BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Visiting Middleburg scored twice in the fourth quarter in handing the Bradford High School flag-football team a 12-7 loss in the first round of the Region 1-1A playoffs on April 17.
Bradford (8-2), which was a third seed, is still seeking its first regional win after winning a district title for the first time last season and accomplishing the feat again this year.
Sixth seed Middleburg (9-5) played second seed Florida High (12-1) in a semifinal game this past Tuesday. Florida High advanced by defeating Suwannee 27-0.
The Tornadoes and the Broncos had met just a week earlier (also in Starke), with Bradford winning 7-0 to capture the District 4 championship. Like that game, the regional game was a scoreless affair in the first half.
Middleburg drove past midfield on its first possession, but was then held to no gain by the Tornadoes’ Talayshia Cummings on first-and-19 from the Bradford 39. Amber Carncross caught passes on two straight plays, but was held to a total gain of 9 yards by Ar’Nayshia Griffin and Jada Hankerson. The Broncos went for it on fourth-and-10, with Alysia Rentz breaking up a pass for a turnover on downs.
Hankerson made a big play on the first snap following the change in possession, catching a tipped pass for a 15-yard gain to the Middleburg 35. Griffin then completed a 16-yard pass to Ajiyah Jackson for first-and-goal from the 19. Three plays later, Bradford was facing fourth down from the 12. Griffin dropped back to pass and then scrambled for a 10-yard gain that left her 2 yards shy of the end zone.
Rentz came up with another key defensive play for the Tornadoes, pulling a flag and limiting Middleburg to a 2-yard gain on a third-and-5 play. The Broncos punted.
When the Broncos got the ball back, it was Jackson making the big defensive play, sacking quarterback Rachel Hansen on the drive’s first play for an 8-yard loss. That left Middleburg needing 25 yards for a first down, eventually resulting in another punt.
Neither team’s offense found much success in the first half, but Bradford did drive past midfield on its final drive before halftime. Hankerson had a 13-yard reception that gave the Tornadoes a third-and-7 at the Middleburg 27, but the drive ended after two straight incomplete passes.
The second half began with Middleburg’s offense on the field. The Broncos ran three plays and gained a first down before Griffin intercepted a pass. Her approximately 10-yard return set the Tornadoes up at the Middleburg 26-yard line.
After a 4-yard reception by Jackson on second-and-6, Cummings caught a pass for a 14-yard gain to the Middleburg 8. Griffin then found Jackson in the end zone for a touchdown. The Griffin-Jackson duo was successful again on the one-point conversion play, giving Bradford a 7-0 lead.
Jackson finished with five receptions for 43 yards.
Bradford’s defense forced the Broncos to go three-and-out on the ensuring series, with Jackson breaking up a third-down pass. Hankerson returned the punt 12 yards to the Middleburg 38.
Two plays later, Middleburg’s Cheyenne Jenkins intercepted a pass, giving the Broncos a first down at the Bradford 30.
Jenkins, who was now playing quarterback for the Broncos, completed a 22-yard pass to Brooke Cooper for a first-and-goal at the 8-yard line. On third down from the 4, Jenkins found Cooper again for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Jenkins attempted to run it into the end zone on the one-point conversion attempt, but her attempt came up short on Jackson’s flag pull.
The Tornadoes’ offense went three-and-out after the score with three straight incomplete passes. A 10-yard punt return set the Broncos up 1 yard shy of midfield.
Needing just a yard to gain another first down, the Broncos attempted to pick up big yardage on pass plays. After two incompletions, Middleburg’s Caroline Alexander picked up the first down on a 3-yard run. Carncross caught a 9-yard pass before Jenkins, who went 6 of 10 for 68 yards, found Cooper for a 28-yard gain to the 1-yard line. Kelsey Harrelson caught a pass on the next play for a touchdown and a 12-7 Middleburg lead with three minutes remaining. Jenkins’ pass on the conversion attempt was incomplete.
Bradford’s Nichelle Brown had a 10-yard reception on the first play of the ensuing drive, giving the Tornadoes a first down at their own 24. On third-and-15, Griffin completed a 10-yard pass to Jackson. Griffin then picked up the first down on a 5-yard run.
An 18-yard reception by Brown to the Middleburg 22 on a second-down play left Bradford needing just 2 yards for a first down with less than a minute remaining. Griffin used her legs again, with a 4-yard run resulting in first-and-goal from the 18. The Tornadoes then attempted four straight pass plays, which were all incomplete, giving Middleburg the ball back with 28 seconds remaining.
Griffin completed 13 of 34 passes for 134 yards. Brown had three catches for 34 yards, while Cummings had three for 29 yards. Hankerson had 28 yards on two receptions.
The Broncos’ Cooper led all receivers with 60 yards on five catches.
