BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Dae’Jon Shanks threw for two scores and rushed for another, complementing the usual strong play from defense and special teams in the Bradford High School football team’s 32-7 win over host Middleburg on Sept. 8.
The Tornadoes (3-0) have outscored their opponents so far this season by a combined score of 84-13.
“Like I told (the players), the only thing better than 2-0 is 3-0,” Head Coach Jamie Rodgers said. “The only thing better than 3-0 is 4-0, so we’ll work at it.”
Rodgers said Bradford will “try to keep progressing on both sides of the ball” as it prepares to host fellow Class 2S team Eastside on Friday, Sept. 15, at 7:30 p.m.
The lone score for the Class 3S Broncos (0-2) benefitted from consecutive pass-interference and unsportsmanlike-conduct penalties, which took Middleburg from the Bradford 36-yard line to the 13.
“A couple of those penalties, man — I try not to say this very often, but that helped them score,” Rodgers said.
Middleburg’s offense (outside of the penalties) gained 40 yards on that drive. The Broncos’ remaining 11 possessions netted 75 yards.
The Tornadoes received the opening kickoff and avoided going three-and-out when running back Willie Pollard caught a Shanks pass for a 26-yard gain to the Middleburg 36. An unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty against Middleburg after the following play moved the Tornadoes to the 19-yard line. Shanks and Pollard each had a run of 7 yards to set up first-and-goal at the 5. Three plays later, Branden Williams lined up to take the snap and ran for a 5-yard touchdown at the 7:10 mark of the first quarter. Williams was held short of the end zone on the two-point conversion attempt.
Torin Brazell and Trente Jenkins teamed up to tackle running back Kendric O’Neal on the Broncos’ first offensive play. Middleburg’s second play resulted in Chalil Cummings intercepting a pass and setting up first-and-goal for the Tornadoes at the 8-yard line.
A 4-yard run by Williams set Shanks up for a 4-yard touchdown run that put Bradford up 12-0 with 5:12 remaining in the first quarter. Shanks’ pass to Williams on the conversion attempt was incomplete.
Middleburg crossed midfield on its third series when Carson Steward and Jaybo Jenkins connected on a 14-yard pass play to the Bradford 36. The Tornadoes were penalized for pass interference on the next play, moving the ball to the 21. Brazell then tackled Jenkins for a 5-yard loss, but an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty gave the Broncos a first down at the 13. Middleburg was able to recover a fumble on a pass play, resulting in first-and-goal at the 3. O’Neal plunged into the end zone on a run from there. Kaleb Robison kicked the extra point to make the score 12-7 approximately two minutes into the second quarter.
The Tornadoes were penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct again following the Middleburg score. The second such penalty in three plays baffled Rodgers.
“These guys are excited about playing football and having a good time and clapping and hugging each other,” he said. “They didn’t do anything toward the other team. I thought that was very, very unfair toward our guys who play hard.”
With a little bit of momentum on their side, the Broncos forced the Bradford offense to go three-and-out. Middleburg, however, muffed the punt, with Jyquez Cason falling on the loose ball for the Tornadoes at their own 49.
With new life, the Bradford offense promptly responded with a 26-yard pass completion from Shanks to Cummings. Pollard then took a handoff up the middle for a 25-yard touchdown to make the score 18-7 with 7:51 remaining in the quarter. The pass on the conversion attempt was incomplete.
A sack by Chason Clark helped force Middleburg to punt on its next possession. Cason made his second big special-teams play of the night when he blocked the punt, giving Bradford the ball at the Middleburg 19.
The Tornadoes needed just one play to extend their lead, with Elijah Kellum catching a pass in the end zone. After Pollard’s successful run on the conversion attempt, Bradford led 26-7 with approximately six minutes left until halftime.
Bradford’s special teams have made big plays in every game so far this season.
“We take a lot of pride in it,” Rodgers said. “We work hard at it two days a week. We spend a lot of time on special teams. As you’ve seen over the last couple of years, it’s paid off a lot. We’ve had a lot of kick returns for touchdowns. We’ve had a lot of blocked punts. We’ve had a lot of huge plays that make a big difference in a game. Tonight, we were able to make another couple.”
A special-teams play hurt the Broncos on their first possession of the second half, when their punter failed to handle the snap. He simply fell on the loose ball, giving the Tornadoes possession at the Middleburg 37-yard line.
Shanks immediately had a 21-yard run, but Bradford later turned the ball over on a fumble on a fourth-down play.
The next time the Tornadoes had the ball, Shanks, who rushed for 68 yards on 12 carries, had another big run, gaining 22 yards and giving Bradford a first down at the Middleburg 26. Shanks threw an 11-yard pass to Cummings before hooking up with Kellum for a 15-yard touchdown and the final score of the night with 5:22 to play in the third quarter. The pass on the conversion attempt was incomplete.
Shanks finished with 163 yards rushing and passing, completing 6 of 11 passes for 95 yards.
After missing most of last season with nagging injuries, Shanks is averaging 151 yards rushing and passing per game.
“We pull very hard for him,” Rodgers said. “We want success for him. He works hard. success for him. He works hard. He’s a laid-back kid. He acts like a whole lot doesn’t bother him most of the time, but he wants to play well. He wants to be successful for our team.”
Pass-interference and targeting penalties helped Middleburg drive to the Bradford 10 late in the third quarter. A couple of Jenkins runs moved the Broncos to the 4. After an incomplete pass, Stewart kept the ball on fourth down and was tackled for a 1-yard loss.
On the first play following the change of possession, Bradford fumbled, with the Broncos recovering at the 8-yard line. Jenkins got the ball on a reverse, only to be tripped up by Duke Lewis for a 4-yard loss. Middleburg then threw three straight incomplete passes, turning the ball over on downs at the 12-yard line.
Bradford’s offense was able to flip the field, driving inside the Middleburg 40 before a Jeremiah McKenzie punt was downed at the Broncos’ 3-yard line.
The Tornadoes finished 291 yards of offense. Pollard rushed for 55 yards on 11 carries, while Williams had 45 yards on eight carries.
Kellum caught two passes for 34 yards, while Cummings caught three for 37 yards.
This week’s opponent is looking to bounce back from its first loss. Eastside (2-1) has wins over Inlet Grove and Keystone Heights by a combined score of 63-9, but the Rams fell 35-0 to Class 4S Buchholz last week.
Bradford defeated Eastside twice last season, first by a score of 28-0 and then in the playoffs by a score of 37-0.
