BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Quarterback Cy Cubbedge and receiver Kemontae Nixon connected on three touchdown passes for the Bradford High School football team, which defeated visiting Newberry 28-7 on Oct. 10 to stay alive in its quest for a district championship.
The Tornadoes (7-1, 3-0 in District 5-2A) missed out on winning the district when it lost to Newberry last year. The Panthers also defeated Bradford in the Region 2 playoffs.
Bradford Head Coach Jamie Rodgers said you can call it revenge or anything you want. The bottom line was he was happy to be victorious against Newberry (3-4, 3-1) this season.
“What I call it is we came out and played really well tonight,” Rodgers said.
Bradford, which hosts Tallahassee Leon for homecoming on Friday, Oct. 17, at 7:30 p.m., led just 7-0 at halftime, but scored two touchdowns on passes of 20-plus yards in a span of less than four minutes in the third quarter.
“Our defense stayed around long enough, kept them at zero,” Rodgers said. “Then, all of a sudden, boom, boom, boom. Big plays. That’s kind of what we’ve done this year. I would like to be a little more consistent in the first half, but that’s what
we’ve been.”
Those “boom, boom, boom” plays were part of a 129-yard night for Cubbedge, who completed 7 of 14 passes. Nixon caught all but one of Cubbedge’s completions, finishing with 93 yards.
“They’re really good,” Rodgers said.
It was almost Bradford’s fourth straight shutout (and fifth overall), but a turnover led to a Newberry score in the final three minutes.
“We don’t fumble inside the 5, we get another shutout,” Rodgers said. “I probably won’t count that one against our guys.”
Newberry’s first offensive play was a fumble, which was recovered by Bradford’s Parviele Lee at the Panthers’ 34-yard line. Newberry was then hit with a personal-foul penalty on Bradford’s first offensive play following the turnover, putting the Tornadoes at the 20. Cubbedge would throw his first touchdown pass to Nixon from 15 yards out at the 8:31 mark of the first quarter. Tyler Sapp added the extra point for a 7-0 Bradford lead.
The start of the Panthers’ ensuing series summed up the kind of night it was for the Bradford defense. Jonathan Andrews and J.J. Hall combined to make a tackle for a loss of 2 yards on first down, while Danny Torres made a tackle for a 3-yard loss on second down.
Bradford made nine tackles behind the line of scrimmage in the first half and 14 for the game.
Newberry gained only 38 yards in the first half.
The Tornadoes were unable to take advantage of a punt block by Jackson Parmeter that set the offense up 2 yards shy of midfield. The result was one of the Tornadoes’ four three-and-out series since their first-quarter touchdown.
Despite its struggles, Newberry put together a strong drive to open the second half. Kaleb Woods picked up two first downs on runs of 12 and 3 yards, while Darius Debose had three carries for 16 yards as the Panthers moved from their own 26 to the Bradford 35. After Bradford’s Caiden Carn broke up a pass, Woods and quarterback Zaden Wilcox had consecutive carries of 1 yard each. Newberry went for it on fourth-and-8, with Jamarcus Wimberly being held to a 6-yard gain.
The Tornadoes then put their own offense struggles behind them. Two straight carries by Iyen Addison gained 27 yards and a first down at the Newberry 46. Nixon had a 14-yard reception to convert a third-down play before hauling in a Cubbedge pass for a 29-yard touchdown with 5:11 to play in the third quarter. Sapp added the PAT to make it 14-0.
Newberry’s next drive, which included a holding penalty and a 5-yard sack by Bradford’s Travis Reed, was a quick three-and-out. The Tornadoes then needed just four plays to increase their lead. Addison had three straight carries for 17 yards before Nixon made an incredible catch in a tight window for a 22-yard touchdown with 1:45 remaining in the third quarter. Sapp kicked the extra point as Bradford went up 21-0.
“Kemontae’s a really good receiver,” Rodgers said. “He’s big, so he’s a matchup nightmare for corners. His hands are unbelievable. If you put it anywhere in his radius, you’ve got a chance.”
Bradford’s defense recorded another sack on the Panthers’ next series, with Hall dropping Wilcox for a 5-yard loss.
When the Tornadoes got the ball back, they turned mainly to Addison. He began the drive with three straight carries for 14 yards. Cubbedge completed a 9-yard pass to Nixon to set up third-and-2. Keshawn Kennedy was held to 1 yard run, but
on fourth-and-1, Addison gained 3 yards to pick up the first down. Addison then had three straight carries for 12 yards as Bradford gained a first down at the Newberry 39. A 36-yard pass from Cubbedge to Elijah Lawrence set up first-and-goal at the 3. Addison scored on a run from there with 5:47 to play. Sapp ended his perfect night on PATs, putting the Tornadoes up 28-0.
Addison finished with 131 yards on 28 carries.
The Tornadoes came up with their second turnover when Maliki Cobarris intercepted a pass. That put the Bradford offense back onto the field at its own 16. After a holding penalty, the Tornadoes fumbled the ball away, with the Panthers recovering at the 4-yard line. A 3-yard run by Wimberly set up Debose’s 1-yard touchdown run with 2:51 on the clock. Newberry added the extra point to complete the scoring.
Bradford recovered Newberry’s onside-kick attempt. Runs of 8 yards by Jarell Harris, 14 yards by Lawrence and 16 yards by Harris allowed Cubbedge to take a knee to end the game.
The Tornadoes finished with 316 yards of offense compared to 100 for Newberry.
Bradford next faces a Class 5A Leon team that is 3-4, with all three wins coming against teams with losing records.
The Tornadoes beat Leon 43-7 last season.
