BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Bradford High School’s football team got a special-teams score on the last play of the first half to go up by two scores and had two 100-yard running backs in a 28-7 win over visiting Class 3A South Sumter on Sept. 6.
“They have no idea how big of a win that is, how good of a football program (South Sumter) is,” Bradford Head Coach Jamie Rodgers said of his players. “I’m so proud of them.”
The Raiders (1-2), whose only loss entering the game was by a touchdown to a Class 5A Niceville program that has been to the playoffs in each of the past 23 years, brought a team that includes players who are committed to Division-I college programs such as Georgia, LSU, Michigan State and Pittsburgh.
Rodgers expected a physical battle.
“Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, we talked about how much grit we had to have because (South Sumter was) going to have it, and they did have it,” Rodgers said. “It was just that we played harder. That’s nothing against them. Our kids just believed in the message we talked about all week — we had to play the hardest the longest. Tonight, we did.”
The Class 2A Tornadoes (3-0) have now defeated three Class 3A teams by a combined score of 70-28. They’ll play another larger-classification school on Friday, Sept. 13, when they host Class 6A Mandarin (3-0) at 7:30 p.m. Like Bradford, Mandarin was a state runner-up last year.
“Hey, we’re going to be here,” Rodgers said. “We’re going to be ready to roll. Our guys aren’t backing down from that.”
South Sumter’s offense found success early, with Blaine Walker completing a 24-yard pass to Rashad Johnson and Ja’kyrian Turner gaining 17 yards on a run on the Raiders’ first two plays from scrimmage. Turner’s run put the Raiders at the Bradford 4.
The Tornadoes held South Sumter to just 3 yards over the next three plays, which included Reese Wainwright tackling running back Tayshaun Young for no gain. The Raiders, though, were able to draw Bradford offsides and set up a fourth-and-2 play from the 33. South Sumter went for it, with Turner getting tackled for a 1-yard loss.
A holding penalty hurt the Raiders on their next series, which also included Bradford’s Marlin Haywood making a tackle for a 5-yard loss on a pass play. South Sumter punted and was then penalized for a personal foul, which set the Bradford offense up at the Raiders’ 46-yard line.
The Tornadoes seemed primed to score on what was their third possession. A 15-yard pass completion from Zack Paulk to Haywood and a pass-interference penalty helped Bradford drive to the 11-yard line, but South Sumter’s George Mullins put an end to the drive when he intercepted a Paulk pass in the end zone.
A 7-yard sack by Bradford’s Trente Jenkins helped force the Raiders to go three-and-out on their next series, with the Tornadoes taking over offensively at the South Sumter 42-yard line following the punt. Running back Gino Addison gained 5 yards on the drive’s first play and then got the carry again, taking advantage of a block by Tyndale Mullins and breaking free for a 28-yard run to the 9-yard line.
Addison and Paulk had runs of 2 and 3 yards, respectively, before Addison, who finished 115 yards on 18 carries, took the ball into the end zone from 4 yards out with 7:09 remaining in the second quarter. Cy Cubbedge kicked the extra point for a 7-0 Bradford lead.
South Sumter’s Turner had a 40-yard run to the Bradford 39 as time was running out in the half. After receiving a high snap and getting pressured by the Tornadoes’ Trevis Johnson, Walker had a pass into the end zone broken up by Haywood. The Raiders had time left for one play and decided to send Dylan Leonor onto the field to attempt a 56-yard field goal. Johnson blocked the kick, with Haywood eventually scooping up the ball and taking it in for a touchdown. Cubbedge added the PAT as Bradford went into halftime leading 14-0.
Rodgers gave kudos to Special Teams Coach John Staples and praised the job he and all the coaches on the staff do in preparing the Tornadoes in all phases of the game.
“Our coaches are unbelievable,” Rodgers said.
The Bradford defense made a big play at the start of the second half. On South Sumter’s second play from scrimmage, Turner caught a pass and was tripped up by Branden Williams. Turner fumbled the ball, which was recovered by Johnson at the Bradford 32.
South Sumter was able to force the Tornadoes to punt and get the ball back. Bubba Boone’s 36-yard reception moved the Raiders from their own 31 to the Bradford 33. After Malakhi Boone later converted a fourth-and-1 play with a 2-yard run to the 22, Walker connected with Stanley Young on an 18-yard pass play to the 4-yard line. Turner scored on a run into the end zone from there, putting South Sumter on the board at the 6:34 mark of the third quarter. Leonor kicked the extra point to make the score 14-7.
Jy’Quez Cason returned the ensuing kickoff 24 yards to set the Bradford offense up at its own 26. Iyen Addison promptly ripped off a 25-yard run. He got the ball again on the next play, somehow coming out of a pile of defenders and sprinting his way to a 49-yard touchdown with 5:46 remaining in the third quarter, putting the Tornadoes up 20-7. The PAT was no good.
Iyen Addison finished with 100 yards on 12 carries.
An unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty following the touchdown and a 16-yard kickoff return had the Raiders starting a drive at the Bradford 40. A 35-yard catch-and-run by Turner helped set up first-and-goal at the 8-yard line. Travion Overton had a 3-yard run to the 5 before an incomplete pass in the back of the end zone on second down. Landen Sherman, who was in at quarterback, was held to no gain on a third-down run. The Raiders went for it on fourth down, with Haywood breaking up a pass at the 1-yard line.
The teams traded punts until Bradford put together a 66-yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter. Haywood, who caught four passes for 81 yards, helped the Tornadoes overcome a holding penalty with a 56-yard reception at the South Sumter 10-yard line on a third-and-long play. Iyen Addison had three straight carries before McKenzie plunged into the end zone from 2 yards out with 3:34 left in the game. McKenzie’s run on the two-point conversion added the final points to the 28-7 win.
Bradford’s ground game produced 212 yards on 41 carries.
The Tornadoes finished with 325 total yards, with Paulk completing 8 of 13 passes for 113 yards.
South Sumter gained 234 total yards.
Bradford is allowing an average of nine points per game, but will now host a Mandarin team that is averaging 48 points per game. The Mustangs, who are coming off a 41-0 win over Sandalwood, have won their three games by a combined score of 145-13.
