This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is junior running back Kayden Bradsher. Since his freshman year, Bradsher has been a mainstay on the baseball diamond and the gridiron. This season, Bradsher scored eleven touchdowns. Against J.F. Webb, he rushed for a season-high 181 yards and scored four touchdowns in Hillsborough. That included a 48-yard kickoff return for a touchdown at the end of the first half. In Orange’s opening win of the season against Carrboro, Bradsher scored four touchdown as the Panthers won 38-12 at Jaguars Stadium. He rushed for 154 yards against the Jaguars. Bradsher has been a starter in baseball from the day of his first varsity game against Northern Durham on February 26, 2023. Last season, Bradsher hit .391 and led the team with 27 hits, 30 runs scored, three triples and 18 stolen bases. In a 9-5 win over Chapel Hill on February 26, Bradsher went 3-for-4 with three runs scored. Against Western Alamance on March 21, Bradsher went 3-for-4 with two runs scored in a 11-7 win in Elon. On the gridiron, Bradsher pressed on as he helped first-year head coach Fritz Hessenthaler get acclimated to a new school despite playing injured from the very beginning. Bradsher has been a leader on both teams and supports all of Orange athletics when he isn’t practicing or playing.
