Bartow's Glogower selected for Under Armour All-American regional team

At first, it did not appear Brayden Glogower would have the best lacrosse season of his career at Bartow High. But in the end, Glogower etched his name into Bartow and Polk County history.

Glogower, a rising senior and Bartow High defender, is the first Yellow Jacket to earn a spot on the Under Armour All-America Lacrosse South regional team. He competed in three games on June 5 at the New Tampa Sports Complex against some of the best high school lacrosse players in the nation.

He played well enough to participate in a callback game — a match in which he stood out by garnering five ground balls and two takeaways. Eventually, he was one of 23 players selected to play in the South regional national game July 28-31 in Maryland.

While Glogower did not make the team last year, this time he went through an hour of evaluation which included demonstrating his lacrosse drills followed by three games and a callback contest impressing the Under Armour coaches.

All Saints' Yohance Love competed and also made the callback game.

“It’s an incredible feeling," Glogower said. "I mean, it’s the most prestigious honor. I feel like all the hard work that I put in for the past seven years is finally starting to pay off. And I think this is a great opportunity to help me get recruited to go to a good college and play the sport I love.”

But the path didn't always seem so clear.

Also a football player, Glogower tore his ACL going out for a pass during practice on Aug. 17. He was hit in the left leg as his left foot was planted in the ground. This came one year his PCL while playing football as a sophomore. Glogower underwent surgery a month later.

“It was so crushing because I was so ready and I was so into it, and I told myself, ’I’m not going to let this beat me down, I’m going to work harder,’" Glogower said. "And I used that as motivation to fuel myself to be the best player on the field every time I step on the field. And I think that hard work and that grind has made me the player that I am today.”

The rehab took six months to complete. Glogower went to Optimal Performance and Physical Therapies in Lakeland to rebuild his strength in his leg, honing in on the stability in the knee.

“You have no stability whatsoever, so they have to rebuild that muscle and re-strengthen that muscle around your knee to make sure that stability is there to be able to perform on a high level,” Glogower said.

Ahead of the 2022 season and even to this day Glogower engages in stability and leg-strengthening drills. His first game back was against Sunlake on March 11, and he registered four ground balls, two takeaways and three shots on goal.

Rebuilding his muscle seemed to be working. His best game of the year came against Key West on April 8, when he put up 10 ground balls  five takeaways and a goal.

His defense was consistent through the year as he helped lead Bartow to the district championship game for the first time in school history. Statistically, Glogower racked up 24 takeaways, 40 ground balls and two goals in eight games en route to his third all-county selection.

“Brayden is the type of player that can overcome any obstacle because of his drive not only to be great, but to be the best,” Bartow head coach Derek Keating said. “If we would have let him, he would have played with the injury because he wants to be on the field, helping his team in any way possible. It is easy having him as a captain because not only does he want to be the best, he also wants everyone around him to be great.”

And with the 2022 high school season wrapped up, he is playing on three different traveling teams in preparation for Under Armour’s all-star game in July. In between games, often found with a stick in his hand, the rising senior is working on speed drills to improve his footwork.

“I’m doing everything that I can to make sure I am at the best level, (so) when I get to that game, I can really perform in front of the coaches,” Glogower said.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Bartow's Glogower selected for Under Armour All-American regional team