Lake Brantley running back KJ Bradford was not going to let anyone touch his special needs teammate during the final game of the high school football regular season in Florida. He will always make sure to shield him, both on and off of the field.
His vow to protect led to one of the most powerful moments of the year.
Some things are bigger than high school football and/or sports. Throw the score to the side, this was one of those things.
Lake Brantley went up big during its Florida high school football game.
Lake Brantley High School is located in Orlando suburb of Altamonte Springs, Florida. Established in 1972, it enrolls just under 3,00 students in Grades 9-12. The Patriots compete in Class 6A, District 3 under the Florida High School Athletic Association. Their high school football team finished the 2026 regular season at 5-5 and could sneak their way into the playoffs as the No. 8 seed.
Regardless of how things shake out for the postseason, they closed out the season with a blowout win on Friday. The dominant victory also created a powerful moment that members of the community will not soon forget.
Lake Brantley defeated Hagerty by a final score of 56-0 in its final game of the year. The Patriots were up big during the second half. As a result, they were able to get some of their backup players in the game. Nicholas Soto was among them.
Soto, who is listed on the football roster as an academic junior, lives with a disability. He is also much smaller than the rest of his classmates in terms of height and weight.
Although his presence as a leader in the locker room is perhaps more important than his numerical statistics, it is rare that Soto gets the chance to participate in a live high school football game. Saturday’s score discrepancy gave him the opportunity to play!
KJ Bradford made sure to protect his special needs teammate.
Soto entered the game after a Lake Brantley touchdown during the second half and lined up as a gunner nearest to the Patriots sideline. KJ Bradford lined up one spot to his right.
The freshman running back had only one job — protect Soto.
“That’s my dawg, nobody was touching him,” Bradford said.
As the kicker approached the tee, Bradford nodded his head as if he was ready to go to war. As the kickoff unit started to run down field, Bradford looked back at his teammate to make sure he was still with him.
And then it was on.
Two Hagerty players ran in Soto’s direction. Bradford got out in front of the first blocker and threw him out of the way with a big collision. Once the first blocker was handled, Bradford quickly turned his attention toward the second. He did not break his strike and delivered the wood. Soto never got touched.
Lake Brantley’s coach gave Soto a big high-five when he reached the sideline. Soto was beaming with pride. Bradford turned back toward his teammate after the play and threw his hands out to the side as if to say “I told you, I got you!”
Here is a video of the kickoff from start to finish: (Unfortunately, the song is AI-generated. Also unfortunately, it’s a banger.)
Wins and losses come a dime a dozen but nobody can judge effort because effort is between you and you. Bradford was willing to do whatever it took to protect Soto. Soto got the opportunity to play high school football. They both went all-out for each other.
oto and Bradford are not just teammates, they’re brothers. No matter what happens with the postseason, Lake Brantley delivered the most remarkable moment of the high school football season on a seemingly meaningless kickoff during a blowout win. It’s one of those moments that is bigger than sports. I am glad we are able to witness it!