Football: Jim Brady’s ferocity on field inspired outstanding St. Augustine Prep defense

By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Publisher Jim Brady is a senior at St. Augustine Prep who is an honors student and an all-around nice guy. Until he puts on a football helmet. Then he becomes a bad dream if you are an opposing quarterback or running back. The kind of dream you wake up from gasping for air, sweat running down your back as you scramble to turn the light on in the hopes the illumination will make the monster retreat to whatever dark kingdom he came from. Brady is the kind of linebacker that Egg Harbor Township coach Kevin Stetser probably would refer to as “a bad dude.” And Stetser has first-hand knowledge. He witnessed Brady make 12 tackles and return an interception for a touchdown on Oct. 23 in the Hermits’ shutout win over the Eagles. That’s pretty much a typical game for the 6-foot, 220-pounder. With Brady leading the way, the Hermits finished 9-1 this season and undoubtedly had the best defensive unit in the entire Cape-Atlantic League — and maybe even in South Jersey. Brady finished the year with 116 tackles, averaging 11.6 per game, and had 22 tackles for loss. Check out these career stats: 35 games played, 343 tackles (9.8 per game), 47 tackles for loss and 16 sacks. He spearheaded a defense that allowed less than seven points per game in league play, pitched two shutouts and held four other teams to less than seven points. “Jimmy has had a wonderful season. He’s really been a team leader for us and he’s really developed his skills. He’s an instinctual kid to begin with and he’s a very smart player, and when you combine that with how physical he is and how big he is, he’s just had a monster year for us. He brings a lot to the table from a physical perspective, but his leadership and his instinctiveness on the field is really what separated him,” said St. Augustine coach Mark Reardon. “He reads out of a lot of stuff we do based on what he is seeing, and that’s hard for a high school player to do. Whether we are pressuring and are in the wrong thing, or if he is seeing a different play, he does a lot of that stuff that I haven’t been able to do with a lot of the kids we have here. A lot of the things I would show a college kid, I can show him and he’s able to handle it.” Senior linebacker Jim Brady led the St. Augustine Prep defense with more than 11 tackles per game, helping the Hermits post a 9-1 season. (Glory Days Magazine photos/Dave O’Sullivan) “I’ve always been a linebacker my whole life. It’s great knowing that my defense relies on me to make the calls. I like being the man in the middle,” Brady said. “It’s great when you can make a big hit. You’re eyes get real big and you know the better man wins in that kind of battle.” Brady’s father, also named Jim, is a former standout football player and wrestler at Absegami High School. He’s also busted his hump the past 25 years in the painting business. He’s a no-nonsense type of guy who is tough on his sons. He had his boys wrestling and playing football since right about the time they were able to walk. The younger Brady’s ferocity on the field doesn’t surprise coach Reardon, knowing the lineage. “They are an old-time family. When you are that physical of a kid and play with that much reckless abandon, that’s developed. That’s not something that just happens. I think his dad has a lot to do with it,” Reardon said. “Jim is a 95 GPA student with really high SATs, he works hard at everything. He’s a tremendous wrestler, which translates a lot into being a great football player. He’s an intense kid and a tremendous leader. He had an awesome year and he’s responsible for a lot of our success. “We gave up 61 points to the teams we played in our league over a nine-game schedule, and he’s responsible for a lot of that. We could have shut out more teams if we hadn’t put our reserves in. We gave up minus yards rushing to four of the teams that we played. It’s ridiculous, but he gets us in and out of what we do and he did a phenomenal job of that.” Besides reading keys and protections and making calls at the line of scrimmage for the Hermits’ defense, Brady had one main job this season, and it was pretty simple — whoever gets the ball in the backfield, make that kid’s night a miserable one. “I’ve just been playing hard, trying to do well for my team, and just tackling everything in sight,” Brady said. “Having a great senior year is what you want to strive for. I’ve just been going out and giving it everything I have. The coolest part about this year is just the unity within the team. This is the closest team I’ve ever been on, and I think that adds a lot.” “Depending on the program and the kid, you see all shapes and sizes on the offensive line and at fullback. Sometimes these guys are linebackers and their team needs them to play offensive guard or fullback at 5-foot-11, 190 pounds, and you see somebody 230 pounds running through a gap at you, the matchup is going to be in Brady’s favor. And he’s fast. He gets downhill. He’s a matchup problem for a lot of people,” Reardon said. It was certainly a problem for St. Joseph in the season opener. The Wildcats came in sporting a 21-game winning streak and the swagger to match. They limped back to Hammonton after a 33-14 loss. Brady had 10 tackles and a forced fumble in that game, and the Hermits’ defense held the vaunted St. Joseph rushing attack to just 50 yards on 20 carries. “Coming into that game we were really fired up,” Brady said. “Our goal was to be as physical as possible and just let them know, win or lose, that they played St. Augustine. I think we did that pretty well.” St. Augustine was eliminated from the state playoffs in the first round with a 28-0 loss to St. Joseph of Montvale, a powerhouse from North Jersey, but finished the year by thumping Cedar Creek — a team that won the South Jersey Group 2 championship — 46-6 on Thanksgiving. “We just focused on being really physical. Our secondary is probably one of the best in South Jersey, and it was tough to score a rushing touchdown against our front seven,” Brady said. “Those two things coming together makes a great defense, and we’re really happy with the way we played this season.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays [adsense]