Jackson Brady on unexpectedly finding his way onto the lacrosse field at Tesoro HS
LADERA RANCH, Calif. — After playing baseball his whole life and adding football to his repertoire his freshman year, Jackson Brady found his way onto the turf in Lacrosse gear. “For me, it was life-changing,” Brady explains, “I mean, the Native Americans called it ‘the medicine game’ because they found it to be healing.”
The pace of the game is a better fit for Brady. He points out that in both football and baseball, there’s a lot of time in between plays. In lacrosse, the playtime moves very quickly.
His switch in sports resulted in an impressive high school career at the goalie position. Gaining experience year to year led to a remarkable junior season. Brady finished the season second in California for average goals against at 6.2 and fifth in the State for save percentage at .627. (Compared to the national average of .23!) As he heads into his senior season this winter, Tesoro’s head coach, Scott Grubert, raves Brady is “the best goalie in California.”
While he is talking to a few NCAA programs and, understandably, can’t yet divulge which programs those might be, Brady believes lacrosse is serving a more important purpose. “I’ve had my fair share of low points in my life, and lacrosse is what helped me get out of it,” shares Brady. “It took my mind off things. It was my escape.”
The diversity in the physique of the players is one aspect that attracted Brady to the sport. Unlike football, where everyone is big, or soccer, where everyone is fast, lacrosse allows everyone to excel with work. “There are the big, strong guys who do their job,” Brady points out, “And then there are also quick, shifty players who play other roles with a different style.” He encourages Ladera youth to consider lacrosse because it has a role for every body type.
Living in Ladera Ranch since he was a toddler, Brady acknowledges that Ladera’s community has positively impacted his sports journey. “You know a lot of the community here bonds over sports,” he explains, “So that just helped me find my love for different sports and take the time to try them all.”
Brady may have already exceeded even his own expectations for his development in the sport. Still, he does not plan on backing down any time soon. He pushes himself physically by working out at the new EOS gym in Ladera every day, attending his high school practices, and incorporating personal training workouts in between. Jackson also plays for two club lacrosse teams—including the Southern California Bulls, who boast of some big college commitments for their 2022 seniors.
“My biggest thing is having a plan. For my workouts, and especially when I’m on the field,” says Brady. “Having a plan helps me to stay composed and calm because being a goalie can be very stressful.”
Jackson Brady’s plan is to continue growing and improving to bring even more success to the lacrosse field for Tesoro High School. What happens after that may just be the icing on the cake.
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