BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Newberry was held to less than 20 yards in the first half, but the host Panthers scored on their first two drives of the second half, putting the Bradford High School football team in a three-score hole and eventually handing the Tornadoes a 21-7 defeat in an Oct. 11 game that resulted in Newberry being the District 5-2A champion.
“Obviously, we didn’t get them prepared good enough,” Bradford Head Coach Jamie Rodgers said. “That’s the bottom line. We got outcoached and got outplayed. That team played extremely hard up front.”
It was the Tornadoes’ first regular-season loss since 2022 and just the second regular-season loss they’ve experienced under Rodgers, who’s in his third year.
“Everybody needs a reality check every once in a while,” said Rodgers, whose team will attempt to bounce back against Leon (0-7) on Friday, Oct. 18, at 7 p.m. at Tallahassee’s Chiles High School. “We just got one. A good one. A good, physical one.”
Bradford (6-1, 2-1 in District 5) entered the game as the number one team in the Florida High School Athletic Association/MaxPreps Class 2A power rankings, but the third-ranked Panthers (5-2, 4-0) kept the Tornadoes off the scoreboard until approximately midway through the final quarter.
Quarterback Zack Paulk had 200-plus yards passing, but Bradford’s run game never got on track. The Tornadoes were averaging more than 230 rushing yards per game on the ground, but rushed for only 42 yards against Newberry.
“A lot of credit goes to (Newberry) on the defensive front. They basically took that part away from us,” Rodgers said, adding, “They’ve done that to a lot of people.”
Bradford’s offense, which still outgained Newberry by 80 yards, found some success on the game’s opening drive, with a 5-yard reception by Elijah Lawrence and a 6-yard run by Gino Addison helping the Tornadoes pick up a first down. A fumble two plays later, though, had Bradford facing a third-and-long situation. A 12-yard reception on a third-down play by Lawrence left the Tornadoes 1 yard shy of picking up another first down. Bradford’s offense stayed on the field to go for it, but the Newberry defense stopped Addison inches short of the line to gain.
That set the Newberry offense up at the Bradford 42. The Panthers could only gain 4 yards on three plays, with Bradford’s Duke Lewis and Jeremiah McKenzie tackling Kaleb Woods for a 1-yard gain on a pass play on third-and-7. Newberry punted, with Bradford taking over at its own 13-yard line.
Two plays later, the Panthers took the lead, with linebacker Logan McCloud intercepting a pass and returning it 20 yards for a touchdown at the 4:18 mark of the first quarter. Zane Spires kicked the extra point as Newberry took a 7-0 lead.
Paulk was able to escape pressure and scramble for a 12-yard gain on Bradford’s next drive, giving the Tornadoes a first down at their own 33. The drive, though, ended with another interception — this time made by Newberry lineman Mykah Newton, whose return gave the Panthers a first down at the Bradford 25 with 1:29 to play in the first quarter.
Two straight run plays by the Panthers netted 3 yards. After Newberry was penalized for illegal procedure, the Tornadoes’ Trente Jenkins tackled Woods for no gain on a third-and-12 pass play, forcing the Panthers’ Spires to attempt a 44-yard field goal. The kick was no good.
A couple of Paulk completions gave Bradford a first down on the ensuring series, but Newberry’s Jarquez Carter then tackled Addison for a 6-yard loss. The Tornadoes punted after two incomplete passes.
Bradford’s next drive resulted in net gain of 1 yard, forcing another punt. A personal-foul penalty on the return tacked on 15 yards and had the Panthers starting a possession at the Tornadoes’ 49-yard line with 5:33 remaining in the first half.
Jenkins came up big for the Bradford defense, tackling Woods for just a 1-yard gain and then sacking quarterback Collin Dunmore for a 7-yard loss. The Panthers eventually punted. Jy’Quez Cason had a return of approximately 20 yards to set the Bradford offense up at its own 40 with 2:01 on the clock.
Branden Williams and Tyler Berry had receptions of 15 and 17 yards on consecutive pass plays as the Tornadoes drove to the Newberry 28. After an illegal-procedure penalty, Paulk was sacked for a 4-yard loss. Paulk then scrambled for a 15-yard gain, setting up third-and-4. He was sacked again on the next play. Bradford went for it on fourth down, with a pass play to Cason coming up 2 yards short of the first down.
A Newberry offense that generated just 18 yards in the first half found life in a big way to start the second half. The Panthers’ first play after receiving the kickoff was a 33-yard pass play from Dunmore to Hayden Moore. McCloud then caught a short pass over the middle and broke three to four tackles on his way to a 41-yard touchdown just 48 seconds into the third quarter. Spires added the PAT to put the Panthers up 14-0.
After a three-and-out by the Bradford offense, Newberry began its second drive at the Tornadoes’ 47. Moore had a 9-yard reception on the first play, but Jenkins then dropped Woods for a 2-yard loss. Dunmore’s pass on third-and-3 was incomplete, but a penalty for roughing the passer gave Newberry a first down at the 25-yard line.
Woods had a 6-yard run on second-and-10 and then got the handoff again on third down, breaking tackles and dragging multiple defenders on a 15-yard run to the 4-yard line. Woods then bulled his way into the end zone from there. The Panthers, after Spires’ extra point, led 21-0 with 6:44 to play in the third quarter.
The two scoring drives accounted for all but 56 of Newberry’s 162 total yards.
Bradford’s offense got off to a good start on the ensuing series, with a 16-yard reception by Mikey Oliver, coupled with a personal-foul penalty, moving the Tornadoes from their own 25 to the Newberry 46. Receptions by Lawrence and Oliver and a couple of McKenzie helped Bradford pick up two more first downs as they drove inside the 20. Williams ran for a 6-yard gain that set up fourth-
and-2 at the 11-yard line. McKenzie received the snap in the wildcat formation and was stuffed at the line of scrimmage for no gain, resulting in a turnover on downs.
The Tornadoes have experienced a lot of success this season employing the wildcat formation that has Cason, McKenzie and Williams taking turns carrying the ball. Newberry, however, held the Tornadoes to 28 yards on 10 run attempts out of that formation, with six carries resulting in gains of 1 yard or no yards.
“We weren’t able to do anything with 90 and 9,” Rodgers said, referring to Newberry linemen Carter and Newton, who are committed to Ohio State and Miami, respectively.
Bradford’s first possession of the fourth quarter resulted in its only score. A 6-yard run by Cason resulted in a first down, but the Tornadoes lost yardage on the next two plays, with the Panthers’ Carter sacking Paulk and then tackling Lawrence behind the line of scrimmage on a pass play. Bradford needed 26 yards for a first down and got them on receptions of 12 and 21 yards by Cason.
The drive, which began at the 15, moved into Newberry territory on an 11-yard run by Addison to the Panthers’ 42-yard line. Oliver, who finished with six receptions for 61 yards, caught consecutive passes for gains of 10 and 12 yards, moving the Tornadoes to the 20. Marlin Haywood then caught two passes, with the second resulting in a 14-yard touchdown. It was quite an effort by Haywood on the scoring play as he snagged a low, off-target throw and maintained his balance before making his way down the sideline and into the end zone.
Cy Cubbedge kicked the extra point, making the score 21-7 with 5:37 remaining in the game.
Paulk went 8 of 9 for 77 yards on the scoring drive and finished 23 of 33 for 205 yards.
Cason had five catches for 50 yards, while Haywood caught three passes for 36 yards.
Lawrence and Williams each had approximately 20 yards in receptions.
Newberry earned an automatic berth in the regional playoffs by winning the district championship.
“They deserve all the credit,” Rodgers said. “Their coaching staff did an outstanding job, and their players played extremely hard.”
Bradford should have no problem qualifying for the postseason as well. Rodgers said the loss may benefit his team. He recalled his days as Baker County’s coach, saying his team received a “thumping” at the hands of St. Augustine to open the 2017 season. The Wildcats then won 13 straight before losing in the Class 5A state-championship game.
“Maybe that’s what we need,” Rodgers said, adding, “We’ll be ready come playoff time.”
