BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Bradford High School’s group of senior players in 2022 embraced the expectations placed upon them and worked hard to meet those expectations in Jamie Rodgers’ first year as head coach. The result was a 12-2 season and a trip to the state semifinals.
This season, the Tornadoes will be led by another large group of seniors who are ready to duplicate and, hopefully, build upon last year’s success.
“Did we lose a lot? Yeah. We lost 20 seniors last year,” Rodgers said. “A lot of those guys made a lot of big plays for us, but we’re also returning a lot. It’s a good spot to be in.”
It’s up to those seniors to set the example for the rest of team.
“We work at what we do,” Rodgers said. “Every time we get a chance to be on the practice field, it’s fast pace, and there’s a lot of work getting done. It’s the same thing in the weight room.
“That’s just what it is. They understand the hard work it takes to win 12 games in a season and things like that, to make a deep run in the playoffs. That’s their expectation.”
The defense has got to have high expectations after a season in which the Tornadoes shut out nine opponents and allowed a total of 79 points in 14 games. Bradford graduated three of its secondary players, but Rodgers enough experience returns at linebacker and the defensive line.
“We’re so senior-laden, so old and experienced in the font seven, that it’s going to give those guys time in the secondary to figure it out here in the next couple of weeks,” Rodgers said.
Up front, the Tornadoes return senior Torin Brazell, who was fourth in tackles last season with 68 and led the team in tackles for loss with 25. He lines up at the end, but Rodgers said he’s more of defensive end-linebacker hybrid, noting that at 6-2, 250 pounds Brazell is so athletic that he also plays tight end on offense.
“He kind of anchors that defensive line,” Rodgers said, adding, “He’s a really good football player.”
At the other end of the line will be a senior transfer in Duke Lewis — a player Rodgers said is another defensive end-linebacker hybrid.
“His motor is so high,” Rodgers said. “He’s going to be a great addition to our defense.”
The interior of the line features returning seniors Trenté Jenkins, who was seventh on the team in tackles with 42, and Jorden Daniels, who started primarily on the offensive line last year.
“Both of them are super strong,” Rodgers said. “Trenté’s a 600-pound squatter. Jorden’s a 350-pound bencher. They both strong, and they’re hard to move.”
The linebacking corps returns seniors Chason Clark, who led the team with 101 tackles last season, and Devon McBride, who was fifth in tackles with 59. McBride was second in tackles for loss with 15, while Clark was third with 14.
Rodgers said those two players, who played almost every down last year, bring more to the field than just their physical play. He described them as coaches on the field, who know what they and their teammates should do in response to anything the opponent does.
“That’s so big — just their football IQ,” Rodgers said.
Another player Rodgers praised for his football IQ is Jeremiah McKenzie, a junior who started most of the season at quarterback in 2022. He’ll still play quarterback, but will see a lot of time on defense at linebacker as well as in the secondary.
Rodgers said juniors Brian Cliffin and Reese Wainwright will also be in the mix at linebacker.
“At linebacker, we’re deeper than we were last year,” Rodgers said. “We don’t have as many old kids at the four linebacker positions, but it’s going to be fun with this group.”
Senior Chalil Cummings is the lone returning starter in the secondary. He was third in tackles last season with 71 and had three interceptions.
Cummings is also an offensive standout. He led the wide receivers in receptions (21), yards (296) and touchdowns (4).
“Chalil’s athletic ability speaks for itself,” Rodgers said. “He makes moving around look really easy. His ball skills are phenomenal. He’s also one of our hardest workers in practice.”
Other players who’ll be in the mix at secondary include McKenzie, juniors Mikey Oliver and Branden Williams and seniors Dae’Jon Shanks and Trejan Tyson.
Two of those players in the defensive backfield will play quarterback this year for an offense Rodgers think will be improved. The coach’s intent last year was to play both McKenzie and Shanks at quarterback, but a turf-toe injury sidelined Shanks for most of the year and resulted in McKenzie taking the majority of the snaps.
“I feel it’s a disservice for us to use just one of those guys because they bring completely different things to the table,” Rodgers said.
McKenzie completed 52 of 80 passes last year for 855 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also rushed for 549 yards and 12 touchdowns on 119 carries.
Rodgers said McKenzie has attended camps and put in the work to become a better passer, which says a lot about how he wants to do his best to help the team. The Bradford coach said McKenzie will play at outside linebacker or safety in college.
“He’s not a quarterback by nature,” Rodgers said, adding, “To go and learn those mechanics and do the things to try to make us better is very unselfish. That’s who he is.”
Shanks is a playmaker. He rushed for 212 yards and four touchdowns on 38 carries last year, averaging 5.6 yards per attempt. He also caught three passes for 29 yards and completed 10 of 25 pass attempts for 191 yards.
“He’s fully healthy. He’s ready to go,” Rodgers said. “He’s having a great summer so far.”
Of course, with his playmaking abilities, Shanks will impact the offense whether he lines up at quarterback or not. Rodgers described Shanks as a “nightmare” matchup for opponents when he lines up in the slot.
“If you put a safety too far away from him, he’s going to get the ball and then make people miss,” Rodgers said. “If you try to put a linebacker on him, he’s a lot better athlete than that guy, and that guy really can’t cover him.”
As already mentioned, Cummings was the leading receiver last year. Rodgers said Cummings is rare in that of the 30-plus college offers he’s received, just as many want him to play offense as those that want him to play defense.
“You’re not getting offered to play wide receiver unless your ball skills are really, really high these days,” Rodgers said.
Senior transfer Elijah Kellum looks to be a dangerous addition to the receiving corps.
“He’ll be a guy who can take the off a defense,” Rodgers said. “He’s a burner. Probably the fastest kid on our team. It’s definitely between him and (senior running back) Willie (Pollard). We haven’t had them race yet.”
Clark and Brazell have proven themselves to be factors in the pass game as well. In fact, Clark had the highest average per reception last year (36 yards) in catching six passes for 216 yards. In this year’s spring game against Buchholz, he caught two passes for 36 yards and a touchdown.
“If you can run the ball really good, people are going to be wide open a lot,” Rodgers said. “That happened to us several times last year with Chason and Torin being at tight end and wing.”
Running the ball was something the Tornadoes excelled at last year, averaging 234.8 yards per game and 6.9 yards per carry. The run game made up more than 75 percent of the team’s offense.
Pollard led the way last season, rushing for 1,106 yards and 11 touchdowns on 167 carries.
“Willie’s fantastic,” Rodgers asid. “Just the way he bursts and runs through holes. He runs a lot bigger than 158 pounds. He just breaks a lot of tackles. That’s a testament to him in the weight room.”
The team graduated another 1,000-plus-yard rusher in Manny Covey, but McKenzie and Shanks will both be big factors (McKenzie was the third-leading rusher in 2022), as will Williams. Williams saw limited varsity action last year (11 carries), but was third on the team in average yards per carry (9.4).
Paving the way for that ground game will be an offensive line that includes sophomore center Ridge Bradley.
“Man, he’s just a tough kid,” Rodgers said of Bradley. “Just one of those guys you love having on the offensive line. A grinder. He can make the calls. He knows where everybody is supposed to be.”
Jacob Ferguson and Cayden Carter will play right tackle and right guard, respectively. Rodgers said the juniors “got tons and tons of plays on JV” last year as well as varsity experience by taking advantage of the six-quarter rule, which allows players to play six quarters a week.
The left side of the line will feature senior transfer Jaylen Williams and junior Cam Lewis. Sophomore Kyren Green and junior Dayton Roberts will also be factors, with Roberts also lining up some at H-back.
“Our depth up front on the offensive line is as good as it’s been since I’ve been here as far as pure depth of the number of guys who can play the positions,” Rodgers said. “I feel real good about our offensive line.”
On special teams, Bradford has a number of skill guys who can contribute to the return game. As for who’ll perform kicking and punting duties, that remains to be seen. The Tornadoes lost kicker Hayden Hughes to graduation. Roberts and Shanks are players who could step in and handle placekicking duties.
Rodgers said the Tornadoes may have to go for two a lot after touchdowns and resort to squib kicks on kickoffs.
“We don’t have a true kicker, so we’ll have to manufacture some things,” Rodgers said.
Bradford will travel to Chiefland for a preseason kickoff classic on Thursday, Aug. 17, at 7:30 p.m. The season then kicks off for real with a home game against Baker County on Friday, Aug. 25, at 7:30 p.m.
The homecoming game is Friday, Sept. 29, at 7:30 p.m. Keystone Heights will be the opponent.
With Tocoi Creek moving up in classification, the Tornadoes are now one of three teams in District 6-2S, joining Keystone and Palatka.
2023 BHS Varsity Football Schedule
Aug. 17 at Chiefland (KC) 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 25 Baker County 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 1 at Baldwin 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 8 at Middleburg 7 p.m.
Sept. 15 Eastside 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 29 Keystone (HC) 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 6 at Oakleaf 7 p.m.
Oct. 13 at True North Classical 3:30 p.m.
Oct. 20 Lecanto 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 27 Palatka 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 3 Suwannee (SN) 7:30 p.m.
KC Preseason Kickoff Classic
HC Homecoming
SN Senior Night
