Soderstrom wills his way to the top

The situation was dire. Century, which hadn't scored a single point all season, had just scored their first offensive touchdown in seven quarters. But they still trailed Tuscarora by seven, 14-7, with just two minutes to go.

The Knights' offense had the ball and faced a fourth-and-13 from their own 25-yard line. It was do or die.

In the huddle, Century quarterback Josh Bordner told his receivers to run deep downfield. Bordner knew his No. 1 target would be covered. So he looked to junior wide out Brandon Soderstrom , who was starting just his second game on varsity.

Lining up in the slot, Soderstrom faced one-on-one coverage. At the snap, he broke away cleanly and ran a post pattern 25 yards up-field. Bordner stood in the pocket, waiting patiently for the play to develop. After an agonizing three seconds, the Boston College-bound gunslinger fired a low-and-away bullet in Soderstrom's direction.

Soderstrom alertly adjusted. He stopped his route and dove forward, thrusting his right hand out like those guys in the movies making a desperate attempt to save the guy hanging off a cliff. And just like in Hollywood - at least the Disney version of Hollywood - Soderstrom made the catch.

Century coach Jim Holzman later called it the "catch of the year." Soderstrom did him one better: "It was the best catch in my life."

"After that I knew we were going to score," Soderstrom said. "Everyone was freaking out; I was stoked. It gave us new life."

With a first down and 50 yards to go, Century proceeded to march downfield for a touchdown. But instead of going for a tie, they went for the win with a two-point conversion … and failed. The 14-13 loss put a damper of Century's spirits, but no one forgot about Soderstrom's miraculous reception.

"Watching film later, we had to keep looking at it over and over because we couldn't believe he caught it," Holzman said. "After he did that we knew he could help us at wide receiver."

Thus began Soderstrom's improbable rise as a varsity football star.

Brandon Soderstrom is not the most physically gifted football player. He stands 6-feet tall - average for a wide receiver - and weighs less than 160 pounds. His 40-yard dash time is a pedestrian 4.7, and his vertical leap doesn't exactly cull up images of LeBron James.

Yet Soderstrom excels. Last year he moved up the depth chart to No. 2 receiver. He caught 27 passes for 450 yards and six touchdowns. He earned Second Team All-County (Carroll) and Second Team MVAL honors. Next year he's slotted to be Century's go-to receiver.

How's he do it?

"I work extremely hard to be a complete receiver," Soderstrom said. "Without hard work, you won't get anywhere. In practice and in games I'm very critical of myself. I'm always working harder to get better."

Soderstrom knows he won't beat a speedy cornerback one-on-one, so he uses his guile to outsmart him. At the line of scrimmage he'll start a series by muscling up on a defender. Then later he'll come back with a double-move, hoping to cause confusion.

Soderstrom also watches film extensively, looking for tendencies that may give him an advantage.

"He pays attention to every little detail," Holzman said. "He always has good body position, runs crisp routes and is always where's he supposed to be. Even on running plays we always see Brandon making a key block to spring the run."

Blocking is a point of pride for Soderstrom. Even with the big-armed Bordner, Century, like most high school football teams in Maryland, is a run-first team.

"Most big running plays come as a result of blocks by receivers downfield," Soderstrom said. "I take pride in that. But the best part about blocking is that I can get some big hits on corners. That's pretty fun. I like to hit, and as a receiver I don't get too many chances."

South Carroll can attest to Soderstrom's blocking prowess. In the Division 2A playoffs, Century had the ball on South Carroll's 1-yard line. Holzman called a pitch-out, but the defense read the play beautifully.

The Century running back panicked and reversed field. Carroll's linebackers were in hot pursuit, but then Soderstrom came off the edge and leveled two of the defenders. The block allowed the Knights' ball-carrier to get back to the line of scrimmage.

"A lot of receivers take running plays off," Holzman said. "But he goes 100 percent every play."

Anything less than all-out effort is unacceptable - in everything Soderstrom does. Besides studying football like a religion, Soderstrom has built himself into a starter on Century's basketball team. The shooting guard averages 10 points per game.

In the classroom he carries an un-weighted 3.8 GPA and ranks in the top 10 percent of his class.

"He has an extremely competitive nature and you see that in everything he does," Holzman said. "He's a well-rounded student-athlete."

For Soderstrom, he knows his classroom dedication will pay dividends.

"I don't want to rely on football to get into college," Soderstrom said. "I know my grades need to be good and that's what really attracts colleges to you."

But if Soderstrom continues his on-field success he has a chance to play college football, too, according to Holzman. His grades, combined with his penchant for game-changing plays, could land him at a Division II program.

"I would love to play at the next level," Soderstrom said. "If I keep working hard and putting together good seasons, it will happen."