BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Bradford High School turned the ball over twice and couldn’t capitalize on three trips inside the opponent’s 25-yard line as host Suwannee handed the Tornadoes their first loss of the season by a score of 10-7 on Nov. 4 in Live Oak.
It was a matchup of top-10 teams in the Class 2S power rankings. At the time, Bradford was ranked number one, while Suwannee was eighth.
The Tornadoes (9-1) and the Bulldogs (8-2) were ranked second and fourth, respectively, in the final rankings, which were released Nov. 6.
“This was a playoff-caliber game,” Bradford Head Coach Jamie Rodgers said. “This is what it’s going to be like in the playoffs, so I think it was really good for us.”
Bradford, which will host a Region 2 quarterfinal playoff game against Crescent City on Friday, Nov. 11 (see related post), was attempting to go undefeated in the regular season for the first time since 1990.
“We played against a really good team,” Rodgers said. “They gave us everything they had and then some. They deserved to win.”
The Tornadoes’ first two offensive series began at their own 20, while their third drive began at their own 10.
Bradford never had a short field to work with as six of its eight possessions began inside its own 25.
“We were behind the eight-ball field position-wise all night,” Rodgers said. “They did a good job on special teams in getting us in bad field position.”
Still, Bradford held a large advantage in total yardage, with 326 to Suwannee’s 147.
Rodgers said his team didn’t perform the way it needed to against a Suwannee team that had won five straight, with three of those wins coming against teams that qualified for the playoffs.
“When you run into somebody like that, you’re going to lose if you don’t play a good game,” Rodgers said. “We didn’t play very well tonight.”
Suwannee’s first drive began at the Bradford 40 after a 22-yard punt. On the first play, quarterback Bronsen Tillotson connected with Michael Rossin on a 33-yard pass play that put the Bulldogs at the 7-yard line. Bradford’s Chason Clark and Jametrius Pringle tackled Marquavious Owens for no gain on the next play. After two incomplete passes, Suwannee’s Braxtyn Green kicked a 24-yard field goal to put the Bulldogs up 3-0 at the 8:30 mark of the first quarter.
The Tornadoes, after going three-and-out and losing 2 yards on their initial series, put together a promising drive. Willie Pollard picked up first downs on runs of 13 and 18 yards as Bradford moved from its 20-yard line to the Suwannee 49. Pollard would later pick up another first down, while quarterback Jeremiah McKenzie had two runs that resulted in first downs on a drive that consisted of nothing but runs by the two players.
McKenzie’s 4-yard run gave the Tornadoes a first down at the 13. Suwannee then held Pollard to no gain, while a holding penalty backed Bradford up to the 26-yard line. A sack and a fumble put an end to the drive.
The Bulldogs threatened to increase their lead after intercepting a tipped pass. A 17-yard run by Owens moved Suwannee from its own 49 to the Bradford 34. One play later, on second-and-5, the Tornadoes’ Jarrin Alexander tackled Owens for a 2-yard loss. Pringle broke up a pass on third down, forcing the Bulldogs to attempt a 48-yard field goal, which was no good with 2:06 remaining in the first half.
After the ensuing kickoff, the Tornadoes picked up a first down on a 6-yard run Pollard and a 5-yard facemask penalty. McKenzie picked up another first down on an 11-yard run, while a personal-foul facemask penalty gave Bradford a first down at the Suwannee 41.
A 6-yard run by McKenzie and an 8-yard reception by Pringle helped the Tornadoes pick up another first down, but Bradford eventually faced a fourth-and-6 at the 26. With no time outs and the clock running, Bradford was able to get its field-goal personnel on the field in time for Hayden Hughes to attempt a kick, but the 43-yarder was no good as time expired.
Suwannee began the second half with a 17-yard kickoff return, putting the Bulldogs at their own 42. Owens carried the ball for a 33-yard gain to the Bradford 25. After an illegal-procedure penalty, Owens had runs of 15 and 12-yards, setting up first-and-goal at the 3.
The five-play drive was nothing but carries by Owens, who scored on a run from the 1-yard line approximately two minutes into the third quarter. Green added the PAT for a 10-0 Suwannee lead.
Owens finished with 93 yards rushing on 14 carries.
A penalty on the ensuing kickoff had Bradford’s offense starting a drive at its own 6. The Tornadoes gained 35 yards on the first eight plays on runs by McKenzie and Pollard. Brandon Williams had consecutive runs of 9 and 3 yards to give Bradford a first down at the Suwannee 47. A 14-yard run by Pollard, with an additional 15 yards tacked on for a personal foul, moved the Tornadoes to the 18. Pollard, who finished with 143 yards on 32 carries, then broke free for a 17-yard run, which set up McKenzie for a 1-yard touchdown run with 3:53 to play in the third quarter. Hughes added the PAT, making the score 10-7.
Suwannee moved into Bradford territory on the following possession, with a 20-yard pass play resulting in a first down at the 30. The Bulldogs were forced to settle for a 43-yard field-goal attempt, which was blocked by Clark.
McKenzie, who rushed for 95 yards on 20 carries, had a 22-yard run to give the Tornadoes a first down at the Suwannee 30. Two runs by Pollard and a run by McKenzie failed to give Bradford another first down. On fourth-and-two, the Tornadoes were penalized for illegal procedure. The resulting fourth-and-7 play had the Bulldogs holding McKenzie to a 3-yard gain and forcing a turnover on downs.
The Tornadoes would threaten to score one last time, thanks to a 49-yard pass play from McKenzie to Pollard that put Bradford at the Suwannee 25-yard line. The Bulldogs’ defense held Brian Cliffin to no gain on the next play. After a 3-yard run by Pollard on second down, McKenzie was held to no gain, forcing the Tornadoes into a fourth-and-7 play with 2:08 left in the game. McKenzie’s pass to Pringle in the back of the end zone was incomplete.
Rodgers said he believed it was good for his team to face some adversity this season — a season in which Bradford’s average margin of victory was 28 points.
Now that the playoffs are here, how will Bradford handle future adversity?
“Either they’ll rise to the challenge, or they won’t,” Rodgers said. “That’s the way it is.”
