BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Destiny.
It was hard for Bradford Head Football Coach Jamie Rodgers and several of his players to come up with the words to describe what had just happened, but senior linebacker/tight end Chason Clark managed to come up with “destiny.”
That seems fitting. A team that has been working toward fulfilling the goal of getting to the Class 2S state-championship game since its state-semifinal loss to Cocoa in 2022 overcame five turnovers and a 14-0 fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime and defeat visiting Pensacola Catholic 22-21 in the Dec. 1 state semifinals.
Cheers were aplenty, of course, amid the celebratory fireworks that followed quarterback Jeremiah McKenzie’s 1-yard touchdown run and quarterback Dae’Jon Shanks’s subsequent run on the two-point conversion for the win.
The aftermath consisted of tears, too.
“As soon as I crossed the line, I started crying,” said Shanks, a senior. “It’s an honor (being able to play for a state title). I’ve been dreaming about this since my (Youth Football League) days. It happened.”
Senior defensive lineman/tight end Torin Brazell was down on one knee crying as well afterward.
“I can’t even get the words out,” Brazell said, adding, “Our senior class — we’ve been playing together since we were 6. It’s all from God. Just knowing we can go to state our senior year is just amazing.”
The win not only sets up a rematch with the team that ended Bradford’s 2022 season; it sets up a battle between the top two teams in Class 2S. It’ll be top seed Cocoa (13-1) versus second seed Bradford (14-0) for the state title on Friday, Dec. 8, at 8 p.m. at Florida A&M
University’s Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium.
This will be the first time Bradford has played for the state championship since 1985, when it finished as runner-up to Bartow.
“I’m so happy for them,” Rodgers said. “I knew the grit and determination they had.”
It took every bit of grit and determination in a game where things weren’t going the Tornadoes’ way for most of the game. The Crusaders (11-3) scored twice in the second quarter and had 239 yards in the first half to Bradford’s 90.
Rodgers said he told his players at halftime, “We played so bad, guys. All we have to do is play clean. We’re going to hold them to zero in the second half. We’re going to come back and win it.”
“They made me a truth teller,” he said.
Clark said, “We told each other we had no other option. The option was to win.”
A rough 1st half
On Pensacola Catholic’s second series, Bradford’s Jordan Daniels and Duke Lewis teamed up to tackle running back Nigel Nelson to no gain on first down, but two more runs by Nelson gave the Crusaders a first down at the Bradford 30. Nelson was held to no gain on his fourth straight carry by Trente Jenkins and was then dropped for a 2-yard loss by Jenkins and Lewis. On third-and-12, the Tornadoes’ Chalil Cummings broke up a pass in the end zone that was a near interception. The Crusaders elected to go for it on fourth down, with Cayden Jasso coming up 2 yards shy of a first down on a screen pass.
The Crusaders’ next two series resulted in a punt and a fumble, which was recovered by Bradford’s Brian Cliffin. The Tornadoes’ offense, though, was struggling. Their first four series resulted in a 24 total yards.
Pensacola Catholic primarily ran an offense that consisted of Nelson taking direct snaps from center, which has been the Crusaders’ formula for success this postseason. They entered the game with quarterback Ryan Huff having attempted only seven passes in three playoff games.
Huff, though, did get on the field more against Bradford and had the game’s first score when he connected with Jayvion Showers on a 66-yard pass play with 7:21 to play in the second quarter. Pierce Hopson kicked the extra point as the Crusaders took a 7-0 lead.
Bradford’s offense finally got a drive going, sparked by Brazell’s 9-yard reception. Shanks later got loose for a 48-yard run to the Pensacola Catholic 23-yard line. Willie Pollard, making his return from an injury he sustained on Oct. 6, had a 5-yard run to the 18. After an incomplete pass, Shanks had consecutive runs of 2 yards each. The second run, on fourth down, left the Tornadoes shy of a first down by a yard, resulting in a turnover on downs at the 14 with 3:44 remaining until halftime.
The Crusaders picked up two first downs on consecutive 10-yard runs by Nelson and Vaughn Howard. Bradford’s Jenkins was then on consecutive tackles, holding two run plays to a total of 2 yards. Nelson, though, broke loose for a 56-yard run to the Bradford 2-yard line. Nelson scored on a run from there with 1:07 on the clock. Hopson added the extra point to make it 14-0.
Pensacola Catholic recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, which put its offense back on the field at the Bradford 48. The Crusaders drove to the 28 before time expired.
Nelson rushed for 129 yards in the first half on 19 carries, while Huff completed 4 of 8 passes for 92 yards.
“We weren’t doing what we were supposed to do,” senior linebacker Devon McBride said. “In the locker room, we just knew we had to turn it up and be the most physical team and work harder.”
The Tornadoes’ defense held Pensacola Catholic to 39 total yards after halftime, with Nelson gaining just 13 yards on 12 carries and Huff completing 3 of 5 passes for 24 yards.
We really had to dig deep and show that hard work that we’ve been putting in in the weight room,” McBride said.
Defense shines, but turnovers an issue
Bradford opened the third quarter with two first downs on two plays — an 11-yard run by Jyquez Cason and an 18-yard pass from Shanks to Cummings. Two plays later, though, the Tornadoes fumbled, with Pensacola Catholic recovering.
The Tornadoes had a promising drive going the next time they had the ball. Pollard, who rushed for 73 yards on 15 carries, had a 10-yard run to get the drive started, while a 2-yard run by Shanks resulted in another first down at the Pensacola Catholic 48. A pass-interference penalty moved the Tornadoes to the 31. The Crusaders were able to then drop Shanks for a 6-yard loss, but Pollard ran for a 12-yard gain to set up third-and-4, which Bradford converted on an 8-yard McKenzie run.
Runs by Shanks, who finished with 95 yards on 19 carries, would help the Tornadoes get inside the 10-yard line, but a fumble at the 2-yard line was recovered by Pensacola Catholic.
The Tornadoes held to Crusaders to no yards on three plays and forced a punt, but a fumble on the return was recovered by Pensacola Catholic.
On the first play following the turnover, Nelson was held to no gain on first down before being tackled for a 3-yard loss by Lewis on second down. He was then held to a 2-yard gain by McBride, forcing a punt on fourth-and-11.
Much-needed spark
Bradford finally got on the board when Cummings caught a screen pass in the middle of the field from Shanks and turned it into a 64-yard touchdown at the 10:12 mark of the fourth quarter.
“When he took that screen play and went the distance, we all started believing,” Rodgers said. “Everybody started believing. That’s all it took.”
Declan Hense kicked the extra point to make it 14-7.
Bradford’s defense forced a three-and-out, but the Tornadoes fumbled the ball on the punt return again, with the Crusaders’ Jonathan Flynn recovering at the Bradford 29 and returning it to the 17.
The Crusaders had three run plays net 1 yard, forcing them to attempt a 33-yard field goal that was no good with 5:56 to play.
Bradford then put together an 80-yard drive to even the score. A 12-yard run by Shanks and three runs for 22 yards by Pollard moved the Tornadoes to the Pensacola Catholic 46. A personal-foul facemask penalty later put Bradford at the 28.
Cason had a 6-yard run to convert a third-down play and give his team a first down at the 16. Two passes into the end zone to Brazell and Cummings were incomplete. Shanks tried to find Cummings in the end zone again, with Pensacola Catholic being penalized for pass interference. Pass interference isn’t an automatic first down in high school, and since Bradford was inside the 20, half the distance was marked off, setting the Tornadoes up with third-and-2 at the 8-yard line. Nelson made a defensive play for Pensacola Catholic, tackling Shanks for a 1-yard loss.
Shanks was shaken up on the play, so he exited the game and was replaced by McKenzie. On fourth-and-3, Clark caught a touchdown pass from McKenzie.
“I was definitely nervous,” Clark said. “It was like slow motion. I vividly remember telling myself, ‘Calm down. Catch the ball.’ That’s all I had to worry about.”
Hense kicked the extra point to make it 14-14 with 1:27 left in regulation.
Rodgers said he wasn’t thinking of going for two at that point.
“Honestly, I thought we needed to tie it on that end after the touchdown just because I thought we had them on the ropes,” he said. “It thought they were tired. If we could get them to overtime, we would come out on top. Fortunately, that’s what happened.”
Pensacola Catholic threatened to score and avoid overtime. Bradford’s kickoff went out of bounds, with the Crusaders electing for a re-kick rather than take the ball at their own 35. The Crusaders fielded a squib kick at the 45 and returned it to the 50. Huff completed a 10-yard pass to Jasso and then completed passes of 4 and 10 yards to Jasso and Cunningham, respectively, as the Crusaders drove to the Bradford 26. On first down from there, Clark tipped a pass at the line of scrimmage that was incomplete. Clark then pressured Huff on second down, which resulted in another incomplete pass. Nelson carried the ball for a 2-yard gain on third down.
With time for one more play, Pensacola Catholic set up for a 41-yard field goal, which was no good.
Going for the win
Bradford won the toss and elected to play defense first in overtime. In overtime, each team begins a possession 10 yards from the end zone, getting up to four plays to either score a touchdown or attempt a field goal.
Nelson threw a pass in the end zone to Jeremiah Shelby on first down that was broken up by the Tornadoes’ Cason. Nelson then had two carries of 5 yards each, resulting in a touchdown and extra point by Hopson to put Pensacola Catholic up 21-14.
Braford’s first offensive play was a 9-yard run by Pollard to the 1-yard line. McKenzie was stopped on a run up the middle from there on second down, but McKenzie tried again on third down, extending the ball across the goal line for the score.
Then, it was decision time. Kick the extra point or go for two?
“We huddled up,” Brazell said. “Coach asked us what we wanted to do. We said, ‘We’re going for two. We want to go and win.’ That’s how it was.”
Clark said, “We were thinking about running a trick play, but Torrin and I, we both said, ‘Run it behind us. It’s our last game. We’ll give it everything we’ve got.’”
That’s the way it played out, with Shanks following Brazell and Clark (as well as Pollard) into the end zone for the win and a berth in the state-championship game.
A hard-fought state-championship berth.
“You face adversity every day,” Brazell said. “It just showed how big we are as a team and how we can prevail over challenges.”
Shanks said, “We’re always ready for adversity, but we’ve just never had it throughout the season until now. We held up well through it. I give kudos to the offense, the defense, the coaching staff — everybody.”
