Mustangs’ Grady Garner follows brothers’ footsteps on path to the end zone
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Grady Garner got an early taste of what the Mifflin-Wilson football rivalry is all about.
He followed every move made by older brothers Lucas and Tucker, standouts at Gov. Mifflin a decade ago, and couldn’t wait to have his chance.
He’s making the most of it.
The junior fullback is having a breakout season, leading the Mustangs in rushing and touchdowns as they approach their 66th meeting with the Bulldogs, Friday at 7 at Gurski Stadium.
Grady wears No. 40, same as Lucas, an All-Berks fullback as a senior in 2015. He’s watched Lucas’ highlight videos over and over on Hudl.
“He ran really hard,” Grady said. “I just hoped to be like him.”
Grady could do worse than to try to emulate his twin brothers. Tucker was an All-Berks guard and Berks Defensive Lineman of the Year in 2015. Lucas rushed for 1,202 yards and 15 TDs. Each went on to play at Susquehanna University. Tucker’s now an assistant coach at Middletown; Lucas works for the U.S. Secret Service.
Big shoes but Grady, who goes 5-10, 190, is filling them.
He has been pivotal in the Mustangs’ rebound this season. By running so effectively out of the Mid-Line Option – his 498 rushing yards are third-most in Section 2 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League – he’s been able to take a large part of the load off Brandon Jones, Mifflin’s leading returning rusher.
Jones is a linebacker and a key part of Mifflin’s defense; he leads the team in tackles.
“We learned with (former fullbacks) Brandon Strausser and Trey Rock, it was very tough for them to take the fullback load and be as effective at linebacker,” said Mifflin coach Jeff Lang. “I was concerned about ‘Jonesy.’ (Now) he’s so much fresher and playing lights out on defense; it really helps out a lot.”
Garner leads the team with 84 carries; Jones has 37.
Garner was hoping to get in there last season but an early injury knocked him off stride and he was never able to show Lang what he had. He took a helmet to his right quad on the first day of contact drills. It left a contusion and affected his running style: He ran too tall and couldn’t use his pads to drive forward.
He had a big offseason in the weight room, improved his speed during track season – his 11.45 at the Stephan Meet was the second-fastest by a Berks runner that day — and came to camp looking like a different player.
“I just got more confidence in myself over the summer and through the first couple weeks of the year,” Garner said. “I’m just playing with the confidence that I should.”
Garner had a breakout game in a 35-16 win over Boyertown, running for three touchdowns and a career-best 185 yards on 25 carries.
“Grady’s showing so much potential of being a really, really good back,” Lang said after that. “He’s running with his shoulder pads in front of him now, which was his issue last year.
“He’s a determined runner. He’s running downhill, which is what we want out of our fullbacks. That’s been a blessing for us.”
“My goal (this season) was just to get playing time,” Garner said. “I got some playing time, and I’m just showing Coach Lang why I should be on the field.”
Garner’s emergence doesn’t surprise Mifflin center Gavin Kelly; he played with Grady in the Broncos program and knew the Mustangs had something special on the way.
“I expected him to show out this year,” Kelly said.
Garner and Kelly will be pivotal Friday as the Mustangs look to turn things around after a 32-14 loss to Wilson last season.
With Nick Singleton doing his thing at Penn State the Mustangs are back to their old-school Veer-style attack. That means quick-hitting plays between the tackles. Garner, running behind a stable offensive line, has been able to do that. If he can do it Friday the Mustangs figure to make things interesting in West Lawn.
“Now it’s ground-and-pound, 3, 4 5 yards at a time,” Kelly said. “That’s what Mifflin is. We’ve just gotta get that push on the line and we’ve gotta hit those holes hard. Same game plan as always.”
The other part of the equation is stopping the Bulldogs. That won’t be easy. Quarterback Tommy Hunsicker is having a big year and he’s got dangerous targets to throw to in Edison Case and Madyx Gruber; they each have three touchdown receptions, as does tight end Brady Kline.
Hunsicker has thrown for 1,071 yards and 11 TDs, with just two interceptions. He’s also a threat running with the ball, either on designed plays or scrambles out of the pocket. He leads Wilson in rushing, and with five TDs. Take away his negative sack yardage and he’s rushed for 293 yards, nearly double any of the Bulldogs’ other backs.
“He is very accurate, so he’ll find a way to beat you,” Lang said of Hunsicker. “Their passing game’s very good, but he’s also able to run, so you’ve gotta keep him in check. From last year to this year . . . he’s really making a name for himself as a quarterback.”
Grady Garner is hoping to do something his brothers never did: Beat Wilson.
“I’m just really excited that I get the opportunity to be a part of it,” he said of the rivalry.
