BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
New Bradford High School Head Baseball Coach John Staples has guided teams to 10 district championships. Bradford has won five in its entire history.
Can Staples add a few more titles to the list? That remains to be seen, but the Telegraph-Times-Monitor takes a look back at all five of those title-winning teams.
1949
The Telegraph reported that fans considered the 1949 season a success, and why not? It was the first-ever BHS baseball team. Despite having no place to practice, with the renovation of Bradford Park, the team went 4-3 in the regular season and then won two games in the Group 3 district tournament to qualify for the Class B state tournament.
Bradford, which was coached by Dutch Funderburk, defeated Clay 10-7 in the district semifinals and Fletcher 5-3 in the championship game.
It was reported that starting pitcher Jack Hazen’s “wrinkly, little curve” resulted in striking out eight batters. He allowed only two hits.
Frank Dryden went 2 for 3 to lead the Bradford batters.
Team Captain Jack Eaves accepted the championship trophy.
Bradford lost 12-5 to Sebring in the first round of the state playoffs.
1979
The Tornadoes entered the District 4-3A tournament with a sub-.500 record, but won two games to win just the second championship in program history.
Bradford got off to a strong start that season, winning five of its first seven games, but the Tornadoes then lost 10 of their next 15.
As the fourth seed, the Tornadoes opened play in the District 4 tournament with an 8-3 win over St. Augustine.
The Yellow Jackets took a 2-0 lead, but Bradford scored five runs in the third. That inning began with five straight hits from Dinky Kilby, Bill Goodge (double), Kenny Clark, Jeffery Norman and Keith Northrup (double). That string of hits accounted for four runs. Kevin Tillman later added an RBI single to make it a 5-2 game.
A three-run sixth started with a Goodge single, followed by Clark reaching on an error. Norman hit a fly ball (which was dropped) to score Goodge, while Northrup’s sacrifice fly scored Clark. Scott Allen then hit an RBI single.
Clark earned the win on the mound, giving up seven hits and striking out six.
Bradford advanced to the championship game, defeating Clay 12-2.
Pitcher Scott Allen gave up three hits, with Head Coach Mike Hartley remarking, “Scott was throwing the best curve I’ve ever seen a high school pitcher throw Friday night.”
It was a 1-1 game before Bradford scored four runs in the third. Reddish and Kilby walked, with Reddish scoring on a Goodge single. Clark singled to load the bases, followed by Norman drawing a walk to force a run in. Northrup then hit a sacrifice fly to drive in another run. An error on the play allowed Clark to score as well.
A five-run fourth began with a Tillman single. Kilby reached on an error before Goodge hit an RBI single. After Clark reached on a bunt single to load the bases, Northrup drove all runners home with a triple. Northrup scored on an Allen single.
Northrup had two more RBI in the sixth. His double scored Goodge, who reached on an error, and Clark, who singled.
The victory gave Bradford a 12-12 record and tied the school record for wins in a season.
Next up was a regional playoff game against Ocala Forest. Norman hit a three-run homer, while Allen pitched a two-hitter as the Tornadoes won their first-ever playoff game by a score of 5-0.
Kilby and Clark both walked to reach in the first. Norman then launched a ball over the fence at the Keystone Heights High School field, where the game was played due to wet field conditions at BHS. Hartley estimated the ball traveled 420-425 feet, while KHHS Coach Rodney Nelson said, “That thing was over the lights. It had to be 450 feet.”
In awe, Nelson was then quoted as saying, “Whew. He hit it, didn’t he?”
Clark hit an RBI single in the third, scoring Kilby, who reached on an error.
Goodge led off the bottom of the fifth with a home run.
In earning the win on the mound, Allen struck out eight.
The Tornadoes’ postseason run ended with a 4-0 sectional loss to a 29-3 Apopka team that limited Bradford to three hits.
Hartley said he wasn’t impressed with Apopka after seeing them in person, but added, “We didn’t really test their defense much.”
Bradford left a runner stranded on second in the second inning and a runner stranded on third in the third. In the top of the seventh, Northrup drew a leadoff walk, followed by an Allen single. Apopka then recorded outs on the next three batters.
Apopka scored its first two runs off two errors on the same play in the second inning.
Clark pitched, giving up one earned run on three hits.
1981
Prior to the 1981 season, Head Coach Mike Hartley said, “This year’s team has the most talent of any team I’ve ever coached.”
That talent led to Bradford winning its second district championship in three seasons and setting a school record for wins at 19.
The Tornadoes took a 17-6 record into the District 5-3A tournament. Bradford’s pitchers hadn’t allowed a hit in 18 innings.
Buchholz was the tournament’s top seed, but Hartley said, “I think we’ve got the best team in the tournament. We just have to go out there and do it.”
First, Bradford defeated Santa Fe 7-4 in the semifinals. The Tornadoes, who scored the game’s first six runs, got a 4-for-4 performance at the plate from Kenny Clark. Pitcher Scott Allen threw six innings, giving up one hit and striking out nine.
That put the Tornadoes in the championship game against Gainesville. The game was tied at 5-5 in the eighth inning when Jeffery Norman hit a two-out single to drive in the winning run.
The ensuing scene, as described by the Telegraph account, consisted of players “running 10 feet off the ground from the visitors’ dugout to the first-base side to mob the player whose first hit of the two-game tournament was the title winner.”
Norman, who was batting ninth in the order, had a .196 average.
Bradford, which led 4-1 in the sixth, had Allen on second and David Sparks on first in the final inning. Both runners advanced on a balk before Norman’s hit, which allowed Allen to score from third.
It was the Tornadoes’ 10th straight win. That tied the 1962 team for the longest such streak in school history.
The team, however, couldn’t duplicate what the 1979 team did, which was win a regional playoff game. The Tornadoes went up 2-0 before losing 7-2 to Ocala Forest in the Region 3 title game.
Clark, who went 2 for 3 and hit in 22 straight games, had a two-out double in the first. He moved to third on a balk and scored when Forest committed an error on a Bill Goodge hit.
In the second inning, Chuck Johnson reached on an error. After a bunt by Allen and a single by Mark Williams, Johnson scored on a Sparks double.
Forest scored three in the third on three singles and two walks.
The Tornadoes left runners stranded in scoring position in the third, fifth and seventh innings.
“There’s not much I can say,” Hartley said. “The kids never quit. They were out there swinging. We only had two or three strikeouts (the number was three). We hit the ball and didn’t find the holes. They hit the ball and found the holes. That’s baseball.”
1998
Mike Hartley won his third district championship as head coach in 1998, getting solid pitching in both tournament games and some very hot bats in the title game.
Bradford defeated Suwannee 3-1 in the district semifinals. Starting pitcher Will Hartley gave up three hits and struck out 13.
The Tornadoes trailed 1-0 in the bottom of the fourth. Michael Blankenship reached on an error. Shaun Burgin ground into a fielder’s choice, but the Bulldogs failed to get Blankenship out at second. Josh Nichols was then hit by a pitch to load the bases. Jason Davis drew a walk to force a run in, while Joe Rike put a ball in play to send another runner home. Nichols scored the third run of the inning on a suicide squeeze.
Nichols was on the mound for the championship game against Baker County. He gave up three hits, struck out 14 and got more than enough run support in a 12-3 win.
Davis and Hartley each hit solo homers in the first two innings, but the score was tied 2-2 until the Tornadoes scored four runs in the third. Hartley led off that inning with a walk. He stole second and scored when Baker committed an error on a ground ball hit by Blankenship. Davis, who went 2 for 4, hit a two-run homer to make it 5-2. Joe Rike then singled and stole second before scoring on a Daniel Davis single.
In the fourth, Hartley doubled and stole third before scoring on an error on a pickoff attempt. Blankenship, who walked, scored on a Nichols ground out.
The scoring was rounded out by RBI doubles hit by Burgin and Blankneship, an RBI single hit by Philip Pombier and a passed ball that scored Pombier.
Hartley finished 3 for 3 with two doubles. Blankenship and Davis went 2 for 3 and 2 for 4, respectively.
Bradford played Pace in the first round of the regional playoffs, losing 7-2. The Tornadoes were held to three hits and committed five errors. Five of Pace’s runs were unearned.
Burgin and Nichols each drove in a run as Bradford finished 20-9.
2005
Bradford has won only one district championship since Mike Hartley stepped down as coach after the 2000 season. That occurred under Coach Shane McFadyen in 2005.
The Tornadoes entered the District 4-3A tournament with 17 wins. They reached the championship game with a 7-1 win over Fort White, with pitcher Drew Jackson giving up five hits and no earned runs, striking out eight in a complete-game performance.
Lance Griffis drove in two runs with a solo homer in the second and a single as part of a three-run fifth that also included sac-fly RBI by Cole Rhoden and John Sanford. Rusty Wood hit a two-run single in the fourth, while Jackson hit a solo home run in the sixth.
Griffis and Derek Saucer went 2 for 2 and 2 for 3, respectively.
The Tornadoes faced Keystone Heights in the championship game, with Jonathan Duncan driving in a run in the bottom of the eighth for a 3-2 win.
Bradford trailed 2-0 in the seventh. Saucer and Sanford each singled, with both scoring on a Ryan O’Neal single.
O’Neal finished 2 for 3 at the plate.
The Indians’ Wil Breton led off the top of the eighth with a double off stating pitcher Evan Denmark. Duncan entered to relieve Denmark and picked Breton off at second. Duncan then struck out two straight batters.
In the bottom of the eighth, Jason Smyth doubled. After Saucer was intentionally walked, Duncan hit the single that scored Smith and ended the game.
It was another late rally in the regional quarterfinals, with O’Neal this time providing the winning hit as Bradford got past Episcopal by a score of 2-1.
Both Bradford runs were scored in the bottom of the seventh. Saucer led off the inning by reaching on an error. Rhoden then drew a walk, while Sanford was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Griffis drove in one run to tie the score. After Jackson was intentionally walked, O’Neal delivered his walk-off hit.
The Tornadoes’ season came to an end with a 3-1 loss to Pensacola Catholic in the regional semifinals.
Bradford, which was held to two hits, scored in the fifth. Griffis reached on an error. Michael Tew entered to run for him and scored on a Denmark single.
Denmark pitched, giving up four hits in a losing effort.
The Tornadoes’ final record was 20-9.
