1nutlftMountain Pointe senior running back Gary Bragg has returned to the backfield for the Pride for the 2017 season.
Bragg’s 2016 season came to an early end when he suffered an ACL tear just five games into the year.
“It was heartbreaking,” Bragg said. “After I got the surgery, just laying on the couch, all I could think about was my team. I tried to be at practices and games, on the busses, I tried to be there as much as I could to cheer the team on.”
Bragg’s injury was a tough loss for the Pride. In those five games, he had 891 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns.
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After eight months of rehab, and almost a year since the injury, Bragg is slowly but surely returning to his old form.
“He’s not quite in condition yet because he wasn’t able to do a lot of the stuff the rest of the team was doing,” Mountain Pointe head coach Norris Vaughan said. “But he’s slowly coming into shape and we expect really big things from him the rest of the year.”
In 2017 so far, Bragg has 213 rushing yards and three touchdowns in three games. He is well on his way to a complete return.
“The process of them bending it again, it was pretty tough,” Bragg said. “It was a lot of days fought, but it was well worth it. I’m in the sports med room every day, just doing whatever they can do to prevent me from getting injuries.”
Next week against Pinnacle, Bragg will be able to play without the brace he has been wearing on his left knee. He said he hopes getting rid of the extra weight will help him further regain his agility.
“Gary is a fine back,” Vaughan said. “If he gets back to full speed, he’s one of the top backs in Arizona.”
