His place in Wildcat history was solidified two weeks ago when he was named an All-Ohio Division III first team quarterback, the most significant in a long list of post-season all-star achievements, but Franklin H.S. senior Braden Woods does not turn every subject and conversation into something that is all about him.
No, no, quite the opposite. Braden, who is as smart and articulate as he is athletically gifted, is quick to shift any discussion into a tribute to the important people who have impacted him through the years — his family, coaches, teammates, teachers, his faith community, and the people of Franklin.
He feels blessed. He will be a Wildcat forever.
“Growing up, I was like, ‘I want to get out of here and go south,’” Braden says. “But the more I think about it, it’s awfully hard to leave Franklin. There is a strong tradition in this town. If I have a son someday, I can’t see wanting him to play anywhere else than here. Wherever I end up (in college), I’d want to come back and let my son experience what my parents let me experience here.”
So Braden, who was a captain on this year’s 9-1 Wildcat team that won the league and went to the playoffs, is forever thankful.
He was able to fulfill a dream that was instilled in him many years ago.
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“EVER SINCE I WAS LITTLE, you can ask my dad, I was constantly throwing a football,” Braden says. “I fell in love with the game at an early age.” And, fortunately, Braden had the benefit of always being around football.
While Braden’s mother, Tammy, is a fifth grade teacher at Hunter Elementary (“Mrs. Mom,” he called her when she was Braden’s teacher), his father, Steve, is one of Franklin’s longtime football coaches. Steve has most recently been the quarterbacks coach for the varsity, and Braden was able to go work with his dad.
“Two-a-days gave me some of my favorite memories because I got to be around the guys all day long,” Braden remembers. “It was awesome. I got to see my dad coach guys like Tyler Wulff, Kevin Stewart, and Luke Kennard, and to be on the same field that I would have pee wee practice on later that night, that was cool. I kind of felt like I was one of the guys.”
Once the season started and the varsity had pre-game meals, Braden ate with them. When the games were away and the team rode the bus, Braden sat up front with his dad. “I felt like I was on the team,” he says.
“I remember when we played Wapakoneta in the playoffs (in 2011, when Braden was in fourth grade). I was the ball boy. And I remember looking up into the stands and seeing literally that there were no open seats. It started soaking in, watching Kevin Stewart and seeing how poised he was under pressure — all the attention was on the quarterback. And it made me fall in love with the position even more.”
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BRADEN PLAYED QUARTERBACK all the way up the program, except for eighth grade when a shoulder injury temporary sent him temporarily to wide receiver. Ryan Russell was his quarterback that year, and though Ryan did an excellent job, Braden missed his old position. “I was used to calling plays and getting the ball on every play,” he says. “It was hard.”
By his freshman year, Braden was back behind center. He was JV quarterback when the Wildcat varsity went 10-0 in 2016, which meant he was at least on the sidelines under the Friday Night Lights. "Everything was a blast," he says.
Then, in the third game of the 2017 season at Piqua, Braden was thrust into the varsity starting lineup when another Braden — Braden White — tore an ACL. Braden (Woods) started the rest of the way as Franklin went 8-2 and advanced to the playoffs.
After a 6-4 junior season, Braden and his teammates heard rumblings that the 2019 Wildcats might struggle, likely finishing 5-5. “We knew we had more in store for us than that,” Braden says. “We had a ton of leaders on our team, so we kind of had a chip on our shoulder to prove those people wrong.”
And they did just that. They scored big wins against Madison and Edgewood to start the season. Though they lost to Xenia in Week Three, it is worth noting that Xenia went on to make the playoffs for the first time in school history. And the Wildcats turned a negative into a positive.
“Sometimes a loss can bring a team together, and think that’s what happened after the Xenia game,” Braden says. The ‘Cats won their last seven in a row.
They needed big efforts against Bellbrook and Valley View in order to do that. And though the pundits predicted Franklin would come up short, “We still had that chip on our shoulder,” Braden says. “We knew we had to come out and take care of business.”
For the season, Braden completed nearly 60 percent of his passes, throwing 16 touchdowns and only 2 interceptions. Ryan Russell, Dylan Dirks, and Bret Dalton each caught 5 touchdown passes. Braden was named the SWBL Southwestern Division offensive player of the year.
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WILDCAT HEAD COACH BRAD Childers says Braden is going to be difficult to replace, for a lot of reasons. “He’s got a warrior mentality. He was a leader of this team; they voted him as a captain,” Coach says. “His work ethic, during the off season and during the season, is second to none.”
“He’s faithful. He’s never going to embarrass your program. He comes from a football family. And his football IQ is extremely high. And this list goes on and on and on…”
Braden has visited some Ivy League schools, plus some others. He plans to major in mechanical engineering. “As the son of two teachers, I know education is important,” Braden says. “I just want to go somewhere where I can get a good education and still play competitive football.” So he will continue his search until he finds the school that gives him both.
After that, only time will tell.
But one thing is certain. Braden believes he will eventually end up back in Franklin.
There is a phrase in Franklin, “Once A Wildcat, Always A Wildcat.”
For Braden, that rings true. Forever.
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(All photos are by Charles Woods of Woods Photography, Braden's grandfather. At top, Braden (9) leads the team onto the field. At middle right, (L-R) Bri, Braden, Brittni, Steve, and Tammy Woods. At middle left, Braden is at work at Madison in the first game of the season. At bottom, Braden is with Matt Centers back and Cooper Daniels in the grade school days when they were ball boys for the Franklin football team).