FBCA QB Dever continues record-breaking season

Brady Dever has spent most of this season breaking records. His own.

Fort Bend Christian Academy's 6-foot-2, 185-pound junior quarterback had another historic performance in Friday's 53-14 rout of The Woodlands Christian Academy, completing 24 of 33 passes for 515 yards and eight touchdowns to no interceptions in the Eagles' TAPPS Division II District 4 opener.

The number of yards and touchdowns are FBCA records. In the Eagles' season-opener against Boling, Dever also recorded FBCA bests in completions (31) and attempts (45).

In handing The Woodlands Christian Academy its first loss of the season, Dever completed passes to five different receivers and threw touchdowns to four different receivers. He threw five touchdowns by halftime.

"They pretty much gave us everything we were working," Dever said. "Their defensive backs were giving us space, and with our playmakers on the outside, in the slot and our running back, we were just taking what they were giving us. We weren't going for the $100 bill. We'd take the fives, they'd adjust, and then we'd go over the top."

The Eagles (3-3, 1-0 district) have four receivers with legitimate NCAA Division I talent in seniors Marcus Chretien and Donovan Dixon, and juniors Bryan Domino and Braylon Gardoni. Running back Sam Leblue is also a high-level playmaker.

Dever has plenty of weapons at his disposal, and he is making the most of what he has.

"It's so hard to stop," Dever said. "If you want to take the run away, we'll throw it on you. It's hard to be right. As long as we're perfect and doing our jobs, it's hard to stop."

Gardoni was a standout as a sophomore for FBCA last season. Chretien and Domino are summer transfers from Class 6A programs; Chretien from Fort Bend Travis and Dixon from George Ranch. Domino transferred from 5A Richmond Foster last winter.

The three newcomers are having exceptional debuts for the Eagles. Against TWCA, Domino had six catches for 148 yards and three touchdowns. Chretien had six catches for 153 yards and two touchdowns. Dixon had five catches for 100 yards and a touchdown.

The trio has combined for 14 touchdowns this season. Gardoni has four.

"It's crazy the ball skills all of them have," Dever said. "The ability Bryan has to make people miss. Him and Braylon at the slot are pretty crazy. Marcus and Donovan have those big-play abilities. They get a lot of yards after the catch and are tough to bring down.

"As long as I get the ball to them, I know they're going to make things happen."

Dever spent the summer playing a lot of 7-on-7 with his teammates, which helped him improve identifying defensive coverages and getting more comfortable in the offense. He worked with FBCA offensive coordinator Aaron Carpenter every day and trained often with Sean Salisbury, a former NFL quarterback who played for five teams, including the Houston Oilers.

Dever's diligent work is reaping rewards. Through six games, he has completed 60.3 percent of his passes for 1,791 yards and 22 touchdowns to only three interceptions.

"I feel I'm making good decisions," Dever said. "I don't throw a lot of interceptions or make a lot of simple mistakes. Accuracy is a big part of my game, whether it's throwing a receiver open or a touch pass. I feel like I know what to do with the ball, but I'm learning the position more and more every day."

Dever only recently started focusing heavily on football. His first passion is baseball. He is a standout third baseman and outfielder.

Dever said he would like to play both sports in college. Some of the colleges he's talked to are offering the opportunity to do that.

For football, Dever said he has talked to SMU, Louisiana Tech, Baylor, Oklahoma State, and most of the Ivy League schools. For baseball, Dever said he has talked to Purdue, Oklahoma, Wake Forest, Boston College, Louisiana Tech, and most of the Ivy Leagues.

"I'm open-minded with it now, but there's still a lot of time to make that decision," Dever said. "I'll just wait for that moment."