BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Bradford High School got long touchdown runs from Damarion Dodd and Jarrell Harris, while Jordan Cason caught a short touchdown pass from Cy Cubbedge in the Tornadoes’ 20-9 win over visiting Suwannee in a spring football game on May 15.
The Tornadoes amassed 519 total yards, while Suwannee gained 138. Bradford’s defense was especially stingy on the ground, allowing 4 yards on 21 carries.
Suwannee drove inside the Bradford 20-yard on its first series, but the Bulldogs made only one more red-zone trip the rest of the game, and that was because of a fumble recovery.
Bradford Head Coach Jamie Rodgers said the Tornadoes “got it right” after making defensive adjustments after the Bulldogs’ opening series and praised his team’s tackling effort.
“Usually, the worst tackling you see all year is at the end of the spring because you try not to beat up other too much in the spring leading up to the game,” Rodgers said. “I thought we tackled really well in the open field.”
The turnover that set up the Bulldogs’ second red-zone opportunity in the game was one of three lost fumbles for the Tornadoes.
We’re used to being the team that gets the turnovers and takes the ball away from the other team,” Rodgers said.
Still, his team came out on top, so Rodgers added, “If we can clean that up, we’ll be fine.”
Rodgers singled out the rushing effort of the Bradford offense, which produced 316 yards on 36 carries, an average of 8.8 yards per attempt. Iyen Addison rushed for 78 yards on 10 carries, while Harris had 62 yards on six carries. Dodd needed just one carry to earn his 65 yards.
Keshawn Kennedy also had a solid night, rushing for 44 yards on five carries.
The passing game worked pretty well, too, with quarterback Cubbedge completing 14 of 25 passes for 157 yards and a touchdown. Jackson Parmeter took the snaps for most of the second half, completing 2 of 3 passes for 46 yards.
Bradford’s offense struggled at first. The Tornadoes’ first series was a three-and-out that netted minus-3 yards. Bradford’s first two drives consisted of nine plays that gained 24 yards.
Suwannee, meanwhile, quickly drove downfield on its opening series. The first two plays were carries by Lou Jack Smith for 14 yards, resulting in a first down at the Bradford 46. Quarterback Thomas Sykes then completed a 24-yard pass to Jamarcus Cherry, which put the Bulldogs at the 22-yard line. Two plays later, Chase Phillips made a tackle for a loss of 4 yards. Sykes dropped back on third-and-10 and lofted a pass into the end zone that was intended for Koy Frier, but Cason picked it off.
Addison got Bradford’s third offensive series started in a big way, ripping off a run of 16 yards to the Suwannee 49. Cubbedge completed a 14-yard pass to Jy’Quez Cason before connecting with Jordan Cason for a 19-yard gain to the 16. After a 7-yard run by Addison, Jordan Cason caught a pass and took it in for a 9-yard touchdown with 2:50 remaining in the first quarter, putting the Tornadoes up 6-0. The extra-point kick was no good.
Jordan Cason finished with 81 yards on six receptions.
Parmeter came up big for the Tornadoes’ defense on the ensuing series. He tackled Frier for a 3-yard loss on a pass play that had the Bulldogs facing a third-and-6 play. Bradford jumped offsides, which left Suwannee needing only to gain 1 yard for a first down. Frier, briefly subbing for the injured Sykes, was dropped by Parmeter for a 4-yard loss on a run attempt, forcing the Bulldogs to punt.
It was again Addison providing a spark on a Bradford drive with a 10-yard run. The Tornadoes appeared to have scored when Harris broke free for a 45-yard run into the end zone, but a holding penalty brought the play back. Bradford overcame the penalty and crossed midfield on a 12-yard reception by Koy Hartley for a first down at the Suwannee 39. Addison later converted a fourth-and-1 play with a 5-yard run to the 25. Suwannee’s Jadayce Jones made a tackle for a 5-yard loss on the following play, but Bradford then picked up another first down, with Hartley (four receptions, 42 yards) catching a pass for a 21-yard gain to the 9.
The drive stalled, with Harris tripping and losing 3 yards on a first-down run attempt and Addison then being held to 2 yards on second down. After an incomplete pass on third down, the Tornadoes’ Tyler Sapp attempted a 27-yard field goal, which was no good.
Suwannee drove past midfield on the following series, but Bradford got a big play out of Jonathon Andrews, whose 7-yard sack had the Bulldogs facing a third-and-16 play. Sykes completed a 14-yard pass to Cherry, which set up fourth-and-2. The Bulldogs went for it, but Danny Torres made a tackle for a 1-yard loss, forcing a turnover on downs.
The Tornadoes fumbled the ball away two plays later. Suwannee, starting a drive at the Bradford 20, ran three plays for a net gain of no yards. William Slaughter kicked a 37-yard field goal to make the score 6-3 with 1:40 left in the first half.
Bradford turned the ball over on its first two possessions of the second half, which was mostly consisted of the teams’ younger players. Suwannee scored after the second turnover on a 40-yard touchdown pass. The PAT was no good, but the Bulldogs led 9-6 at the 3:22 mark of the third quarter.
The Tornadoes retook the lead on a 65-yard drive to start the fourth quarter. Elijah Lawrence and Kennedy had runs of 6 yards each, followed by Kennedy getting his number called again for a 5-yard gain. Parmeter had a 3-yard carry before Harris bounced a run outside for a 45-yard touchdown. Sapp added the PAT to make it a 13-9 game.
After forcing the Bulldogs to punt, Bradford needed just one play to extend its lead. Dodd took a handoff and didn’t stop running until he crossed the goal line 65 yards later. Sapp kicked the extra point to end the scoring, with Bradford on top 20-9 with 6:47 to play.
The Tornadoes got a 35-yard pass play from Parmeter to Aldon Sanchez on their final series and drove to the Suwannee 11-yard line before letting time expire.
Rodgers said that for the most part, he got the effort he was looking for. One of his top goals was to see players give all-out effort and prove they want to be on the field on Friday nights in the fall.
Another positive was that every player had the chance to be on the field.
“That’s what the spring’s about,” Rodgers said. “Everybody got involved tonight. Last year, that wasn’t the case because we played a varsity half against Suwannee and a varsity half against Buchholz. Tonight, we got everybody into the game, and that’s always a positive.”
