Junior wideout develops into big playmaker

August 20, 2011
By Robert Niedzwiecki
The Winchester Star

WINCHESTER- T.J. Bruce was about to fall onto his back with a thud, and it appeared the ball thrown his way was about to become acquainted with the ground in similar fashion.

But somehow, Bruce - who fell after he and his defender collided - popped up off his back with the ball in his hands.

The Kelican Stadium crowd on hand to see the James Wood football team play Musselman (W.Va.) in the Colonels' second game of the 2010 season roared in astonished delight over the third-down catch that moved the chains.

As Bruce made his way to the sideline, players ran up to him excitedly, and coaches congratulated him on the amazing catch that also just happened to be the first of Bruce's career.

Bruce, now a junior, still doesn't know how he caught it. But as James Wood coach Mike Bolin will tell you, nothing that happens with Bruce is an accident, which is why he wasn't as surprised as the crowd on that catch. If the 6-foot-3, 190-pound wide receiver has a chance to make a play on a ball, odds are Bruce is coming down with it.

"He catches everything you throw at him," Bolin said. "Honestly, I don't think I've seen him drop one pass in our first two weeks of practice.

"And he knows how to put himself in position to make catches. He knows how to post up a defender in football like he does in basketball. He knows where to put his hips and arms to give himself a clean shot at the ball. He's an imposing presence out there. We're going to throw it up to him, and he's going to catch it." For the past four years, there's nothing Bruce has enjoyed doing more. And with Bruce looking to take on a larger leadership role and looking to play in college, he's setting aside more time than ever to make himself even better.

Bruce - who led James Wood and ranked fourth in the area with 26 catches and also added 312 yards and two touchdowns receiving in 2010 - gives a lot of credit to his family, particularly his father Troy, for helping him become the player he is today.

Bruce moved to wide receiver in seventh grade after having previously played running back and quarterback. Perhaps one of the reasons why Bruce has rarely dropped anything since is because of the countless days spent throwing the football around with his father from the time dinner ended until it got dark.

Bruce said his father never lets him forget the importance of hard work.

"Every day when I wake up my dad will say, 'You know what you have to do today in practice. You've got to give it your all in everything you do. If you're doing it halfway, why are you even doing it?'" Bruce said.

That mind-set helped Bruce shine in 2010. Bolin said he could tell Bruce was a little nervous at the season's outset, but he quickly showed that his route-running was second to none among the receiving corps.

"We didn't know he'd have as big a year as he had," Bolin said. "Twenty-six catches is a lot for our offense. Every time we called his number, he made the play."

For Bruce, it meant a lot to play such a large role in a passing attack that James Wood seems more and more comfortable with each year.

"When I came here from middle school, people were always telling me, 'Why are you coming here? They don't even throw the ball,'" Bruce said. "It felt amazing to know that they could count on me. To know I can have a difference on the field. To have that impact for a team to help us get that touchdown and help us win that game."

As good as Bruce's first catch was, there were plenty of other big moments that followed.

Bruce fondly remembers his 79-yard touchdown catch against Brentsville and an acrobatic 28-yard touchdown catch against Tuscarora because of the smiles on his parents' faces after the games.

But there's also plays like the one that Bruce made against Sherando, when former quarterback Matt Copley was scrambling and couldn't find anyone. Finally, Bruce leapt to catch a ball near the sideline and got his foot down to keep James Wood going forward.

Bruce's presence is the reason why Bolin has floated the idea of having fellow wide receiver Chad Potter line up as a running back on occasion this year.

"I don't think moving Chad would be an option if we didn't have a guy like T.J.," Bolin said.

But in an ideal world, Bruce and Potter will be able to work together as receivers as much as possible.

"When we've got Chad in the slot and T.J. spread out, that's going to give some defenses trouble I think," Bolin said. "They've played together for two years, and they're comfortable and familiar with each other. [Quarterback] Jake [Lewin's] going to have a good year because of those two."

Bruce doesn't want to just help Lewin's cause either, and that's why he's been working hard on improving his blocking.

"There are some really good running backs back there, and I don't do my job of blocking on the outside, there's nothing for them," he said. "We know those guys can get up on the sideline and score a touchdown. That's how quick those guys are."

Bolin also expects Bruce to play a big role as a starting cornerback after playing in about 10 to 15 snaps a game last year as James Wood's No. 4 defensive back.

"He's made some really great reads," said Bolin, who is in his fourth year as head coach after serving four years as an assistant. "He understands the position. It's going to be tough for quarterbacks to get the ball over or under him, because he's so athletic and so big.

"There haven't been a lot of really big corner types since I've been here in this district. But he's got the speed and the quickness of the smaller guys, and he's the size of a linebacker."

Basically, Bruce is just trying to be as complete a player as he can be. During the summer he participated in two invitation-only Football University camps, including the Top Gun All-Star Camp in Williamsburg that featured many of the nation's elite prospects.

At the top gun camp, wide receivers were each assigned a quarterback to work with, and Bruce was paired with one who will attend Arkansas on a scholarship.

"Being around guys like that just improves your game so much more," said Bruce, one of 500 players invited to the U.S. Army National Combine in San Antonio in December.

And when Bruce wasn't at camps, he was working with people like Millbrook wide receiver/linebacker Issac Meadows three times a week, doing sprints and footwork drills.

If Bruce wants to help James Wood and play in college, he knows he can't rest.

"My dad told me I have to work my butt off. What separates D-I athletes from the rest of the athletes is what you do when no one's looking,'" Bruce said. "That's a big thing that's just helped. When everyone's sleeping, [Issac and I] were up doing something, making a difference."

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