BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
In the week leading up to the game that would decide the District 6-2S championship, Bradford High School running back Willie Pollard said he kept telling himself, “I’ve got to have a big game.”
He did indeed have a big game, rushing for 234 yards and three touchdowns on 31 carries as the number-one ranked Tornadoes defeated 19th-ranked Palatka 35-14 on Oct. 28 in Palatka.
It was Bradford’s first district championship since 2016.
“They deserve it,” Head Coach Jamie Rodgers said. “They’ve put a lot of hard work into this. I’m really happy for them.”
Pollard said, “It’s amazing. We’ve been working hard. We’ve been fighting for it since day one — pretty much the summer. We’ve been fighting for it every day. One game at a time, we’ve been working.”
This was the first season since 2016 that the Tornadoes (9-0, 3-0) even had the opportunity to play for a title. The Florida High School Athletic Association eliminated districts in the smaller classifications from 2017 through 2021.
Now, seniors like linebacker Bryson Bowen have a memory they’ll cherish the rest of their lives.
“It’s crazy. It’s just unreal,” Bowen said. “It’s a journey — my senior year. It’s like we’re playing perfect this season. We’re all just coming together as one. It’s just amazing to be 9-0. It’s an amazing feeling.”
The Tornadoes, who travel to play 17th-ranked Class 2S Suwannee (7-3) in the regular-season finale on Friday, Nov. 4, at 7:30 p.m., earned an automatic bid to the Region 2 playoffs as the district champ.
Bradford opened the game with an eight-play, 80-yard scoring drive. Chalil Cummings caught three passes from Jeremiah McKenzie for 56 yards. Cummings’ 12-yard reception set up a 5-yard touchdown run by Pollard, who had four carries on the drive for 23 yards. Hayden Hughes added the PAT to make the score 7-0 at the 8:12 mark of the first quarter.
Bradford drove from its 35 to the Palatka 2 on its second possession, getting runs of 16 and 22 yards from Pollard. A personal-foul penalty ultimately forced the Tornadoes to attempt a 34-yard field goal, which was no good with 2:28 remaining in the first quarter.
A 12-yard run by Gavin Cook had the Tornadoes beginning their third possession on the Palatka 45. Pollard ripped off a 16-yard gain on the first play, followed by a 14-yard run by Brandon Williams. On third-and-10 from the 15, McKenzie threw a touchdown pass to Chason Clark at the 9:20 mark of the second quarter. Hughes kicked the extra point for a 14-0 lead.
McKenzie finished 5 of 8 passing for 73 yards.
Torin Brazell and Chason Clark each recorded a sack on the ensuing Palatka possession, which forced the Panthers (7-2, 2-1) into a third-and-20 play and an eventual punt.
The Tornadoes’ offense put together a six-play, 42-yard scoring drive. Pollard and McKenzie each a run that resulted in a first down, with Pollard capping the drive with a 15-yard touchdown run with 4:43 left in the first half. After Hughes’ PAT, the score stood at 21-0.
Bradford’s defense entered the game having given up seven points all year, recording shut outs in seven of eight games. The Tornadoes allowed no points in 16 straight quarters until the Panthers put a touchdown on the board with 2:54 until halftime. Palatka had to drive only 35 yards, thanks to a 56-yard kickoff return by Cartaveon Valentine.
Still, Palatka’s offense managed only 11 yards on the drive, with pass-interference, personal-foul and unsportsmanlike-conduct penalties accounting helping set up the Panthers’ Ty’ran Buch for a 3-yard touchdown run. Joseph Alvarez kicked the extra point to make the score 21-7.
When the first half ended, Palatka had only 22 yards of offense. The Panthers, who added their second score with 37 seconds left in the game, gained a total of 144 yards.
“Tonight, we gave up two touchdowns,” Bowen said. “That’s what really motivates us to do better. After we gave up the (first) touchdown, we played harder.”
Bradford’s defense was missing multiple starters, including linemen Dejon McBride and Tray Schmitt. Rodgers said Cummings, who plays defensive back as well as wide receiver, wasn’t 100 percent, as he was playing with a hip injury.
“We had some kids dig really deep and play hard,” Rodgers said, adding that the Tornadoes got “unbelievable” performances from Brazell (defensive lineman) and Clark (linebacker), both of whom started on both sides of the ball.
The Tornadoes created two turnovers on defense — the first of which was an interception by C.J. Carn before halftime. Trente Jenkins recovered a fumble in the third quarter.
Turnovers were an issue for the Bradford offense in the second half. The Tornadoes fumbled the ball away three times and had a fourth lost fumble on a kickoff return. Still, the Tornadoes found the end zone twice, building a 28-point lead.
A fumble at Palatka’s 7-yard line squandered a scoring opportunity, but the Tornadoes’ defense forced the Panthers to go three-and-out, with Brazell making a tackle for a loss of 2 yards. Cook returned the punt to the Palatka 22-yard line. A personal-foul penalty added an additional 11 yards, setting the Bradford offense up at the 11. Pollard carried the ball for a 9-yard gain, setting up McKenzie’s 2-yard touchdown run to put the Tornadoes up 27-7 with 4:34 to play in the third quarter. The PAT was no good.
Passes of 6 and 9 yards helped the Palatka offense drive to the Bradford 49. The Panthers got runs of 6 yards and 3 yards from Jamarrie McKinnon and Ishmael Foster, respectively, to set up third-and-1. After Elijah Williams tackled McKinnon for no gain, the Panthers went for it on fourth down. McKinnon was gang tackled for a loss of a yard.
Bradford responded with an eight-play, 61-yard scoring drive that consisted of almost nothing but Pollard runs. Pollard had runs of 21 and 14 yards to pick up first downs, while McKenzie had a 7-yard run to set up first down at the Palatka 19. The last three plays of the drive were runs of 4, 12 and 3 yards by Pollard, with the 3-yard run carrying him into the end zone at the 8:02 mark of the fourth quarter. McKenzie completed a pass to Clark on the two-point conversion to make the score 35-7.
The score ended a fantastic night for Pollard, a junior who carried the load after the season-ending injury to senior Manny Covey on Oct. 21.
“He got his and Manny’s carries tonight,” Rodgers said, adding, “Like I’ve told everybody else I’ve talked to, he’s a number-one running back. No question in my mind. “I knew that watching him back in the spring. We had two number-one running backs. Now, he gets to be the featured back.”
Pollard said the injury to Covey is his motivation.
“I told (Covey) the rest of the season is for him,” Pollard said.
A fumble with less than four minutes to play had the Panthers starting a drive at the Bradford 35. A couple of pass plays and a 9-yard run helped set up first-and-goal at the 10. Bowen and Bernard Nichols made consecutive tackles for no gain, but McKinnon threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to La’kwain Wright on third down. Alvarez kicked the extra point to conclude the scoring with 37 seconds left.
Shortly afterward, the celebration began. The Tornadoes won what they hope is the first of multiple championships this season.
“You’ve got to get the first goal first,” Rodgers said. “Now, we’ve checked that one off.”
Pollard, with an eye toward the postseason, said, “We’ve got to keep going.”
Until then, the fact that his team earned a district trophy will occupy Bowen’s thoughts.
“I’m fixing to go home, take me a good shower and just think about this,” Bowen said.
