BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Dae’Jon Shanks threw for one score and rushed for two others, while the defense recorded a second-half shutout as Bradford High School’s football team defeated True North Classical Academy 24-13 in a matchup of top-10 teams on Oct. 13 in Miami.
The Tornadoes rallied from two early deficits (the only times they’ve trailed all season) in improving to 7-0 against the sixth-ranked team in the Florida High School Athletic Association’s Class 1M power poll.
“They never pressed,” Bradford Head Coach Jamie Rodgers said of his Tornadoes, who are ranked third in Class 2S. “Mentally, they always stayed in the moment. On offense, we went and got the lead back.”
Bradford, which hosts Lecanto on Friday, Oct. 20, at 7:30 p.m., gave up a total of three points after True North (6-1) had first-and-goal opportunities at the 5- and 6-yard lines.
“Those were the two biggest series of the whole thing,” Rodgers said. “If they get touchdowns, it’s a completely different outcome.”
The Titans also had a second-and-5 at the 8-yard line, with that trip resulting in only a field goal.
True North had 156 yards in the first half, but gained just 29 in the second.
Rodgers gave kudos to his defensive coaches, saying, “All of the adjustments they made at halftime were what carried us through.”
True North, which received the opening kickoff, picked up a first down on two plays before striking big on a trick play. Quarterback Zac Katz threw a backward pass to wide receiver Jasen Lopez, who then threw a deep ball to Christian Garcia for a 46-yard gain to the Bradford 14-yard line. After two straight incomplete passes, Joshua Reyes scored on a reverse. Chris Macias kicked the extra point for a 7-0 Titans lead approximately two minutes into the game.
Bradford responded with a five-play scoring drive. Shanks and Brian Cliffin each had a 17-yard run to help the Tornadoes drive to the True North 30. On a second-and-4 play, Chalil Cummings caught a 24-yard touchdown pass from Shanks at the 6:38 mark of the first
quarter. Shanks’ run on the two-point conversion put Bradford ahead 8-7.
Shanks completed 6 of 7 passes for 144 yards, with Cummings catching three passes for 38 yards.
A penalty and a sack by Chason Clark force the Titans into a second-and-17 play on the ensuing series, but Katz completed two passes to pick up a first down. Katz and Lopez then hooked up for a 10-yard gain and a first down at midfield before the pass-and-catch duo connected again for a 45-yard gain to the Bradford 5-yard line. Two plays later, on third-and-goal at the 4, Devon McBride sacked Katz for a 6-yard loss. True North had to settle for a 27-yard Macias field goal, which put the Titans up 10-8 with 1:24 to play in the first quarter.
The Tornadoes answered again, scoring on a 75-yard drive. A 29-yard acrobatic reception by Jordan Cason converted a third-and-11 play and put Bradford at the True North 47. Runs of 17 yards by Shanks and 6 yards by Cliffin resulted in a pair of additional first downs. A 12-yard reception by Cummings and an 8-yard run by Shanks overcame a holding penalty and gave the Tornadoes first-and-goal at the 9. A pair of Cliffin runs set Shanks up for a 4-yard touchdown run with 6:48 to play in the second quarter. Shanks’ successful run on the two-point conversion made the score 16-10.
Bradford forced True North to punt on its next possession, but the Titans would get the ball back when the Tornadoes’ offense fumbled the ball at the Bradford 13. A 5-yard pass play moved True North to the 8. Two plays later, Duke Lewis had a sack that forced a fumble and resulted in an 8-yard loss. Macias kicked a 33-yard field goal to make it a 16-13 game with 58 seconds remaining until halftime.
A 28-yard kickoff return had Bradford starting its next drive at its own 41. A 9-yard run by Jeremiah McKenzie helped the Tornadoes pick up a first down before Jyquez Cason caught a 47-yard pass at the True North 1-yard line. Shanks, who rushed for 82 yards on 15 carries, scored on a run from there with four seconds left on the clock. Clark caught Shanks’ pass on the two-point conversion to make it 24-13.
The teams combined for just 147 yards of offense in the second half. Each had a chance to score, with the Tornadoes failing to do so after driving inside the True North 10 to start the second half. A 30-yard reception by Jordan Cason, who finished with two catches for 59 yards, put Bradford at the True North 44, while a pass-interference penalty resulted in a first down at the 35. Shanks had two runs for 11 yards before Cliffin broke free for a 17-yard run to the 7-yard line. The Titans dropped Cliffin for losses on the next two plays and then sacked Shanks for a 10-yard loss. Shanks threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Cummings in the corner of the end zone, but a penalty for ineligible receiver nullified the score. Shanks made it interesting on fourth-and-goal from the 25, scrambling his way toward the end zone before being tackled at the 1-yard line.
True North threatened to score in the fourth quarter on a drive that began with a 4-yard loss, courtesy of a Clark tackle. The Titans picked up a first down anyway on a 26-yard reception by Lopez to the Bradford 45. True North picked up another 15 yards on a pass play to
Reed Ramirez, while a personal-foul facemask penalty on a second-and-18 play left the Titans needing just 1 yard to pick up a first down, which they did on an 8-yard run by Katz.
An unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty before the next play was snapped gave True North a first-and-goal at the 6. The Titans were then backed up 10 yard for holding and, after an incomplete pass, an additional 5 yards for illegal procedure. Clark sacked Katz for a 14-yard loss, forcing the Titans into third-and-goal from the 35-yard line. Bradford’s defense made a tackle for a 4-yard loss on a pass play, which led to True North punting from the 39-yard line.
The Titans had their opportunities as well as several big-yardage plays, but the Tornadoes made nine tackles behind the line of scrimmage and held True North to minus-12 yards rushing for the game.
“It just shows you the resiliency of our defense,” Rodgers said. “We knew coming in they did things that were going to give us trouble.”
After True North failed to score, Bradford was able chew up the final 6:41, mostly due to McKenzie, who lined up at quarterback for most of the final drive’s snaps. He had four carries for 21 yards — with three of those runs resulting in first downs — before taking three kneel-downs.
For the game, McKenzie rushed for 46 yards on seven carries. Cliffin finished with 48 yards on 13 carries.
Rodgers was happy about the win, of course, but he also enjoyed hearing the feedback he received from hotel and restaurant staff members about the behavior of his players on a road trip that took them almost six hours from home.
“People just talked about how good-mannered they were,” Rodgers said, adding, “I’m proud of that as much as anything.”
The Tornadoes close out the regular season with three straight games at home, beginning with playing a Class 3S Lecanto team that is coming off a 35-18 loss to Gulf. The Panthers are 4-3.
