Tornadoes defeat Chiefland 28-6 in kickoff classic

BY CLIFF SMELLEY

Telegraph Staff Writer

Bradford High School scored on four straight possessions, two of which involved short fields following turnovers, as the Tornadoes defeated host Chiefland 28-6 in one half of play in an Aug. 17 preseason kickoff classic.

The second half wasn’t played due to weather.

“We were able to execute what we wanted to do, but we made a ton of mistakes,” Head Coach Jamie Rodgers said. “We’ve got a lot of stuff to clean up, but I think we’ve got a chance to be pretty good.”

Bradford, which hosts Baker County on Friday, Aug. 25, at 7:30 p.m., had the first possession of the game at its own 30. Quarterback Dae’Jon Shanks was able to get the Indians to jump offsides on the first play before throwing two straight incompletions. Shanks was then able to hook up with Elijah Kellum for a 20-yard gain. A penalty against the Indians tacked on another 15 yards, putting Bradford at the Chiefland 30. The next play was a 28-yard reception by Chalil Cummings, which set up Willie Pollard’s 2-yard touchdown run, putting the Tornadoes ahead 6-0. The PAT was no good.

The drive consisted of four straight passes, which prompted Rodgers to say, “We might not have done that in one half (of any game) last year.” He added, “We wanted to get some stuff on film for other people to work on.”

Bradford’s defense made its mark immediately, with Devon McBride stripping Chiefland running back Osten Jones of the ball to give the Tornadoes’ offense possession at the Indians’ 30-yard line.

The Tornadoes were able to overcome a holding penalty on a 28-yard Cummings reception on third-and-22. Bradford lost yardage on two consecutive plays before Shanks hit Chason Clark for a 15-yard touchdown. Shanks’ run on the two-point conversion put the Tornadoes up 14-0.

It was then time for the Bradford defense to shine again as Trente Jenkins sacked quarterback Jon Adams, causing a fumble, which was recovered by Barren Walden at the Chiefland 30.

“Great effort flying to the ball,” Rodgers said. “That creates turnovers. Turnovers give you a short field to score. That’s good stuff.”

Shanks and Pollard had runs of 6 and 9 yards, respectively, before Shanks got loose for a 12-yard gain to the 3-yard line. That set Pollard up for his second touchdown run. Dayton Roberts kicked the extra point to make it 21-0 in the first quarter.

Chiefland’s offense was able to pick up two first downs on the ensuing drives, the second of which was a 10-yard run by Adams to the Bradford 40. The Tornadoes’ Damarion Hankerson stopped Jones for no gain on a run play, but Adams completed a 7-yard pass to set up third-and-3. Adams carried the ball two straight times, gaining only 2 yards and resulting in a turnover on downs at the Bradford 31.

The Tornadoes put together a six-play drive to go up 28-0 in the second quarter. Pollard had four carries for 63 yards, with a 44-yard run setting Bradford up with a first down at the Chiefland 13. Shanks then dropped back to pass and scrambled around in the backfield before seeing Torin Brazell standing all by himself in the end zone. The 15-yard touchdown pass was followed by Roberts’ second extra point of the night.

It capped a 5-of-8 performance for Shanks, who threw for 104 yards.

Pollard wrapped up his night with 76 rushing yards on nine carries.

The Tornadoes were unable to preserve the shutout, with Chiefland scoring on a 70-yard drive that began with Adams’ 33-yard run. Adams, who rushed for 71 yards on 12 carries, followed that with a 12-yard run for another first down. Cummings broke up a pass on a third-down play, but a roughing-the-passer penalty gave the Indians first-and-goal at the 10. Adams ran for a 6-yard gain, but was then dropped for a 5-yard loss on second down. He scored on a 9-yard run on third down. Chiefland’s two-point play was unsuccessful due to a fumbled snap.

“We didn’t want to give up that score, but it is what it is,” Rodgers said. “It was off a broken play — a botched handoff in the backfield.”

In looking at things that didn’t go well, Rodgers chalked a lot of it up to younger players getting their opportunities — opportunities that they’ll hopefully learn from.

“When you start sprinkling in young kids, and they give up big plays, they need to see that on film,” Rodgers said. “They need to understand they’re not there yet. That’s the way you build a program. You get backups in, they make mistakes, you build off them in practice, and they get better.”

Chiefland finished with 99 yards and five first downs, while Bradford gained 191 yards and had nine first downs.