BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Bradford High School’s defense made three interceptions, recovered two fumbles and held visiting Baldwin to 26 total yards as the Tornadoes put an official varsity football result in the books with a 35-0 win on Sept. 2.
The Tornadoes, whose opening game against Baker County on Aug. 26 was suspended due to the weather, have yet to give up a score in approximately 10 quarters (including four quarters of preseason play). They’ll try to extend that streak when they host Middleburg (0-2) on Friday, Sept. 9, at 7:30 p.m.
Bradford Head Coach Jamie Rodgers said his defensive players excelled at lining up correctly and relying upon their speed to create havoc. The Tornadoes (1-0) recorded six sacks and made 10 total tackles behind the line of scrimmage, resulting in minus-59 yards. Baldwin (1-1) finished with 6 rushing yards on 26 attempts.
“We had a good gameplan from the beginning. The kids picked it up on Monday and Tuesday and executed it,” Rodgers said, adding, “We blitzed a lot tonight in the first half. We knew they were going to have trouble with our blitzes. We stayed true to that. We got home on a couple of them and got a couple of turnovers.”
The Indians had a second-and-1 play on their first drive, but a tackle for loss by Torin Brazell and a penalty eventually forced Baldwin to attempt a punt from its own 25. The snap sailed over the punter’s head and rolled into
the end zone. Bradford’s Bryson Bowen fell on the ball to give his team a touchdown at the 9:31 mark of the first quarter. Hayden Hughes added the PAT for a 7-0 lead.
“That kind of set the tone for the defense to start feeling it,” Rodgers said.
Bradford needed that defensive effort as it struggled mightily on offense to start the game. The Tornadoes’ first four drives resulted in a net gain of 6 yards and three turnovers.
Starting quarterback Dae’Jon Shanks practiced little during the week due to a turf-toe injury and eventually gave way to sophomore Jeremiah McKenzie approximately halfway into the second quarter.
“It showed,” Rodgers said of Shanks’ limited practice time, “but the good thing was J-Mac got in there and was able to run the offense.”
That limited the offensive playbook, but Bradford was still able to score four touchdowns. The Tornadoes rushed for 181 yards and finished with 200 yards total, averaging 6 yards per play.
“We knew (Baldwin) was going to have a tough time scoring, so we didn’t want to make mistakes when we had the ball,” Rodgers said. “If you had given me 35-0 before the game, I would’ve taken it.”
A fumble on a lateral gave Baldwin the ball at the Bradford 20-yard line early in the second quarter. Two plays later, the Indians were facing third-and-12. Chason Clark sacked Indians quarterback Jalen Hitchens for a 7-yard loss. Baldwin went for it on fourth down, with Chalil Cummings intercepting a pass. His return, plus a Baldwin penalty, put the Bradford offense at midfield.
Leon Kirkland gave the ball back to Baldwin two plays later when he made his second interception of the night. A 15-yard penalty helped the Indians cross midfield, the Tornadoes’ Jametrius Pringle ended the threat with an interception.
Bradford’s offense failed to pick up a first down on its first four possessions, but the Tornadoes had two on their fifth drive, thanks to 12- and 15-yard runs by McKenzie and Manny Covey, respectively. Bradford, though, would turn the ball over on downs at the Baldwin 31.
The Tornadoes’ defense struck again as Bowen and Devon McBride combined for a sack and caused a fumble that was recovered by Dejon McBride at the Baldwin 17 with 48 seconds left in the first half. Covey had a run of 4 yards before Bradford was backed up 5 yards for illegal procedure. McKenzie then threw a pass to a diving Cummings in the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown and a 14-0 lead after Hughes’ PAT.
Bradford received the second-half kickoff. Covey, who rushed for 92 yards on nine carries, broke free on the second play from scrimmage for a 66-yard touchdown run. Hughes kicked the extra point, making it 21-0.
The Indians’ first drive of the second half consisted of more negative plays. Will Lusignan had an 8-yard sack, while Clark made a tackle for a loss of 5 yards.
Bradford extended its lead early in the fourth quarter, following an interception by Jarrin Alexander that set the Tornadoes up at the Baldwin 30-yard line. A 6-yard run by McKenzie converted a third-and-2 play. Willie Pollard then had a 6-yard run to the 10, followed by runs of 2, 5 and 3 yards by McKenzie. The 3-yard run put the quarterback into the end zone with 8:13 remaining in the game. Hughes again added the PAT, making the score 28-0.
A 20-plus-yard punt return by Gavin Cook, following a Baldwin three-and-out, gave the Tornadoes’ offense the ball at the Indians’ 31-yard line. Three plays later, junior varsity player Gino Addison ripped off a 30-yard touchdown run. Hughes kicked the extra point to conclude the scoring with 5:10 left on the clock.
“We got to play all four quarters. That was a lot of fun,” Rodgers said. “We’ll build off this.”
The Class 2S Tornadoes now prepare for a Class 3S Middleburg team that’s coming off a 45-25 loss to Bishop Kenny. The Broncos, who opened the season with a 24-7 loss to Class 1R Hawthorne, went 5-5 in 2021.
Bradford and Middleburg last played in 2018, with the Broncos winning 21-13 in Starke.
