Nate Bradley revived his football career, but the Zelienople native knew he had made the right decision long before he stepped onto the gridiron.

Bradley, 17, had a promising career as a tailback at Seneca Valley High School.

As a sophomore, he set a team record for longest run from scrimmage when he scored on a 95-yard run to help the Raiders defeat Fox Chapel.

But poor grades kept him out for much of his junior campaign, though he still showed potential with 213 yards on 45 carries and three touchdowns.

As the end of his junior year neared, Bradley's grade-point average was hovering around 2.0. He knew that his future, including his goal of playing college football, was in jeopardy.

That's when he made a difficult but necessary decision.

"I knew that if I wanted to succeed and have a chance to go to college, I had to make a move," Bradley said.

That move landed Bradley at Valley Forge Military Academy and College near Philadelphia. It's the same school Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald attended before arriving at the University of Pittsburgh.

"I was going to be leaving my friends, family and the football program that I was a part of," Bradley added.

Arriving in late August, Bradley was told by Valley Forge coach Mike Korom that he would see playing time, despite the fact that there were three post-high school graduates in front of him on the depth chart.

"We reward kids for how they perform during the week in practice," said Korom. "Just because you're third or fourth on the depth chart, you can still earn a starting spot in practice.

"And we had watched some tape of Nate when he was playing for his high school," he added. "We noticed that he had a lot of talent offensively and defensively."

"There's a lot of players on this team who have already graduated from high school," said Bradley. "But I knew it was going to help me just being around better athletes. I looked at it as an opportunity to become a better player."

Bradley ended up starring on special teams, as well as starting three games at tailback and performing well at free safety.

"We play a 4-4 defense and blitz our linebackers a lot," said Korom. "That means we need a strong secondary, and Nathan was a big part of that this season for us."

But his crowning achievement on the field came in the season finale on Oct. 21.

Bradley rushed for 129 yards and two touchdowns and played a strong game on defense in a 54-14 win over Freedom Academy (N.Y.), giving Valley Forge a winning record at 4-3.

Though Valley Forge does not keep cumulative stats each season, Korom was impressed with Bradley's ability to seize opportunities.

"We run a multiple set on offense and pass the ball a lot," he said. "When we do run the ball, we expect our backs to be able to read the play and react. They have to be able to cut back., and Nathan did an outstanding job every time we put him in."

As gratifying as his feats on the field were, Bradley also is taking care of business where it matters most — in the classroom.

"I've got my GPA up to 3.0 now," he said. "My classes are very similar to what I'd be taking in high school. Right now I've got an English course, math, business, Latin ... but this school is very regimented. We get up at 5:30 in the morning and clean the barracks and classes start at 7:30. And there's a lot of physical training like sit-ups, push-ups, running — things that make sure we stay in shape."

Bradley plans to run track in the spring. He ran the 100- and 200-meter dashes as well as on SV's 400 relay team his sophomore year.

Bradley will graduate from Valley Forge in early June.

As for his goal of playing football in college, he seems to be on pace to make it come true.

"Right now, I'm looking at Division II schools in Western Pennsylvania like IUP and Edinboro."