BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Bradford High School’s football team scored touchdowns on all but two of its possessions in defeating District 5-2A opponent Santa Fe 44-0 on Oct. 25 in Alachua.
Head Coach Jamie Rodgers couldn’t fault the effort of his number-one team in Region 2 of Class 2A (number four overall in the class) against a team that has only one win and whose first-year head coach resigned earlier this month.
“You’ve got to win games like tonight’s,” Rodgers said, adding, “I thought we probably played harder tonight than the last couple of weeks.”
The Tornadoes (8-1, 3-1 in District 5) had five touchdowns in the first half and amassed 373 yards of offense despite a running clock in the second half.
Defensively, Bradford held Santa Fe (1-8, 1-3) to 62 yards and created four turnovers.
Bradford was supposed to play one more game before the playoffs began, but North Florida Educational Institute, which was scheduled to host the Tornadoes on Friday, Nov. 1, notified Bradford that it couldn’t play the game. A Facebook post by Bradford Athletics stated that the Tornadoes would attempt to find an opponent to play.
The Tornadoes received the opening kickoff against Santa Fe and drove 53 yards for its first score. It was a good series for quarterback Zack Paulk, who had two carries for 17 yards and two pass completions to Elijah Lawrence for a total of 15 yards. Gino Addison ended the drive with a 12-yard touchdown run at the 8:40 mark of the first quarter, putting the Tornadoes ahead 6-0. Cy Cubbedge’s pass on the two-point conversion attempt was incomplete.
Santa Fe picked up a first down on its first series when quarterback Jay Bryant completed an 8-yard pass to Tyler Gentry, which left the Raiders 3 yards shy of midfield. Bradford’s Jeremiah Hill then tackled Bryant for a 1-yard loss. Two plays later, on third-and-7, Asaph Bryant was gang tackled for a 1-yard loss. A bad snap on the resulting punt attempt set the Bradford offense up at the Santa Fe 43.
A 16-yard run by Iyen Addison was followed by a 25-yard reception by Tyndale Mullins, which set up first-and-goal at the 2. A fumble recovered by Paulk backed the Tornadoes up 6 yards. Iyen Addison then had two straight carries, with the second taking him into the end zone from 6 yards out, making it a 12-0 game with 2:05 remaining in the first quarter. Paulk’s pass on the two-point play was incomplete.
The Tornadoes’ Trevis Johnson and Duke Lewis had tackles that forced Santa Fe into a third-and-10 situation on its next series. An incomplete pass after a penalty for delay of game forced the Raiders to punt. Bradford’s Jy’Quez Cason had a 17-yard return to the Santa Fe 45, but a holding penalty on the play had Bradford’s offense taking over at its own 45.
A sack one play later resulted in a fumble recovered by the Raiders, but the Santa Fe offense could do nothing with its opportunity. The Raiders gained no yards on two plays before a deep pass was intercepted by the Tornadoes’ Branden Williams.
Bradford’s offense took over at its own 5-yard line. The first play saw Cason catch a short pass and sprint his way downfield for a 95-yard touchdown, but a holding penalty nullified the score. The end result, though, was a gain of 1 yard, setting up first-and-9 from the 6. Three straight runs by Gino Addison picked up one first down, while an 18-yard reception by Marin Haywood resulted in another.
The Tornadoes continued to move away from their end zone and past midfield. Paulk, who had seven rushing attempts for 56 yards, carried the ball three straight times for a net gain of 32 yards to the Santa Fe 35. The
quarterback later had a 12-yard run for a first down at the 16.
A holding penalty backed the Tornadoes up, but Gino Addison took a handoff and turned it into a 26-yard touchdown and an 18-0 Bradford lead with 3:38 to play in the second quarter. Bradford again had a failed conversion attempt, with Jeremiah McKenzie having to recover a bad snap.
Gino Addison played the first half only, finishing with 56 yards and two touchdowns on six carries.
Santa Fe’s Jay Bryant ran for a 26-yard gain to the Bradford 38 on the Raiders’ next possession. Runs by Asaph Bryant set up third-and-4. Jay Bryant was tackled for a 2-yard loss, but the Santa Fe offense stayed on the field for fourth-and-6. Bryant was able to draw the Tornadoes offsides, setting up fourth-and-1. The Tornadoes stuffed a run play for a 1-yard loss and a turnover on downs.
The Tornadoes’ offense went three-and-out, which resulted in Bradford’s only punt of the game. A 9-yard return by Keshawn Lee had the Raiders starting a drive at the Bradford 48 with 48 seconds remaining until halftime.
Jay Bryant had an 8-yard run before then hooking up with Jeremy Nurse on a 9-yard pass play to the 31-yard line. After an illegal-shift penalty, Bryant was having to chase down a bad shotgun snap that was ultimately scooped up by Bradford lineman Trente Jenkins, who took it 55 yards for a touchdown. Cason had a successful run on the two-point conversion, making the score 26-0 with 2.6 seconds left on the clock.
That was enough time for the Tornadoes to put another score on the board. They attempted an onside kick, which they recovered at the Santa Fe 48. Paulk, who was 8 of 13 for 121 yards, then threw a touchdown pass to Cason to put Bradford up 32-0. Williams’ run was short on the two-point conversion.
Cason finished with two catches for 59 yards.
Rodgers said the end of the half, which featured standout plays by the Tornadoes’ offense, defense and special teams, was an example of how teams should play to be successful.
“That’s what good programs should be able to do,” Rodgers said. “They should be able to execute in all three phases.”
Santa Fe gained a first down on the first series of the second half, thanks to an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty on Bradford. The Raiders, though, couldn’t gain a first down on their own, with Lewis and Jamarion Foye combining on a 6-yard sack that helped force Santa Fe to punt.
Iyen Addison, who finished with 83 yards on eight carries, picked up first downs on runs of 12 yards and 24 yards on Bradford’s first drive of the half. Curtis Gonzalez had a 16-yard run that resulted in a first down at the Santa Fe 12. After an offsides penalty against the Raiders, Jordan Cason carried the ball into the end zone on a 7-yard run, making the score 38-0. Brian Cliffin’s extra-point kick was no good.
The Raiders returned the ensuing kickoff 33 yards to the Bradford 49. Williams then appeared to have his second interception of the game, but a pass-interference penalty took it away and gave the Raiders a first down at the 34. Another 15-yard penalty (for roughing the passer) later gave Santa Fe a first down at the 15. McKenzie put an end to the threat, intercepting a pass inside the 10-yard line and returning it to the Bradford 42.
Cubbedge entered the game at quarterback for the Tornadoes and promptly completed a 14-yard pass to Jordan Cason on the third play of the fourth quarter, moving Bradford to the Santa Fe 44. Iyen Addison later had a 12-yard run to the 20, with an additional 10 yards tacked on due to a penalty. On first-and-goal, Cubbedge, who was 2 of 3 for 24 yards, completed a 10-yard touchdown pass to Nehemiah Flowers to complete the scoring.
