BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Two first-quarter touchdowns proved to be plenty of points for the Bradford High School football team, which went on the road to defeat Class 4S Oakleaf 12-0 on Oct. 6.
Bradford Head Coach Jamie Rodgers said it was a quality win against a school that (according to the Florida High School Athletic Association’s 2022-23 enrollment numbers) has approximately 1,500 more students.
“That’s like a road playoff win,” Rodgers said, adding, “(Oakleaf) was hungry. They lost a couple in a row. That was a good football team that was hungry, and they were wounded. They came out and fought us really hard.
“Getting those two touchdowns early was huge.”
The Tornadoes (6-0), who travel to Miami to play Class 1M True North Classical Academy on Friday, Oct. 13, at 3:30 p.m., got another outstanding effort from its defense, which held the Knights to 76 yards and four first downs. Two first downs occurred after penalties.
Oakleaf (2-3) entered the game averaging 29 points per game.
Rodgers said his defensive players not only not only play with great effort. They also have a desire to know the ins and outs of what they’re coaches are asking them to do.
“They love it,” Rodgers said. “They believe in it. They want to know why we’re doing what we’re doing at practice. They want to understand it. They just play so hard.”
Bradford, which is third in the FHSAA Class 2S power rankings, got a big play from its defense right off the bat as lineman Jorden Daniels forced a fumble on a sack of Oakleaf quarterback Brandon Wallace on the game’s second play from scrimmage. Daniels also recovered the loose ball, giving the Bradford offense possession at the Oakleaf 15-yard line.
Quarterback Dae’Jon Shanks promptly rushed for an 11-yard gain to the 4. Two plays later, running back Willie Pollard crossed the goal line, putting the Tornadoes up 6-0 at the 9:30 mark of the opening quarter. The PAT was no good.
The Tornadoes’ first defensive play following the ensuing kickoff was a tackle for no gain by Trente Jenkins and Devon McBride. Chason Clark then held Oakleaf running back Chris Foy to a 3-yard gain. The Knights did pick up 5 yards on a pass play before punting on fourth-and-2.
Wide receiver Elijah Kellum had a big play on Bradford’s second possession, catching a Shanks pass and turning it into a 34-yard gain to the Oakleaf 40. The Tornadoes gained another first down on a Pollard run before Shanks threw a pass to Chalil Cummings in the end zone for a 22-yard touchdown, making the score 12-0 with 3:06 remaining in the first quarter. The two-point conversion failed.
Shanks finished 4 of 8 for 82 yards, with Cummings catching two passes for 29 yards.
Oakleaf’s Michael Conner returned the ensuing kickoff 66 yards to the Bradford 18-yard line. A facemask penalty two plays later gave the Knights first-and-goal at the 6. A 6-yard sack by Clark on second down forced Oakleaf into a third-down play at the 11-yard line. An incomplete pass led to Andrew McDaid’s 28-yard field-goal attempt, which was no good with 31 seconds left in the first quarter.
“I knew from that point forward it was probably going to be tough for (Oakleaf),” Rodgers said, explaining how missing out on a golden opportunity to score can affect a team’s confidence.
Things turned out to be tough for the Bradford offense, too. After gaining 90 yards on their first two series, the Tornadoes gained just 73 yards the rest of the way.
Kellum, who finished with two catches for 53 yards, did have a 19-yard reception wiped out by penalty that would’ve given his team a first down at the Oakleaf 19 and the chance to put more points on the board midway through the second quarter.
McKenzie picked off a pass on Oakleaf’s first drive of the second half, giving him an interception in two straight games.
The junior who played mainly quarterback last season is shining on the other side of the ball this season.
“He’s almost 6-2, 190 pounds,” Rodgers said of McKenzie. “He runs great. He’s always where he’s supposed to be. He has a 4.2 GPA. That all combined makes you a really good football player. He is that. He’s got a Division I offer already. There’ll be more to come.
“He’s a really good football player. You’re probably going to see him on offense at some point.”
Tyler Berry had an interception on the Knights’ second possession of the half, but it was nullified by a penalty.
With no success running the ball (19 carries for 33 yards), Oakleaf resorted to mainly passing in the second half. The Knights had just four completions in 12 attempts, with a sack by McBride preventing a 13th attempt.
“Our DBs played excellent tonight,” Rodgers said.
Pollard, who rushed for 34 yards on nine carries, exited the game with a broken finger. Brian Cliffin entered and gained 39 yards on 10 second-half carries.
It proved to be a tough, hard-fought win. Rodgers couldn’t have been happier considering the opponent as well as the fact the game wasn’t played at David Hurse Stadium.
“Good teams win at home,” Rodgers said. “Great teams — elite teams — have to go on the road and win.”
This week’s road trip takes the Tornadoes 370-plus miles from David Hurse Stadium to Tropical Park Stadium (7900 S.W. 40th St. in Miami). Bradford plays a True North Classical team that is ranked sixth in the FHSAA’s Class 1 Metro power poll.
True North (6-0) kept its perfect record intact with a 34-15 win over St. Brendan. The Titans, who went 1-1 in last year’s postseason, are averaging 44 points per game, while their opponents are averaging 7 points.
“I can’t wait. It’ll be a lot of fun,” Rodgers said. “A lot of our kids probably haven’t gotten the chance to go to Miami, let alone play a game there. It’ll be good for them. It’ll be a great road test.”
