BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Jamie Rodgers believes his Bradford High School football team has most of the pieces to be successful, such as the talent level of the players and the ability of his coaching staff.
Another important piece, though, is the mental approach players take into games. Rodgers felt that’s where his team came up short in 2024. Sure, it was another successful season by most measures — 10 wins versus two losses, another trip to the playoffs — but it wasn’t quite the same Bradford team that had taken the field in 2022 and 2023.
“We’ve got to start hunting again instead of us being the hunted,” said Rodgers, who’s entering his fourth season as the Tornadoes’ head coach. “We’ve got to start hunting. I know that’s a cliché, but our first two years here, our kids were hungry. They wanted to be district champions. They wanted to be regional champions. They wanted to be the state champions. They talked about it. They practiced like it.
“Last year, there was no question — the feeling around our program was a sense of accomplishment, a sense of entitlement in some of our positions.”
The ”hunter” in District 5-2A last season, Rodgers said, wasn’t Bradford, but Newberry, which beat the Tornadoes in the regular season to win the district championship and then ended the Tornadoes’ season in the second round of the regional playoffs.
“We’ve got to flip that back to where when we get off the bus, we start hunting. That’s the only thing we have to do,” Rodgers said. “Our talent level’s there. Our coaching is there. We have great assistant coaches here who push our kids every day.
“All of that is in place. Everything’s in place. It’s a mentality — ‘Am I going to go hunt today, or am I going to let somebody hunt me?’ That really is the difference.”
Since Rodgers has been at Bradford, the team has become known for its stingy defense. In the last three seasons, Bradford has shut out 19 opponents and has allowed an average of seven points per game.
“It’s really incredible what our kids have been able to do and what our coaches have been able to do,” Rodgers said.
Looking at this year’s defense, Rodgers said the linebacker group is “super strong.” The only thing the players lack is extensive game experience as they played here and there in spots behind other players who were starters.
“We’ve got a lot of seniors like Kingston Booker and J.J. Hall. They’ve played a lot of downs here, but now they’re the guys. It’s their time.”
Rodgers said senior Jonathon Andrews is another player who’s “waited his turn” and will play at linebacker and on the defensive line, while the Tornadoes also gained a linebacker in senior transfer Cohen Cioffi. Cioffi made 74 tackles for Fleming Island last year, which was fifth most on the team.
“He’s going to set the middle of the defense,” Rodgers said. “He’s a very good football player. He just doesn’t know our terminology. He hasn’t done our things yet, but he’ll be fine.”
The secondary will have such players as senior Jy’quez Cason and juniors Jordan Cason and Chase Phillips “sprinkled in on defense at times,” Rodgers said, alluding to the fact that most of their time will probably be spent on offense.
However, the Casons will bring plenty of experience to the defensive side of the ball when they fill defensive-back positions. Jy’Quez Cason is the returning leading tackler after recording a sixth-best 46 tackles last season.
“People forget both of them started at DB in the (2023) state championship game — one as a 10th-grader and one as a ninth-grader,” Rodgers said. “They’re both really good football players. Super talented.”
Rodgers said Caiden Carn will play in the secondary “a lot,” adding, “He’s only in 10th grade, but his ball skills are special.”
Senior Jackson Parmeter, a transfer from Keystone Heights, will play in the secondary, too. He had the sixth most tackles for Keystone last year and also had two interceptions.
Rodgers said Parmeter has been “one of the biggest bright spots” so far this year.
“He’s a really good football player,” the coach said. “He has bought into everything that he’s had to. He’s probably made the most improvement. For one thing, I think he’s gained like 20 pounds since he’s been here. He’s a bigger, stronger, faster version of the really good football player he already was.”
In the spring, Rodgers talked about how graduation had impacted his defensive line, but he feels better about that unit heading into the season.
“When you watch us in practice, we’re fast and physical up front,” Rodgers said. “That’s what seems to have been kind of the hallmark ever since I’ve been here. We’ve had really good players on the defensive line, and they’re physical. It seems like we’ve got that again.”
As already mentioned, Andrews can contribute on the line. In fact, he can play any position there, Rodgers said, adding, “He really is a piece we can move around and do some different things with.”
Rodgers has high expectations for senior Nate Raymond and junior Parviele “P.J.” Lee, who are the “leaders” at defensive end. They are another couple of players who saw limited action in the past and are now ready to step fully into the Friday night lights.
“It’s kind of a common theme on our defense,” Rodgers said. “These guys probably could’ve transferred, but they didn’t want to transfer. They stuck it out as young guys who didn’t play a ton of varsity snaps, but they kept getting better and kept getting better.
“Now, this is their defense. Now, it’s their legacy. Now, they get to show some things.”
The line will also feature such players as senior Domo McBride and junior Danny Torres, a junior transfer who had the sixth most tackles for Miami Killian last season. Rodgers said Torres, who was listed on Killian’s roster last season as 6-2, 238, provided a “huge shot in the arm.”
“He’s gained 40 pounds,” Rodgers said. “His body looks completely different than it did in January. He can play multiple positions up front.”
Flip to the line on the offensive side, and you’ve got a valuable returning starter in senior Ridge Bradley. Rodgers described Bradley, a three-year starter, as the “anchor” of the line and “one of those throwback guys who really loves the nastiness of football.”
“He’s just as gritty as it gets,” Rodgers said. “He loves physical contact.”
The line also gets a lot of experience from junior Bryce Daniels, a transfer from Keystone who’s been a varsity starter since eighth grade.
“Bryce is a big body,” Rodgers said of the 6-4, 320 lineman. “He’s super strong. He bench presses 385 pounds. Him on a double team really helps get people moved out of there.”
As of now, Daniels will line up at center, while Bradley will play right guard. Rodgers said senior Andrew Austin, a transfer from Orange Park, will play right tackle, while senior Will Jackson will play left tackle. Left guard is still up for grabs.
The line will pave the way for a “stable” of running backs, which includes Iyen Addison, who was second on the team last year with 681 yards and six touchdowns on 83 carries.
Rodgers said some backfields have a tandem of backs compared to “lightning and thunder.” In other words, one is quick and elusive, while the other is a big and physical runner between the tackles.
“Iyen’s kind of both,” Rodgers said of the 175-pound back. “He’s super strong in the lower body, but still one of the fastest guys on our team.”
Rodgers said senior Keshawn Kennedy, a transfer from Baker County, is a bigger back at 195 pounds, but added, “We don’t lose any speed with him. He’s definitely one of the top three or four fastest kids on our team. He’s going to get quite a bit of carries.”
Jarrell Harris, a junior, is a “lightning” back. Rodgers said, “If he can get to that sideline, there aren’t many people who are going to catch him.”
Harris rushed for 62 yards on six carries in Bradford’s spring game, while Kennedy rushed for 44 yards on five carries.
Sophomore Damarion Dodd is another player who’ll be in the mix at running back. He had one carry in the spring game, which was good for a 65-yard touchdown.
Rodgers said the receiver corps is probably the best Bradford has had since he’s been coach. Jordan Cason and Jy’Quez Cason will be part of that group, with Jy’Quez Cason returning as Bradford’s leading receiving in 2024 with 450 yards and five touchdowns on 25 catches.
“They’re as good as they want to be,” Rodgers said of the Casons. “They’ve really gotten themselves in good shape. Both of them are probably stronger right now than they’ve ever been. That should equate to the best seasons they’ve ever had.”
Senior Elijah Lawrence returns after finishing as the team’s third-leading receiver last year with 192 on 16 catches. The receiving corps also features such players as Phillips, a transfer from Baker County, as well as fellow newcomers Kemontae Nixon (senior from Interlachen) and Peyton Jones (freshman from Baker County).
A good receiving corps, of course, is only as effective as the player lining up at quarterback, and hopes are high for sophomore Cy Cubbedge, who’s ready to line up behind center after the graduation of Zack Paulk. Cubbedge, a lefty who stands 6-2, threw a touchdown and had almost 160 yards in the spring game.
Rodgers said Cubbedge has the physical tools. For the quarterback, it’s more about pre-snap reads and dissecting defenses.
“He’s got the keys to this thing for probably the next three years, coming in as a 10th-grade starter,” Rodgers said. “He’s got all the skills. He’s got a really, really good arm. He can make the throws from everywhere on the field. It’ll be more about decision making, learning defenses and learning what he’s looking for.”
The coach added that the offensive line will go a long way in dictating what kind of season Cubbedge has.
“If we can protect Cy, he’s going to have a really big year,” Rodgers said. “We don’t protect Cy, he’s going to run for his life. That’s not optimal.”
Cubbedge handled placekicking duties last year, but that role will be filled this year by senior Tyler Sapp, a transfer from Keystone.
Rodgers said Sapp had a great summer, saying he heard the kicker made something like 110 of 110 extra-point attempts.
“I expect there’s going to come a time somewhere during the season when he’s going to make a really big kick for us,” Rodgers said. “We practice that every day. I feel like his head is in the right spot. He’s going to have a big year.”
The season gets its start with a preseason kickoff classic at Cocoa on Friday, Aug. 15, at 7 p.m. Bradford then opens with a home game against Baker County on Friday, Aug. 22, at 7 p.m.
It’s a tough stretch to open the season, with road games following at Dunnellon on Friday, Aug. 29, at 7:30 p.m., at South Sumter on Friday, Sept. 5, at 7:30 p.m. and at Jacksonville Mandarin on Friday, Sept. 12, at 6:30 p.m.
Rodgers said you’d be “hard pressed” to find a tougher stretch of games in the state. Class 2A Cocoa is seeking its fourth straight state title, while Bradford and Class 3A Baker are longtime rivals. Dunnellon and Mandarin were playoff qualifiers last season in Class 3A and Class 6A, respectively. Rodgers expects Class 3A South Sumter and Class 3A Eastside to be improved this year, adding that South Sumter, which has a long tradition of success, added three or four transfers who are Division I college-level players.
Is Bradford ready to step into the role of hunter? We’ll soon find out.
Click on the following for the Tornadoes’ full schedule: 2025 BHS Schedule
