ST. GEORGE — A quarterback at a small high school just south of the Utah-Arizona border put up some huge numbers this past Saturday as he powered his football team to a wild 62-54 overtime victory.
Isaiah Bradshaw, a junior at El Capitan High School in Colorado City, Arizona, was responsible for all nine of the Eagles’ touchdowns during the home win over Mohave Accelerated, El Capitan coach Mitch Jessop told St. George News.
Bradshaw’s impressive statistical line includes completing 14-of-25 passes for 292 yards and 5 TDs, with one interception. On the ground, he rushed for 185 yards on 23 carries and 4 TDs. He also ran for four two-point conversions and recovered a fumble on defense, Jessop said.
The high-scoring game was played in front of a “pretty good, noisy” crowd in Colorado City on a hot Saturday afternoon, the coach said.
“We anticipated temperatures in the 90s ,and it ended up getting clear up to 97,” Jessop said, adding that the heat “kind of snuck up on us,” enabling the Mohave team from Bullhead City to stage a second-half comeback.
Despite leading 42-20 at halftime, the Eagles went scoreless in the third quarter as a several players complained of muscle cramps.
The Patriots scored two TDs in the third quarter and three more in the fourth, ultimately tying the game 54-54.
“We went into overtime, and luckily, we got the ball first,” Jessop said. “Isaiah threw an absolute perfect stop route pass to our best wide receiver, Giovanni Broadbent, for the game-winning touchdown.”
Bradshaw then ran in the two-point conversion attempt, putting the Eagles ahead 62-54.
Mohave Accelerated was then given possession of the ball with a chance to match the Eagles’ score. However, El Capitan defensive end Zedakye White managed to sack Mohave’s quarterback on back-to-back plays for a loss of about 18 yards.
“They never could get back to the line of scrimmage,” Jessop said.
Jessop described Bradshaw as a dedicated player who has only missed two practices since he started attending as an eighth grader, too young to actually play on the team.
But during a friendly throw-off competition in one early practice, Jessop recalled that the eighth grader outthrew the team’s starting senior quarterback. The coach noted that Bradshaw, currently listed at 5-foot-9 and 160 pounds, was even a few inches shorter than that three years ago.
“At that point, I knew that I had a kid with some serious potential,” Jessop said. “His natural leadership ability is uncanny. He’s just one of those kids that is so tough. He’s always out there. When when we get kids cramping up on the sidelines, his ability to just stay out on the field no matter what and work hard is a big inspiration.”
Although Utah schools have already been playing football for several weeks, the early October game marked the season opener for El Capitan.
“Arizona held their schedule back six weeks, trying to lower the COVID numbers even more,” Jessop explained.
The Eagles, who compete in Arizona 1A North division, which plays eight-man football, have just five more games remaining on their schedule
El Capitan’s next game is Saturday at home vs. Fredonia, with kickoff scheduled for 2 p.m.
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