BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
A large crowd had something to cheer about early as the Bradford High School football team scored first, but the Tornadoes were shut out the rest of the way in a 20-6 loss to defending state champion Cocoa in this year’s Class 2S state final, which was played Dec. 8 at Florida A&M University’s Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee.
The second seed Tornadoes (14-1) were attempting to win their first state title since 1966 and were in their first championship game since 1985.
“It’s awesome,” linebacker/tight end Chason Clark said. “It’s so surreal. I can’t believe we actually did it. You had dreams of it when you were a kid, and you did it.”
In a battle of the top two seeds in 2S, Bradford’s defense was able to create five turnovers and hold Cocoa to just two field goals in the second half and ultimately to its lowest point total of the season. The Tigers (14-1) were averaging 38 points per game.
“They’re better than that. They probably could’ve scored about 50 a lot of times,” Bradford Head Coach Jamie Rodgers said, adding, “To hold them to 20 gave us a chance to win. If you had told me that we would hold them to 20, I would’ve felt pretty good about being there
at the end with a chance to win.”
When it wasn’t turning the ball over, the Cocoa offense proved difficult to get off the field. The Tigers had 24 first downs, were 7 of 13 on third-down plays and amassed 316 yards.
“We just kept giving up third-down conversions,” Rodgers said. “You can’t do that (against) that team. That’s what they’re built for — third-and-short, complete a pass and keep going.”
That means the Bradford offense had to take advantage when it had the ball, but after gaining approximately 80 yards on their first two possessions, the Tornadoes managed 106 yards the rest of the game. Bradford had only possession inside the red zone, which led to its only score.
“They beat us up up front on both sides of the ball tonight,” Rodgers said. “After the second drive, we couldn’t get a lot going.
“We needed a lot of breaks. (Cocoa’s) a good football team.”
Bradford got the game started with a bang, with Willie Pollard ripping off a 50-yard run on the game’s first play from scrimmage. That took the Tornadoes to the Cocoa 38-yard line. Two runs plays after that netted only 3 yards. Bradford wound up punting after an incomplete pass on third down.
The Tigers were able to pick up a first down, but then fumbled on a pass play, with the Tornadoes’ Duke Lewis recovering at the Cocoa 30.
After a 4-yard run by Pollard, quarterback Dae’Jon Shanks gained 11 yards on two consecutive runs, giving Bradford a first down at the 15. Shanks carried the ball again for a 3-yard gain, but he was then tackled by Cocoa’s Joshua Brown for a 3-yard loss on second down. On third down, Shanks, who was 6 of 15 for 80 yards, threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Chalil Cummings to put Bradford up 6-0 at the 6:24 mark of the first quarter. The PAT was no good.
A tackle for a 1-yard loss by Jeremiah McKenzie and a penalty put Cocoa in a second-and-16 play on its next series. The Tigers were able to convert on third down on D.J. Bryant’s 29-yard reception. A holding penalty on the Tornadoes gave Cocoa another first down at the Bradford 44. Hart then completed a 12-yard pass to Jayvan Boggs. After an illegal-procedure penalty, the Tigers’ Nicholas Teeter found himself wide open in catching a 37-yard touchdown pass with 4:07 remaining in the first quarter. Gunnar Trout kicked the extra point to put Cocoa ahead 7-6.
Jyquez Cason gave Bradford good field position when he returned the ensuing kickoff 28 yards to the Cocoa 46. Cocoa’s Samadra Hawkins recovered a fumble on the first play of the drive, returning the ball to the Bradford 23-yard line.
A 15-yard reception by Teeter gave the Tigers first-and-goal at the 8. Latrison Lane had a 3-yard run, but was then dropped for a 1-yard loss on a second-down pass play. Hart kept the ball on third down but fumbled at the 1-yard line. The ball rolled out of the end zone, giving the Bradford offense the ball at its own 20.
Three straight carries by Shanks netted 12 yards, while his 25-yard pass to Cummings gave the Tornadoes a first down at the Cocoa 43. Pollard and Cason had runs of 5 and 7 yards, respectively, to pick up another first down. Cocoa’s Davi’yon Hawkins-Ingram then sacked Shanks for a 6-yard loss. A fumble on second down resulted in a loss of 5 yards. Bradford eventually punted on fourth-and-21, with J.T. Hood downing McKenzie’s kick at the Cocoa 1-yard line.
A 9-yard reception by Teeter and a 2-yard run by Malachi Coney gave the Tigers a first down. Teeter was then tackled for a 3-yard loss by Cummings on a pass play. Lewis and Jalen Williams combined to sack Hart for a 2-yard loss, but on third-and-15, Bradford was penalized for holding, setting Cocoa up for a third-and-5 play, which the Tigers converted when the Tornadoes were called for being offsides.
Coney picked up another first down when he broke loose for a 14-yard run. He added another run of 5 yards before Hart, who was 26 of 37 for 228 yards, completed passes to Boggs and Teeter to give the Tigers a first down at the 49. Trente Jenkins and Devon McBride teamed up to tackle Lane for a 3-yard loss, but the Tornadoes were penalized for holding on the next play, which set up second-and-3. A 7-yard reception by Boggs then resulted in a first down at the Bradford 37.
Cocoa benefitted from yet another penalty as Bradford was called for pass interference. That set the Tigers up with a first down at the 22-yard line. An illegal-block penalty backed the Tigers up to the 30-yard line, but a 20-yard pass play from Hart to Boggs gave Cocoa first-and-goal at the 10. Lane scored on a run from there. Trout added the PAT for a 14-6 Cocoa lead.
The Tornadoes had 40 yards in penalties on the 99-yard drive.
“Is that all? It felt like about 70,” Rodgers said.
Bradford’s offense went three-and-out on the next series, which included a 12-yard sack by the Tigers’ Hawkins. Cocoa muffed the punt, but was able to recover the ball at its own 43-yard line.
Torin Brazell sacked Hart for a 7-yard loss, while Jenkins broke up a pass on second down. On third-and-17, Hart was intercepted by Cason, who returned the ball to the Cocoa 27-yard line with 1:55 remaining until halftime.
Two plays later, Bradford was penalized for offensive pass interference, resulting in second-and-24 at the 41. After two straight incomplete passes, the Tornadoes punted.
Five plays after receiving the second-half kickoff, Cocoa turned the ball over when Cummings intercepted a Hart pass at the Bradford 30-yard line.
It was a bad start to the half for Bradford’s offense as well. Pollard was tackled for an 8-yard loss by Hawkins-Ingram, while a penalty for illegal procedure had the Tornadoes facing second-and-23. Shanks was able to scramble for a 13-yard gain, but he was then tackled for a 6-yard loss on third-and-10, forcing Bradford to punt.
The Tigers overcame a second-and-long play with pass plays of 10 and 8 yards, while a pass-interference penalty helped Cocoa convert a third-down play and give the Tigers a first down at the Bradford 11-yard line. An illegal-procedure penalty and an incomplete pass then had Cocoa facing second-and-15. Hart recovered a fumble and managed to gain 6 yards. On third-and-9, Boggs took a handoff on and end around and looked to pass, but ultimately kept the ball for a 3-yard gain. Trout kicked a 24-yard field goal to put the Tigers ahead 17-6 with 3:56 to play in the third quarter.
A run by Pollard and a reception by Cummings had Bradford facing third-and-4 on its next series. Pollard, who finished with 48 yards on 10 carries, had a 3-yard run to set up fourth-and-1. The Tornadoes went for it at their own 44, with Shanks being held to no gain.
The Cocoa offense quickly moved to the Bradford 12-yard line, getting receptions of 10 and 19 yards from Boggs. After Coney was held to a 4-yard gain by Branden Williams on third-and-8, the Tigers’ Trout kicked a 23-yard field goal to complete the scoring with 11:07 to play.
Williams finished with a game-high 20 tackles.
Cummings, who caught five passes for 52 yards, had a 10-yard reception for a first down at the Cocoa 49, followed by an 11-yard run by Shanks. Shanks then had a 7-yard run to the 31. Two plays later, the Tornadoes went for it on fourth-and-2, with Shanks being tackled for no gain.
Cocoa fumbled on the ensuing series, with Brazell stripping Lane of the ball and McBride recovering for what looked to be a scoop-and-score opportunity for the Tornadoes. McBride, however, had the ball stripped from behind, with the Tigers’ Teeter recovering at the Cocoa 20-yard line.
The Tigers drove into the red zone on their final possession, with seven straight runs from Lane moving Cocoa from the Bradford 47 to the 14-yard line. Lewis tackles Lane for a 2-yard loss on fourth-and-3 to force a turnover on downs with 34 seconds left on the clock.
A reception by Cummings, who then lateralled the ball to Cason, resulted in a 17-yard gain. Michael Oliver then had a 9-yard reception before the game ended on Cason’s 15-yard run.
“It hurts, but it’s still an accomplishment,” Clark said of playing for the state title.
Clark was the game’s second-leading tackler with nine, while Cummings and Lewis had seven and six tackles, respectively. Those players are part of a 19-member senior class. The Class of 2024 players were a big part of Rodgers’ successful first two years at BHS, which saw the Tornadoes go 26-3, win two district titles and two regional titles and finish this season as the second-best 2S team in Florida.
“I love them,” Rodgers said. “They bought in from day one. They helped me change some things here. They’ve worked so hard. They wanted to be involved in everything. It’s going to be tough to fill those shoes.”
Clark said, “I’m honored to have been a part of this class and a part of this team.”
After accepting the state runner-up trophy, Rodgers held it high and acknowledged the crowd, which was way bigger than what Cocoa had (and may have been bigger than what any team in the other eight championship games had).
“It’s awesome,” Clark said of the support. “It’s amazing to see the community show up like that. It definitely makes my heart smile.”
