo said. “I think (Fleharty) just kind of tweaked his ankle a little bit, but he’ll be alright.”
Fleharty struggled passing against a UA defense that dropped eight and rushed three, going 16 of 35 for 172 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
“I was able to improvise when things went wrong,” said Fleharty, who ran for 180 yards and three scores on 23 carries. “I was able to find seams in their defense.”
His legs shined even when the Bears brought pressure.
“The difficult part is that you can be in perfect position and he can still make you miss,” UA coach Justin Buttermore said. “He’s the fastest guy on the field … a track star playing quarterback. It’s really difficult. You can sit back and play coverage, but you’re three aren’t going to get to him very often. When they do, you just have to hope to push him out of bounds. When you bring pressure, you’re still not guaranteed to get to him. There were times we brought five or six, we were in perfect position and he still flips out of there and finds ways to avoid being tackled. He’s just a really, really dynamic player.”
Upper Arlington’s Zach Corna helps break up a pass intended for Hilliard Bradley’s Preston Wolfe in a Division I regional final Nov. 17 at Historic Crew Stadium. Photo: John Hulkenberg
The Jaguars held off the UA for most of the second half. Damon Bordner had nine tackles to lead Bradley, including a big third-and-1 stop of Connor McClellan midway through the fourth quarter.
The Bears lined up for what looked like a quarterback sneak before Cox turned and handed to McClellan, who tried to go off right tackle, but was met by Bordner.
The Jaguars altered their defense to face the Bears. Normally a hybrid outside linebacker and safety, Bordner played the middle which got Murphy Spears on the field.
Jordan Davis-Reed had five tackles and Spears, Kisin, Ethan Tebbetts and Brody Healy each finished with four.
“I just had to make sure I knew where I needed to be,” Bordner said. “I just had to trust the people next to me. They ran the ball well. We knew we had to stop the run first and then make (Cox) pass next. We knew if we stopped the run, we’d have a chance to win the game. (Cox) threw it well. He was able to get out of the pocket and find people.”
The Jaguars defeated the Bears 24-22 on Sept. 22 on their way to an OCC-Central Division title, but the two hadn’t met in the postseason previously.
Denis Shishlo had four catches for 62 yards and a touchdown, Preston Wolfe added three catches for 35 yards and a score and Drew Williams caught four passes for 30 yards to lead Bradley.
McClellan had 28 carries for 93 yards and two rushing touchdowns and added four catches for 61 yards and another score to lead the Bears.
Cox finished 24-for-33 passing for 242 yards and two touchdowns with Austin Stutz his main target with six catches for 69 yards.
Noah Gehlert had seven tackles and Cameron Baker had five tackles, including two sacks, and an interception to lead the Bears.
Hilliard Bradley’s Nicolaj Kisin (21) and Andrew Miller (9) celebrate the Jaguars’ win over Upper Arlington in a Division I regional final Nov. 17 at Historic Crew Stadium. Photo: John Hulkenberg