BOCA RATON – In St. John Paul II’s 49-0 blowout win over Everglades Prep Academy this past Friday night (Nov. 6), Kevin Braggs made a statement on the field.

The Eagles junior defensive back caught an interception that he returned for a touchdown to give
his team a 14-0 lead in the Class 3A-Region 4 play-in contest. This came on the Eagles second drive of the game, setting the tone for what would turn into a shutout victory.

Braggs also recorded two tackles on defense, while tallying up 92 all-purpose yards.

For that, he was chosen as our Breakthrough Player of Week 9.

“He played real hard,” Eagles sophomore running back Matthew Wilson said. “He told me that since he had a bad game against St. Andrews, he was going to go crazy two nights ago and he stood on that. He attacked the ball every time it was sent his way. I was really proud of his performance last Friday night.”

In seven games played, the 6-foot-1, 165-pound defensive back has recorded 24 tackles, nine pass breakups, two interceptions, and one touchdown. His best game was against Jupiter Christian, when he had four tackles, two pass breakups, and his first pick of the season.

Instead of speaking about himself, Braggs spoke on what the entire team has accomplished.

“We as a team have worked very hard over these past couple of weeks after losing two games in a row,” Braggs said. “We understand the mission and what it takes to be a winning team.”

St. John Paul II (5-2) will get a chance to avenge a 25-12 road loss from earlier this fall to Cardinal Newman (4-3). Their Class 3A playoff tilt is the Region 4 quarterfinals, which will be played at Newman on Friday, Nov. 13 at 7:30 p.m.

“It feels great to know we worked hard this season,” Braggs said. “But the [regular] season over and we still have something to prove. We know they have gotten better, but so have we. It should be a great game.”

PHOTO CREDITS: Keith Forde