High school football: Redden's growth key factor in Gregory-Portland's renaissance

Brandon Redden's journey to being one of the top high school quarterbacks in the Coastal Bend has paralleled the growth of his team.

Redden has grown into his role as the starting signal caller for Gregory-Portland (8-3) and now the junior has his team in a spot it has not been since 2014: the area round of the playoffs.

First-year G-P head coach Brent Davis said the staff was unfamiliar with Redden, but they watched the film from his varsity play late in 2020.

"I watched (Redden's) film. It wasn't bad," Davis said. "We worked hard in the spring. He is the hardest-working kid. He has worked into a player. To be honest, last February and March nobody looked good. Our whole program did not look very good. We challenged them and they accepted. They've put in the hard work.

"He has been up here from the spring through the summer — they all have — and he has worked himself into a quarterback."

A 5-foot-10 left-handed dual-threat quarterback, Redden has topped 1,500 yards passing and 500 yards rushing this season with more than 30 touchdowns.

Since starting the season 0-2 with losses to strong Class 4A programs Calallen and Boerne, the Wildcats are 8-1 with a close loss to then-state-ranked Veterans Memorial as their only setback.

"He is so much more confident. The whole team is," Davis said. "He is a leader and that is the biggest asset he has. He gets every bit out of his ability. He is so smart. Those are the things that make him a great quarterback. The other kids respect him and he can lead them. We are probably where we are at because of the leadership he has shown."

Redden said the Boerne game, which G-P led early and the Moody game, which ended in a blowout win for the Wildcats, showed the team's capability.

"We just realized how good we can play and what we needed to do to win," Redden said. "We took those things, listened to the coaches and the results happened. We didn't know we could blow anybody out, but we did (against Moody). Then we played Vets, one of the best teams in Texas and we played with them, so we knew we could play."

Redden's best night passing actually came during the afternoon — a game pushed up to beat a predicted storm rolling through the region — when he threw for 302 yards in an upset road win against Flour Bluff, which ultimately helped G-P share the District 15-5A Division I championship with Veterans Memorial.

Redden adds to the offense with his ability in the run game, allowing the Wildcats to take advantage when defenses sell out to stop Dalvin Batts, a 1,300-yard rusher himself.

"What he has done is great," Redden said. "If you can run the ball and stop the run, you have a great football team. Our entire backfield can run and we are all good."

Davis said there are small intricacies that Redden understands about the offense that carry over into Friday nights.

"He runs our offense well and reads it well," Davis said. "He understands the fake part of it and all the things that make the play work. He does. A lot of kids you coach them in practice and they get in the heat of the game and they rush everything. He does a great job of understanding the offense and what we are looking for."

G-P uses Redden frequently in short-yardage and goal-line situations because of his toughness and willingness to do the dirty work.

"He will stick his face in there," Davis said. "Any time it is short yardage or goal line situations, we don't mind him having the ball. There's an old quote: 'If you have a tough quarterback, you have a tough football team.' I really believe that. His toughness has been a spark for our team."

Now the Wildcats head to the Alamodome on Thursday for the biggest game in seven years at Gregory-Portland, against San Antonio Southwest Legacy, a 10-1 team that on paper is the best Class 5A team from the San Antonio area in 2021.

"We have huge momentum going to the Alamodome this week," Redden said. "We are coming off a big playoff win. The whole town was there and hopefully it will be the same this week in San Antonio."

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Quinton Martinez covers all things sports in South Texas. Support local coverage like this by checking out our subscription options and special offers at Caller.com/subscribe

This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: High school Football: Redden leads Gregory-Portland's emergence