BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Bradford High School gave up its first touchdown in five games, but that would be all visiting Eastside would get as the Tornadoes defeated the Rams 28-7 in a Region 2-2S semifinal game on Nov. 17.
Jeremiah McKenzie had two touchdown runs as part of a second half in which the Tornadoes (12-0) held Eastside (8-4) to no points and just 33 yards. Bradford, which led by just one score at halftime, now advances to the Region 2 championship game for the second year in a row. Bradford will host Baker County — the same opponent it faced in the title game last year — on Friday, Nov. 24, at 7:30 p.m.
“Not many people get to play for a 13th time,” Bradford Head Coach Jamie Rodgers said. “I’m just proud of them. We get to play for one more week at least.”
The team is eyeing a lot more than just one more week, though.
“It’s another accomplishment, another step closer to the goal,” quarterback Dae’Jon Shanks said. “We’re trying to get that (state-championship) ring this year.”
Bradford, the number-one seed in the region and the number-two seed in all of Class 2S, won its previous four games by scores of 42-0, 42-0, 35-3 and 42-0. The Tornadoes expect to dominate opponents in such fashion, so while they were happy their season is still alive, there was also some disappointment.
“We never did play our game tonight, and it showed,” linebacker/tight end Chason Clark said. “We can’t play like that against Baker. I have confidence we’re going to come out how we need to. We have no other option.”
Rodgers admitted it’s unrealistic to expect wins like 42-0 to keep happening as you progress in the postseason. He said things aren’t always going to go your way, such as when his team found itself in a tie game in the second quarter and leading by seven points at the half.
“You can’t make a deep playoff run without some adversity,” Rodgers said, adding, “Tonight was our adversity. I’m very proud of what our guys did.”
Eastside, the region’s fourth seed, won the coin toss and elected to receive the kickoff and go against Bradford’s stingy defense. Three straight runs by Joshua Benjamin did net almost 10 yards, leaving the Rams facing a fourth-and-inches at their own 49. Eastside elected to go for it, but Benjamin was tackled for no gain by Jyquez Cason.
A 15-yard reception by Clark gave Bradford a first down at the Eastside 25. Shanks later found Chalil Cummings in the end zone for a 24-yard touchdown to cap what was a six-play drive. Declan Hense kicked the extra point, making the score 7-0 with 7:31 to play in the first quarter.
The Rams quickly put themselves in scoring position on the following series as Adrian Curtis completed a 54-yard pass to Chris Bishop to the Bradford 15-yard line. Two plays later, Torin Brazell sacked Curtis for a 6-yard loss. After an incomplete pass, Eastside went for it on fourth-and-15, with Brazell getting another sack — this time for an 8-yard loss.
When Eastside’s offense took the field again, the drive began with Brazell again making a big play as he tackled Benjamin for a 4-yard loss. The Rams failed to get a first down and punted, but Bradford muffed the punt, with Eastside recovering at its own 48 for a fresh set of downs.
The Rams’ Corvin Byrd ripped off a 7-yard run. A roughing-the-passer penalty on the next play resulted in a first down at the Bradford 30. Clark had a tackle for a loss of 4 yards that helped force Eastside into a third-and-14 play. Clark then tackled Curtis for no gain. The Rams went for it on fourth down, with Bishop catching a 23-yard pass to the 11. Bishop later added consecutive catches for 5 and 6 yards, with the second scoring a touchdown at the 8:55 mark of the second quarter. Elijah Dressel kicked the extra point to tie the score at 7-7.
Bradford retook the lead approximately three minutes later, driving 56 yards on eight plays. Three straight carries by Brian Cliffin gained a total of 17 yards, while a 12-yard run by Cason gave the Tornadoes a first down at the Eastside 27. The Tornadoes then got runs of 10 yards by Shanks, 4 yards by Cliffin and 6 yards by Cason, setting up Shanks’ 7-yard touchdown pass to Cummings. Hense added the PAT for a 14-7 lead.
Cummings finished with five catches for 56 yards.
A penalty on the Tornadoes for interference on a fair catch had the Rams starting their next drive at the Bradford 45. Benjamin was tackled for no gain by Jordan Daniels on the first play, but two plays later, on third-and-20, Benjamin got loose for a 32-yard gain to the 23. A penalty and a 3-yard sack by Duke Lewis later had Eastside looking at a third-and-18 play. Devon McBride held Curtis to a 5-yard gain, but Curtis came back on fourth down and scrambled for 15 yards and a first down at the 11-yard line. The Rams then fumbled, with Trente Jenkins recovering for the Tornadoes.
Bradford threatened to score before halftime. Shanks, who was 8 of 9 for 115 yards, completed passes of 30 yards to Elijah Kellum, 14 yards to Cason and 10-yards to Cummings to help the Tornadoes drive to the Eastside 24 with less than 20 seconds on the clock. Time expired as Shanks ran for an 11-yard gain after being chased out of the pocket.
The Tornadoes were on the move to start the second half. Shanks and McKenzie had runs of 9 and 16 yards, respectively, for first downs, while an 8-yard reception by Cummings led to another first down at the Eastside 28. Bradford would later line up to go for it on fourth-and-2 and get penalized for illegal procedure. On fourth-and-7, Cliffin was tackled for a 2-yars loss by the Rams’ Demarco Daniels.
On the first play following the turnover on downs, Eastside was penalized for illegal procedure. Brazell then sacked Curtis for an 8-yard loss. Two plays later, Lewis recovered a fumble, setting the Bradford offense up at the Eastside 12.
Runs of 3 and 7 yards by Cliffin, who finished with 46 yards on 13 carries, set up McKenzie’s 1-yard touchdown run over center for a 20-7 lead with 4:23 to play in the third quarter. Eastside blocked the PAT.
Cummings came up with the Bradford defense’s third turnover when he intercepted a pass early in the fourth quarter.
The Tornadoes then put the final score on the board. Shanks, who rushed for 83 yards on 13 carries, had the big play of the drive, running for a 35-yard gain to the Eastside 18. A 14-yard run by Branden Williams moved Bradford to the 4. McKenzie, who rushed for 60 yards on eight carries, eventually scored on a 1-yard run with 3:52 to play. Shanks completed a pass to Clark on the two-point conversion for the 28-7 final.
Brazell had a sack on the Rams’ final possession, which also included Clark and McKenzie combining for another sack.
The Tornadoes made 16 tackles for a loss or no gain.
Eastside, which gained 17 yards rushing and 166 yards overall, ran 21 second- and third-down plays. On all but one, the Rams needed to gain more than 5 yards to pick up a first down.
“We talked about that all week,” Rodgers said. “If we could get them behind the chains, we thought we could pressure them. We had some packages tonight where we dropped eight (into coverage). We hadn’t shown a lot of that. We didn’t play it to perfection, but it kind of threw them off a little bit on their deep passing game. I was pleased.”
The offense, which finished with 343 yards, has averaged four touchdowns per game the last five weeks.
“They have improved so much,” Shanks said of the offense, while Clark said, “They’ve definitely grown a whole lot. They’ve grown by the day.”
Thanks to the win over Eastside, the Tornadoes have another game day as they seek to win their second straight Region 2 championship and trip to the state semifinals. The opportunity comes against longtime rival Baker County (8-3).
“It’s going to be a good environment,” Shanks said, adding, “It’s good to put the pads on another week.”
Clark said, “We’re excited. It’s going to be a good one. We’ve got to make sure we practice hard and really focus on trying to play better.”
