BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Raef Cubbedge rushed for two scores and caught a pass for another to help the Bradford Middle School football team cap an undefeated season with a 30-18 win over visiting Baker County in the Oct. 7 Suwannee Middle Athletic Conference championship game.
After playing in the Northeast Florida Athletic Conference, Bradford returned to the SMAC in 2023 and has now won two championships in three years.
Bradford (7-0) outscored its opponents 262-84 this season, with an average margin of victory of 25 points. The closest games the Tornadoes had were against Baker, which Bradford defeated by 12 points in the regular season and then by 12 points again in the SMAC title game.
Baker held the advantage in total yards in the SMAC championship game (148 to Bradford’s 119), but the Bobcats had two turnovers that led to Bradford points.
The Tornadoes marched 56 yards for a score on their first drive of the game. Runs of 3 yards by Swade Britt and 8 yards by Cubbedge resulted in first downs, while quarterback Tony Richardson completed passes of 9 yards to Cameron Hampton and 7 yards to Braylon Shanks to set up a first down at the Baker 13-yard line. Cubbedge and Carter Three straight run plays netted just 2 yards, but Cubbedge caught a short pass on fourth-and-8 and turned it into an 11-yard touchdown at the 7:52 mark of the first quarter. Hampton’s run on the two-point play was good for an 8-0 Bradford lead.
It only took the Bobcats 20 seconds to tie it up as they scored on a 59-yard run and added a successful two-point conversion.
Baker needed even less time to take the lead. Bradford’s first offensive play following the ensuing kickoff was a fumbled snap that Richardson fell on in the end zone for a safety, putting Baker up 10-8.
The Bobcats then began an offensive series at the Bradford 37 following the free kick that was awarded due to the safety. The Bradford defense rose to the occasion, getting a sack from Tayten Raymond and a pass breakup from Isaiah Reece. Baker turned the ball over on downs after running four plays.
A personal-foul penalty and a 40-yard reception by Britt moved the Tornadoes from their own 36 to the Baker 17. Hampton took a direct snap and found the end zone on a 17-yard run, but a holding penalty negated the score. Bradford then turned the ball over on a fumble.
Britt came up huge for the Bradford defense on the following series, blowing up an attempt at a double reverse for a loss of 12 yards and then intercepting a pass.
The Tornadoes quicky turned the turnover into points, with Cubbedge scoring on a 50-yard pass play with 27 seconds remaining in the first half. Brandon Arnold’s run on the two-point play sent Bradford into halftime leading 16-10.
Cubbedge finished with three receptions for 60 yards, while Richardson was 7-of-13 passing for 94 yards.
Baker successfully attempted an onside kick to start the second half. The Bobcats were able to pick up one first down at the Bradford 32, but Cubbedge and Lee combined on a sack that resulted in a fumble. Jacoby Pernell scooped up the loose ball and returned it for a 60-plus-yard touchdown. Cubbedge’s successful run on the two-point conversion put the Tornadoes up 24-10.
The Tornadoes threatened to score when a personal-foul penalty and an 11-yard run by Hampton put them at the Baker 10-yard line. Hampton, who led Bradford in rushing with 31 yards on nine carries, had another touchdown run that was wiped out by a holding penalty, while an 11-yard loss on a run play forced the Tornadoes into a fourth-and-goal play from the 22. A pass to Cubbedge resulted in a 1-yard loss and a turnover on downs.
With the fourth quarter underway and needing to score points, Baker went for it on a fourth-and-13 play from its own 20. Cubbedge made a tackle for a 7-yard loss, setting the Bradford offense up at the 13-yard line.
The Tornadoes, who had only 29 yards in the second half, failed to capitalize, turning the ball over on downs at the Baker 16.
Cubbedge made another tackle for a 7-yard loss on the Bobcats’ next series, while Raymond had a sack for a 6-yard loss. A pass on fourth-and-23 was incomplete, giving the Bradford the ball at the Baker 3-yard line.
Bradford cashed in this time, though the drive began with an 8-yard loss. A 15-yard run by Hampton moved the ball back inside the 10-yard line and set Cubbedge up for a 6-yard touchdown run with 1:54 to play, putting the Tornadoes up 30-10. The two-point conversion attempt failed.
The Bobcats answered with a two-play scoring drive on which a 60-yard run set up a 2-yard touchdown run. Baker added a successful two-point conversion for the game’s final points.
