The 'Real' Deal

 It was the greatest performance I have EVER seen on a football field, one of those moments that I'll remember forever. As I sat in the stands  at West York High School last November after my alma-mater, the Conrad Weiser Scouts, had just been defeated in the PIAA District 3 Quarterfinal 56-30 by the West York Bulldogs, I was still trying to process what I had just seen. One man standing a poultry 5'7, 170 pounds had just single handedly put on a performance for the ages, scoring six touchdowns while running for a District 3 playoff record 406 yards on 31 carries against a darn good football team. That man, was Brandon Real.

            Almost a year later, the scene for the ‘Real Express' has shifted to Bloomsburg University, where Real has come in as a true freshmen and made significant contributions as a returner on special teams. After a monstrous senior season at West York High school, one in which he racked up 2,607 yards and 51 touchdowns and first team All-State honors, Real received many recruitment letters from big Division 1 schools such as UCONN, Maryland, Pittsburgh and even Penn State.   Most of the big schools that showed interest in Real were confident he could play division 1, but feared him being too small to be an every down back and make a contribution right away.  Enter in Bloomsburg, where head coach Dan Hale and his staff had been keeping an eye on the West York star throughout his senior season. "West York has been coming to our team camps every summer and his high school coach played for Brian McBryan, our offensive line coach," said Hale. "Plus West York runs some of our plays. Brandon was a top prospect for us."

            "I chose BU because the coaching staff up here is very similar to the staff back home at West York," said Real. "I felt really comfortable here and it felt like home to me."

            Looking at Real, there are many qualities that make the 5'7 170 pound running back so deadly. "He has so many different qualities that you love in a running back," says Conrad Weiser High school head football coach Alan Moyer, whose team faced Real in his infamous six touchdown, 431 yard district performance last year. "He's an elusive type kid who has the ability to go from 0-10 very quickly, stop to start and get up the field quickly."  Real, who isn't the biggest kid on the block, makes his presence felt with his shiftiness and his mind, what he lacks in size, he makes up for with heart. "I honestly believe that my vision and shiftiness  are my greatest strengths  because I can see things that some people just can't see and when I do see that, I can change directions very easily and stop and regain my speed easily," said Real.

            Unlike most true-freshmen, Real has come in and made an immediate impact for the Huskies this fall as a return man on special teams. In week six versus Millersville, Real fielded a punt at his own 32-yard line and lit up the Marauders on his way to a 68-yard punt return and his first trip to the end zone at Bloomsburg."To find the end zone again and to contribute to that game was amazing. When I scored I felt like I fulfilled the goals that the coaches were expecting of me to do."

            So far this year, Real has produced 362 all-purpose yards, which is third on the entire Huskies team behind starting running backs Derrick Price and Kenny Domzalski and has been the top returner on kickoffs and punts for the Huskies. "He has such great vision," said Hale. "His kick return and punt return ability is something you can't teach.  He has IT. I use that term and I can't always explain it but I know what it is and he has it. We were able to watch his productivity in high school and it fits in very well with what we do."

            Looking into the future, the Huskies will at some point turn the keys to the running game over to the speedster Real, who looks to be the heir-apparent in the long line of very successful running backs to come through Bloomsburg in the past ten years including Marques Glaze, Mike Ceroli, Jamar Brittingham and Derrick Price. " He can be that kind of back for us, we're not predicated on just size, you look at the NFL and you see some small guys being able to perform," said Hale. "We're a vision team, a lot of our plays are designed to break anywhere.  You can see he certainly see his ability from his high school career and we saw some things that we saw characteristically in some of our other backs that have come through our program."

            As for what Real feels was his best game ever throughout his young career, he instantly recalls that fateful night last November when he racked up those record breaking numbers against Conrad Weiser. "It meant a lot to me when it was all said and done," said Real. "To figure out I broke the district record for most yards in a game then to find out the state playoff record was 409 and to think I almost broke that, it just amazed me."