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Gonzalez making most of opportunity
bparker@beaufortgazette.com
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He usually won't say much, maybe a short affirmation here and there, or a simple head nod if you catch him on the right day.
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Otherwise, Brad Gonzalez might as well be the "Thinking Man," staring ahead, chin resting in his right hand, his mind seemingly miles away while the game film plays in front of him.
"That's what he'll do -- just sit and watch," said Beaufort High School football coach Mark Clifford, mimicking the poker-faced stare of his tailback. "He sometimes scares me with how focused he is during games or when we watch film."
It's enough to make an outsider think the Eagles' leading rusher at 1,188 yards and 17 touchdowns is asleep on the job. But it's all the coaches need to see from a kid who's proven to have tremendous foresight.
"I always say that a running back's best gift isn't his legs or his upper body; it's his eyes," Clifford said, "and Brad's got good vision."
Things weren't always so clear for Gonzalez. Standing at a diminutive 5-foot-9, it was a wonder if Gonzalez could see past the gigantic offensive line last season, let alone the two effective running backs playing in front of him on the depth chart.
Plays would stall as Gonzalez slammed into his own blockers or tripped over the feet of others, limiting him to just 206 rushing yards in spot play during the 2007 season.
So it almost went without saying that 1,000-yard rusher Andre Carpenter, not Gonzalez, would be the heir to Adrene Byas, the Beaufort High workhorse who ran for nearly 2,000 yards last year.
That is, until Carpenter punctuated a subpar offseason by missing most of the summer workouts and fall practice, leaving the Eagles without a proven tailback-in-waiting for the first time in Clifford's five-year tenure.
But Gonzalez had been preparing all along, not for Carpenter to mess up, but to simply get his chance in Beaufort's two-back system.
"I was determined to step up for the team because even though Adrene was gone, everybody expects us to be a good running team," Gonzalez said. "I was lifting and working out all the time, just trying to prove myself."
He'd spent his whole life dodging those who said he was too small while squeezing through the cracks that should have been closed doors. And perhaps that's why when the opportunity at tailback grew wide open, his eyes got bigger. Now, rather than just being satisfied as the starter, Gonzalez envisioned himself breaking the 1,000-yard mark with a bevy of touchdowns to go with it.
"Brad's got a lot of tenacity and determination," said Beaufort assistant coach Johnnie Millen, who works closely with Gonzalez. "He's never let his size affect him, and with the way he runs between the tackles and does the cutbacks, this offense is tailor made for his talents."
And it quickly showed. In just his second game, Gonzalez broke the 100-yard mark and had two touchdowns in a win against Battery Creek, sparking his current 10-game streak of scoring at least once and leading the Eagles to a 9-2 regular-season record.
It was then that Clifford saw what he had hoped for in the spring, that this soft-spoken senior would take control of the Eagles with his steadfast example.
"I wouldn't say it was a surprise as much as it was a relief," Clifford said. "I gave him no choice and he gave himself no choice. He just saw the open door and made himself do it. A lot of times, you won't be successful unless you have to be."
Of course, Gonzalez's first season as starter hasn't come without its struggles, like when he fumbled twice during Beaufort's 27-6 loss to Summerville, squandering a shot at the Region 8-AAAA championship.
"That game taught me to keep fighting," Gonzalez said. "I took a lot of the blame on myself, though. I want to remember that feeling because I know that I never want to feel it again."
But it did little to deter Clifford's faith in his most recent 1,000-yard rusher, calling the performance "a fluke. Brad's too determined and disciplined to keep fumbling. I knew I had to keep giving him the ball."
And once the ball is in Gonzalez's hands, Clifford simply does what his tailback taught him -- just sit and watch.
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