BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
What’s more impressive? The offense or the defense.
You can argue either point, but what everyone can agree on is that Bradford High School just put the finishing touches on an impressive 13-0 regular season by defeating visiting Columbia 38-0 on April 13.
Bradford, which is ranked fifth in the Florida High School Athletic Association’s Class 1A power poll, recorded its 10th shutout, with Ar’Nayshia Griffin intercepting two passes and Nichelle Brown intercepting one. Ajiyah Jackson had two sacks and finished with four tackles.
With such s stingy defense, the Tornadoes score more than enough points. They’re averaging 36 per game.
Against Columbia, quarterback Griffin completed 19 of 24 passes for 263 yards and six touchdowns. Brown was the recipient of four of those touchdowns, catching 11 passes for 205 yards.
Khamyra Hankerson caught four passes for 30 yards, while Jada Hankerson caught two passes for 15 yards and a touchdown. Jaydyn Lee caught one pass, which was good for a 10-yard touchdown.
Griffin led the team in rushing with 50 yards on six carries.
In its previous game, Bradford defeated Oakleaf 32-0 on April 12.
Jackson recorded five sacks and finished with seven tackles total. Brown and Griffin each had an interception.
Offensively, Griffin completed 19 of 26 passes for 210 yards and four touchdowns. Brown had nine receptions for 140 yards and three touchdowns, while Khamyra Hankerson had six for 65 yards and a touchdown.
Griffin rushed for 30 yards on four carries, while Izarriah DeSue had one carry, which was good for a 10-yard touchdown.
Bradford has outscored teams 465-34. The only teams to score against the Tornadoes were Florida School for the Deaf and Blind (14 points), Suwannee (12) and Middleburg (8).
Jackson, a junior, leads the defense in tackles with 38 and sacks with 19. Brown, a sophomore, and Jada Hankerson, a junior, have 24 and 21 tackles, respectively, while Jamissia Williams, a junior, has seven sacks.
Griffin, a freshman, has a team-high 17 interceptions, while Brown has 11.
The offense has been powered mostly by the Griffin-Brown connection. Griffin has completed 184 of 254 passes for 2,701 yards and 36 touchdowns. Brown has 91 receptions for 1,604 yards and 25 touchdowns.
Khamyra Hankerson, a freshman, has 34 catches for 451 yards and eight touchdowns, while Jada Hankerson has 25 catches for 348 yards and two touchdowns.
Kimber Woods, a senior, has 30 receptions for 282 yards and two touchdowns.
Brown has rushed for 783 yards and 12 touchdowns on 56 carries, while Griffin has rushed for 728 yards and 14 touchdowns on 83 carries.
Bradford will host the District 2 semifinals on Wednesday, April 19, at 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and the championship game on Thursday, April 20, at 7 p.m. First, though, the Tornadoes will have to play a quarterfinal game, which they’ll host on Tuesday, April 18, at 6 p.m.
District champions automatically qualify for the regional playoffs, which begin Wednesday, April 26. An additional four teams will be selected in each region based on FHSAA power rankings.
Bradford is currently ranked third in Region 1 of Class 1A behind Fort Walton Beach’s Choctawhatchee and Jacksonville’s Ed White and ahead of fellow District 2 team Lincoln.
In Class 1A as a whole, Tampa Robinson (13-2) is ranked first, followed by Miami Edison (12-1), Choctawhatchee (11-2), Ed White (14-1) and Bradford. Robinson was last season’s state champion, while Choctawhatchee was runner-up. Edison was a Final Four team.
