The following is a look at the high school varsity teams and individuals that won championships at the district, regional or state levels, earned medals in state competition or that qualified to participate in regional and state competitions in 2021. Any omissions are unintentional.
BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Bradford High School won 12 individual and team championships at the district and regional levels in 2021, with the girls weightlifting team responsible for all but three of those.
It was a notable year for the girls weightlifting team, which won district and regional titles as a team for the first time ever. Five individuals earned medals at the Class 1A state finals, including Takeirra Bakken and Brianna Jordan, who were the runners-up in their respective weight classes.
At the District 5 meet, the Tornadoes had five individuals place first and another four place second.
Haleigh Crawford won the 110 class with a 150 total, while Breann Ponce won the 129 class with a 195 total. Jordan took the 154 class with a 290 total, while Bakken’s 315 total topped the 183 class. Gabby Oliver won the 199 class with a 310 total.
The only thing keeping Raven Ford and Liberty Harahus from winning their classes were their own teammates. Ford was second to Jordan in the 154 class with a 230 total, while Harahus was second to Bakken in the 183 class with a 280 total.
Also finishing as district runners-up were Mikayla Cooper in the 119 class with a 205 total and Jessica Traylor in the unlimited class with a 345 total.
The top six in each class earned the right to advance to the Region 2 finals, giving Bradford an additional four qualifiers. Kristen Hodges (175 total) and Delanie Gibson (155) were third in the 119 and 169 classes, respectively, while Kennedy Polk (190) and Zaya Thompson (270) were fifth in the 199 and unlimited classes, respectively.
In capturing the team championship at the Region 2 meet, Bradford got first-place finishes from Jordan (315) and Bakken (320). It was the first time in 10 years the Tornadoes had two lifters earn regional championships.
Bakken and Jordan automatically qualified for state, while four of their teammates also earned the right to advance based on their Region 2 totals. Two of those lifters were Region 2 runners-up: Harahus (275) and Oliver (315).
Traylor earned a state berth with her third-place total of 350, while Cooper’s fourth-place total of 215 also got her into the state finals.
The most lifters Bradford had qualify for state in the past was four in 2011.
At state, Jordan and Bakken lifted totals of 315 and 330, respectively, to place second in their classes.
Three of the Tornadoes’ four remaining state participants placed in the top six, giving Bradford a program-high five medals. Oliver (325) and Traylor (360) placed fourth and fifth, respectively, while Harahus (290) placed sixth.
Cooper (210) finished 17th.
Balfour wins 3 titles and a state medal
Aside from girls weightlifting, the only other sport responsible for earning Bradford championships was boys track and field. Dontae Balfour was responsible for all three and went on to earn a medal at the Class 2A finals.
Balfour was the first boys track and field athlete to earn a medal at state in nine years. He placed fourth in the triple jump with a distance of 45 feet, 9.75 inches.
Before making it to state, Balfour won two championships at the District 3 finals. He won the triple jump with a distance of 43-9.75 and the 300m hurdles with a time of 41.56 seconds. Balfour was also runner-up in the long jump (21-6.25).
The top four finishers in each event earned the right to advance to the Region 1 finals. The boys 4x100m relay team placed second (44.12), while the following boys team members earned third-place finishes: Jametrius Pringle in the high jump (5-7.75) and Jaquez Riley in the triple jump (39-7.25).
Bradford’s Delaney Crosby, Holly Holt, Layne Loper and Kayleigh Stokes teamed up to run a third-place time of 14:03) in the girls 4x800m relay.
Balfour won Bradford’s lone championship at the Region 1 meet with his school record of 47-2.25 in the triple jump.
The top two finishers in each event automatically qualified for state, while additional at-large qualifiers were also selected based on their regional totals. Balfour, who was the only Bradford athlete to get to go to state, earned an additional berth in the 300m hurdles after placing seventh (41.41).
At state, Balfour entered his final triple-jump attempt with a best jump on the day of 43-10.75. He bettered that by almost 2 feet to move up to fourth place.
In the 300m hurdles, Balfour was 13th (41.96).
Girls hoops team is district runner-up
The girls basketball team qualified for the Region 2-4A playoffs by virtue of going 1-1 in the District 5 tournament.
Bradford entered the tournament on a roll, having won six of seven games. The Tornadoes used an 18-1 run to open the fourth quarter and pull away for a 65-45 win over Dunnellon in the semifinals.
Santee Blye and Jada Hankerson combined to score 17 points in the fourth quarter. Blye led all scorers with 18 points, while Hankerson had 17.
Sara Foster and Ayanna Pringle scored 15 and eight points, respectively, while Brinley Carter, Destiny Crum and Jillian Kirkland each added two. Raynisha Hunter chipped in one point.
The win put the second-seeded Tornadoes into the championship game against top-seed North Marion. The Colts applied heavy defensive pressure, forcing Bradford into turnovers and ultimately defeating the Tornadoes 56-21.
North Marion used a 15-2 run to take a 15-6 lead into the second quarter. A Kirkland basket and Hankerson free throw helped Bradford whittle the lead down to five and it remained a five-point game at halftime, thanks to baskets by Foster and Hunter.
Not much went right for the Tornadoes in the second half, which saw them outscored 34-4.
Hankerson and Foster scored seven and six points, respectively, while Blye, Hunter, Kirkland and Kencie Wainwright each had two.
Bradford entered the regional playoffs seeking its first postseason win in six years, but fell on the road to The Villages by a score of 48-40.
The Tornadoes finished the season with a 12-11 record.
Tornadoes make football playoffs for 7th straight season
By virtue of its strength of schedule, Bradford’s football team rode a 5-5 regular season into its seventh straight playoff appearance.
The Tornadoes opened with a 51-13 Region 4-1A quarterfinal win over Newberry, getting four touchdown passes from Amari Jones.
Bradford led by one point at halftime, but outscored the Panthers 37-0 in the second half.
Jones completed first-half touchdown passes to Chason Clark and Chalil Cummings. His first scoring toss of the second half, set up by a Torin Brazell fumble recovery, went for 51 yards to Dae’Jon Shanks.
Jeremiah Crum and Triavez Hankerson also each had a touchdown reception in the second half.
Manny Covey, who rushed for 103 yards, had a touchdown run, while the game’s final score came on the final play when Jametrius Pringle returned an interception 100 yards.
Hayden Hughes kicked a 23-yard field goal and was 6-of-6 on extra-point attempts.
Jones completed 16-of-19 passes for 361 yards. Crum caught five of them for 84 yards, while Jontez Williams caught four for 78 yards. Shanks had two catches for 68 yards, while Hankerson and Cummings had 59 and 51 yards, respectively, on two catches each.
Gavin Cook had an interception for the defense, which got a team-high nine tackles each from Clark and Bryson Bowen. Brazell had eight tackles, while Jarrin Alexander and Chris Strong each had six.
Bradford’s season came to an end with a 38-20 loss to Pahokee in the semifinals.
The Tornadoes led 14-7, getting a 24-yard touchdown reception from Covey in the first quarter and a 7-yard touchdown run by Covey in the second quarter. Hughes kicked the extra point following both scores.
Pahokee was able to score two touchdowns to take a 21-14 halftime lead.
A 59-yard touchdown run by Willie Pollard made it a 24-20 game in the third quarter, but that’s as close as the Tornadoes would get.
Covey and Pollard rushed for 72 and 65 yards, respectively.
Jones completed 19-of-31 passes for 240 yards. Cummings caught three passes for 73 yards, while Williams caught five for 61 yards. Shanks added 44 yards on three receptions, while Crum and Covey had 30 and 24 yards, respectively, on one catch each.
4 boys weightlifters advance to regionals
The Tornadoes were represented at the Region 2-1A boys weightlifting finals by four individuals, who earned the right to advance by earning top-six finishes at the District 8 finals.
At the district meet, Easton Wynn earned third place in the 199 class with a 435 total, while Nate Bowlan-Smith placed fourth in the 238 class with a 435 total. Dejon McBride was fifth in the heavyweight class with a 565 total, while Trent Hankerson was sixth in the 139 class with a 245 total.
Holder qualifies for cross country region
The boys cross country team missed out on advancing to regional competition by one place, but Tristan Holder did earn the right to advance by virtue of being among the top three individuals not on one of the eight regional-qualifying teams at the District 2-2A finals.
Holder, who was the third-highest finisher not on a regional qualifying team, placed 28th out of 147 overall with a time of 18:24.
At the Region 1 finals, the top three individuals not on one of the eight state-qualifying teams earned the right to advance as well. Holder missed out by one spot as he had the fourth-best time (17:31) among individuals not on one of those eight teams. He placed 24th out of 114 overall.
Spratlin competes at girls golf regionals
Cassidy Spratlin advanced to regional competition in girls golf with her fourth-place finish at the District 3-1A finals.
Spratlin made par on one hole and shot an 18-hole score of 105. She went on to place 41st at the Region 1 finals with a score of 123. She made par on one hole.
