Photos from the Brus Family & Carlo Montalbo.
To view more action shots of Montalbo, please visit his site at https://i4pix.smugmug.com/Sports
Football:
By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor
Glendora’s Braydon Brus has decided where he’s going to play college football.
In a Monday night phone interview, the soon-to-be GHS senior said he narrowed his list to six schools, which included UCLA, Northwestern, Cal, Washington State, Colorado and Boise State.
And his decision?
Brus will join Pat Fitzgerald’s Northwestern Wildcats in 2022 and pursue a degree in business.
Brus isn’t just a great athlete, he also carries a weighted GPA of 4.18.
In the five-games of the 2021 spring season, the 6-foot-1, 215-pound Brus showcased himself as one of the San Gabriel Valley’s most elite and versatile athletes.
GHS went 4-1, and Brus played a huge role at both running back and linebacker.
He led the Tartans defense with 58 tackles, and collected two sacks and an interception.
Brus carried the ball 62 times for 491 yards and scored eight rushing TD’s.
He also caught seven passes for 122 yards.
So, why Northwestern?
“There are a lot of reasons why I chose Northwestern, but it all starts with their academics being ranked in the top 10 in the nation,” Brus said. “I also have so much respect for Coach Fitzgerald, his staff and the program. It really impressed me how much he emphasized his commitment to making sure his players graduated. He’s also the head of the ethics committee for the NCAA.”
Brus is right.
Northwestern is ranked No. 9 academically in the nation and Fitzgerald graduates 99-percent of his players.
Brus was recruited as an inside linebacker, which is a position he’s dominated at over his sophomore and junior seasons.
When asked about the cold weather and his chances of getting some playing time during the fall of 2022, Brus said, “I actually lived in Michigan for the first part of my life and the cold doesn’t bother me. They told me that everyone has the same opportunity to earn playing time, and I intend to come in, work as hard as I can, and start contributing right away.”
For those that don’t know Braydon, he comes from a family of fit athletes.
His uncle, Rich Froning, earned the title of “Fittest Man on Earth,” in 2011, 2012, 2013 & 2014, which no one had ever accomplished.
At the age of seven, Brus visited his uncle and was really impressed with what he saw.
So, Braydon and his parents, Ben & Mary Brus, took up Crossfit and it’s part of the reason he’s so strong, agile and fit.
He started taking it seriously at age seven in a Crossfit kids class.
In the sixth grade, Brus was doing strength and conditioning and a year later, for his birthday, Braydon went to visit his uncle in Tennessee to see how he and his team trained.
A couple years later, he was able to compete against 3,000 competitors, aged 14-15.
The top 200 kids got to do an online qualifier.
Brus would go on to finish fourth in Madison, Wisconsin.
It’s that commitment to strength and conditioning that explains why Brus seems to separate himself from the pack, especially late in games.
And it’s not just Braydon, his parents and uncle that are athletic.
He has two sisters (Isabelle & Brooklyn), one used to be a swimmer and the other did gymnastics.
Noah Brus is just 10, but considering his genes, it would seem the sky is the limit for the youngest of four.
He said his work ethic, values and character are a direct result of watching his parents example as well as the way Ben and Mary Brus have raised their four children.
As excited as Brus is to have his collegiate destination signed, sealed and delivered, he’s also ‘stoked’ that in less than three months, he and his boys at GHS will be back on the field and playing games.
“I wouldn’t be in this position without my coaches and teammates pushing me to be the best player I can,” Brus said. “I am very confident that we can make a deep run in the playoffs and hopefully earn a ring.”
Braydon Brus Career Football Stats at GHS:
2021: Offense: 62 carries for 491 yards 8 TD’s, 7 catches for 122. Defense: 58 tackles, 2 sacks, one INT
2019: Offense: 25-241, TD, 3 catches, 46 yards. Defense: 79 tackles, 4.5 sacks, one INT
Getting to Know Braydon Brus:
Favorite athlete: Christian McCaffrey
Favorite sports team: Detroit Lions
Favorite movie: The Other Guys & Inglorious Basterds
Favorite restaurant: La Tolteca
Person (alive or dead) he’d most want to talk to: Jesus Christ
To view a photo gallery of Brus, click on the Facebook link here: Facebook
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