Randy Brannon admits he's reserved away from the football field. But turn on the lights and spot the ball, and Brannon can barely contain himself. Photo by Dennis Grundman/Daily
WINCHESTER — When the Friday night lights shine, James Wood’s Randy Brannon begins his metamorphosis.
Off the field, Brannon is kind, courteous and friendly, just trying to fit in like every other teenager. Once he steps on the field, however, everything changes.
“When you’re off the field, you have to be a nice person and good at heart and stuff like that,” Brannon said. “But when you step on that football field, you have to turn into the meanest person you can possibly be.”
Just the sight of the field after leaving the locker room is enough to flip his switch.
“I get into a rhythm and a zone,” he added. “I’m fine all the way up till that football field, and then I start to think about what I have to do and what I have to get done. Then I change, and I just go as hard as I can.
“When I’m on the field, I don’t even hear the noise, hear the crowd. I hear the quarterback, the linebackers making the call, just the players on the football field.”
Once on the field, the senior makes a big impact on both sides of the ball. Brannon led the Colonels in rushing yards last season and was also one of the team’s top tacklers.
Brannon said he learned a lot about football at an early age from his father, Paul.
“I looked up to my father,” Brannon said. “He’s taught me everything he knows. Being around him, I’ve grown up around football. I love it so much I couldn’t be without it.”
Brannon said he loves playing defense and being able to make a big hit or tackle. It helps that he has a talented group of defenders around him.
“On defense I go wild, as hard as I can every time,” Brannon said. “There’s no breaks — I just gotta be mean. I love hitting. I love tackling. It allows you to take some frustrations out. I just try to find the ball and make the tackle as fast as I can.
“Walker Tyler, Kelsey [Shannon] and everybody is going to try to get to the ball just as fast as they can and make the tackle as well. We’re like one big group out there.”
The Colonels had been the doormat of the district and of the area for many years. Then, two years ago, Walter Barr was hired to coach the team. In his first season, the Colonels continued to struggle, but despite a 1-9 record, the team remained quietly confident about what was going on.
“My sophomore year I knew every single player on that team by heart because I had been playing with them so long,” Brannon said. “So my junior year we still had everybody. We had a new coach and a new offense and a new defense. We just had to work on some things and get it going. My sophomore year was long and hard, and my junior year was the greatest moment I’ve ever had.”
The Colonels went 7-3 last season for their first winning season in 25 years. They used a solid running game and a suffocating defense to pile up win after win.
Although they just missed the playoffs, the season was a major success. Brannon said he couldn’t pick out any one moment that stood out.
“There’s so many, it’s just like one big blur,” Brannon said. “I was just so happy. Every team we faced was hard, it was a hard-fought battle. Every time we won, it was a great moment.”
Along the way, the Colonels had to battle some adversity, including an injury to running back Mike Buchinsky, who led the team in rushing early in the season. Once Buchinsky went down, other players had to step up, and Brannon was one of them.
Brannon finished with 603 yards on 145 carries and seven touchdowns.
“Randy runs hard,” Barr said. “He has good ball-running instincts. He’s a tough player. He has a great attitude and a great work ethic.”
Now that the Colonels have tasted success, they’re yearning for more, especially with significant returns on both sides of the ball.
This year, however, they won’t have the element of surprise.
“I think as a team we understand that we kind of shocked a few teams last year, and they weren’t expecting us because teams were used to beating James Wood,” Brannon said. “Whereas last year we shocked a few teams, this year they are looking at us as an actual football team, so they’ll be watching out for us this year. We want to continue the success we had. We don’t want people to say we’re just a one-hit wonder.”
Brannon said one advantage the Colonels have is team camaraderie. And with 25 seniors on the squad, there’s no doubt they want to top last year’s success.
“We’re just hoping that we can have another great year,” he said. “This year if we can make the playoffs, that would be outstanding. I can’t think of anything better than that. Being a senior, it’s hit me that I’m a senior. I just look back and my high school career has went by so fast. This year I’m hoping as a team we do really well because I’m going to miss football.”
