BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Manny Covey and Jeremiah McKenzie each rushed for two scores, while the defense continued to do what it has been doing all year as the number-one, Class 2S Bradford High School football team celebrated homecoming with a 27-0 District 6 win over Tocoi Creek on Oct. 14.
Head Coach Jamie Rodgers said his team could’ve played better in several aspects, but he was satisfied with the outcome during a week where it can be hard to keep their players focused.
“A ton of distractions with homecoming week,” Rodgers said. “To get out of it with a win and to get another shutout is good.”
Bradford (7-0, 2-0 in District 6), which hosts fellow Class 2S team Dunnellon on Friday, Oct. 21, at 7:30 p.m., has given up seven points all season, shutting out six of its seven opponents. The Tornadoes are now tied with four other teams (1930, 1944, 1965 and 1985) for second-most shutouts in a season. The 1964 team had seven.
“Our defense is doing crazy things this year,” linebacker Bryson Bowen said. “I just thank God that we’re doing this.”
Linebacker Chason Clark said it would’ve been hard to believe somebody if they had told him before the season his team would have six shutouts after its first seven games, but he also knows the work he and his teammates have put in to make that happen.
“I would’ve told them they might be crazy,” Clark said, “but now I’m realizing it’s all about how you work and prepare for things.”
Bowen said, “We play how we practice. We just come out here and show perfection every time. That’s what we try to do every game — just show perfection.”
Tocoi Creek (5-3, 0-2) had only seven plays of more than 5 yards, with the Tornadoes recording nine tackles behind the line of scrimmage and another three for a gain of no yards.
The Toros finished with 93 total yards, but were held to 24 in the second half.
Clark said the key to keeping teams off the scoreboard is to keep them from moving the chains. Tocoi Creek finished with four first downs. It’s only first down in the second half was the result of a Bradford penalty.
“Every day in practice, we make sure we play aggressive and make sure that we’re learning and make sure that nobody gets a first down,” Clark said. “We judge all our games off first downs, not touchdowns.”
Tocoi Creek actually threatened to score first. After gaining 6 yards and going three-and-out on its first two possessions, the Toros got a 26-yard run from Kaiz Ragland to the Bradford 25-yard line. Torrin Brazell pressured quarterback Ryan Killmer into throwing an incompletion on the next play. Brazell then tackled Davian Garcia for a 2-yard loss. On third-and-12, the Toros gained 2 yards on a run play, resulting in fourth-and-10. Ronaldo Medina’s 42-yard field-goal attempt was no good with 3:29 remaining in the first quarter.
Braford’s offense crossed midfield on two of its first three series, but the result each time was a punt. The Tornadoes finally finished a drive off with points, thanks mainly to Covey and McKenzkie. Covey had a 33-yard run to the Tocoi Creek 20. Two plays later, McKenzie’s 12-yard run set up first-and-goal at the 5. McKenzie eventually capped the six-play, 61-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run. Hayden Hughes kicked the extra point to make the score 7-0 at the 5:58 mark of the second quarter.
After the Tornadoes’ defense forced the Toros to go three-and-out for the third time, the offense began a drive at its own 49. McKenzie completed an 11-yard pass to Dae’Jon Shanks on the first play, but an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty on the following play backed Bradford up so that it was facing second-and-22. A run by Chalil Cummings set up third-and-6, which the Tornadoes converted on a 20-yard run by Covey.
Bradford eventually had to settle for a 27-yard Hughes field goal, but Tocoi Creek was penalized for a personal foul on the play. Rodgers elected to take the points off the board and send his offense back onto the field for first-and-goal at the 5-yard line. McKenzie scored on a run from there to make it 13-0 with 51 seconds left in the first half. The PAT was blocked.
McKenzie, a sophomore who has seen the majority of action this year at quarterback due to an injury to Shanks, finished the night with 83 yards on 16 carries, while also completing 8 of 14 passes for 50 yards.
“He’s a really tough kid,” Rodgers said. “He’s even-keeled. If he makes a mistake or he does something good, you can’t tell. I like that. That guy’s always in the moment. He’s always focused on what we need to be focused on. He’s doing a good job.”
The Tornadoes squandered a scoring opportunity early in the second half. Tray Schmitt recovered a blocked punt at the Tocoi Creek 26-yard line. A reception by Cummings and a personal-foul penalty helped move Bradford to the 11-yard line, but a fumble was recovered by the Toros.
Two runs by Willie Pollard gave the Tornadoes a first down on their next possession, while a 9-yard reception by Shanks set up a fourth-and-4 play at the Tocoi Creek 31. Bradford went for it, with Covey breaking loose for a touchdown with 1:02 to play in the third quarter. Hughes added the PAT for a 20-0 lead.
That’s how the score remained until late in the fourth quarter, when Covey scampered 71 yards for a touchdown. Hughes kicked the extra point to conclude the scoring with 3:34 left in the game.
It was quite the night — and week — for Covey, who was one of the homecoming king candidates. He rushed for 216 yards on 17 carries. He had five runs of 20 yards or more.
“Manny’s fun to watch, and he’s a great kid,” Rodgers said of the University of Cincinnati commit. “He’s a fun kid to be around. He works really hard. He’s one of the hardest workers we have in the weight room. It shows.”
As a team, Bradford rushed for 354 yards, averaging 8 yards per carry.
“Our offensive line does a good job of getting on who they need to get on,” Rodgers said.
The Tornadoes now face a Dunnellon team that’s coming off its fourth win in a row — an 18-15 victory over Crystal River. The Tigers are ranked 21st in the Class 2S power rankings.
“We’ve got a really good Dunnellon team coming in,” Rodgers said. “Very, very athletic. They can run — a team that does match well with our speed.
“We’re going to have to bring our A game next week.”
