BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Bradford High School bounced back from its first loss just fine.
Jametrius “Jip” Pringle returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown. His team’s first offensive play went for a touchdown.
By the time the first quarter ended, the Tornadoes had reached the end zone four times.
Visiting Crescent City, the 44th-ranked team in the state which got in only by virtue of winning the District 8 championship, was in no way any match for the second-ranked Tornadoes, who opened the postseason with a 48-0 win in a Nov. 11 Region 2 quarterfinal game.
Bradford, which is the number-one seed in Region 2, averaged 14 yards per play in the first half as it built a 41-0 lead. The Tornadoes finished with a 12-yards-per-play average and failed to score only when they took kneel-downs at the end of the first half and at the end of the game.
The Tornadoes (10-1) set a school record for margin of victory in a playoff game, surpassing the 42-point win the 2004 team had in a 54-12 win over Bishop Moore. They also set the school record for shutouts in a season with eight, surpassing the seven shutouts the 1964 team recorded.
“You could tell immediately that our speed advantage was really, really high,” Bradford Head Coach Jamie Rodgers said. “When you’re just as physical or more physical, and you’re faster than your opponent, that’s usually not good for the other team.”
Bradford, which hosts fifth seed Eastside in a Region 2 semifinal game on Friday, Nov. 18, at 7:30 p.m. (see related story), didn’t waste any time, with Pringle fielding the opening kickoff at his won 12-yard line. He eventually reversed field and made his way down his team’s sideline, putting his speed on full display in taking it all the way for a score. Hayden Hughes kicked the extra point to make it 7-0.
“The kickoff return obviously helped us get off to a really fast start,” Rodgers said, adding, “The crowd got crazy when that happened. Our kids were really excited.”
The Raiders (4-7) got a 37-yard kickoff return from Brandon Padgett and moved past the 50-yard line, thanks to three offsides penalties against the Bradford defense. On first down at the Tornadoes’ 36, Ray Davis slipped and was tackled for a 2-yard loss by Chason Clark. Ahman Covington dropped Davis for a 4-yard loss on the next play. On third-and-16, a group defensive effort, led by Will Lusignan, resulted in another loss, forcing Crescent City to punt on fourth-and-22.
Pringle returned the punt 35 yards to the Crescent City 36. One play was all the Bradford offense needed to add more points to the scoreboard. Quarterback Jeremiah McKenzie hooked up with Jarrin Alexander for a touchdown at the 6:44 mark of the first quarter. Hughes added the PAT for a 14-0 lead.
The ensuing kickoff was short, with Bradford’s Willie Pollard recovering the ball at the Raiders’ 34-yard line.
Bradford’s offense went back to work, with McKenzie throwing an 11-yard pass to Clark.
Though the Tornadoes predominantly ran the ball as they have all season, finishing with 231 yards on 21 carries, the fact they attempted passes on their first two offensive plays revealed their desire to work some different looks into their game plan and take advantage of some things coaches had seen in evaluating Crescent City.
“We wanted to open up some things,” Rodgers said. “We saw some things on film that we liked. We just decided, ‘Hey. The first time we get the ball, we’re going to try some of this stuff.’ It ended up working.”
With most of their games being lopsided affairs, the Tornadoes haven’t had to open things up offensively, Rodgers said, but he added that the foundation to his team’s success in the regular season will still be key in the postseason.
“I still believe good defense and a power running game win championships,” Rodgers said.
It was that running game, led by Pollard, that took over on the second series after Clark’s reception. Pollard had runs of 5 and 14 yards before scoring on a 4-yard run to put Bradford ahead 20-0 with 5:29 to play in the first quarter.
Alexander and Devon McBride broke up passes on the Raiders’ second offensive series as the defense forced the Raiders to go three-and-out.
The Bradford offense, after the punt, went three-and-out, too — as in it ran plays and scored a touchdown. The drive began with a 19-yard run by McKenzie. Pollard, who rushed for 60 yards on five carries, had a 10-yard run before he got loose for a 27-yard gain that took him into the end zone at the 4:15 mark of the first quarter. After Hughes’ PAT, the Tornadoes led 27-0.
Besides returning six kickoffs for a total of 115 yards, the only bright spot for the Raiders was the running of Davis, who averaged almost 5 yards a carry and finished with approximately 70 yards. Davis had consecutive runs of 17 and 18 yards on Crescent City’s third offensive series as the Raiders crossed midfield for the second time. Again, the Bradford defense rose to the occasion. Alexander tackled Sheldon Patrick for a 3-yard loss on a pass play. After two straight incompletions, quarterback Eric Jenkins was chased out of bounds for a 4-yard loss on fourth down.
Bradford’s offense took to the field at the Raiders’ 46-yard line. The Tornadoes moved to the 22-yard line on runs by Gino Addison and Brandon Williams before Torin Brazell took a short pass from McKenzie and turned it into a touchdown. A penalty nullified the score, but the Tornadoes overcame the setback. A 13-yard reception by Clark, who made a leaping grab between two defenders, set up a 1-yard touchdown run by McKenzie approximately two minutes into the second quarter. Hughes kicked the extra point, making the score 34-0.
McKenzie finished the night 20 yards rushing on two carries, while completing 3 of 3 passes for 60 yards.
Bradford added the final score of the half on a two-play drive. Williams had a 24-yard run, followed by Addison’s 35-yard touchdown run, which put the Tornadoes up 41-0 after Hughes added the PAT.
Addison finished with 53 yards on three carries, while Williams rushed for 35 yards on three carries.
Crescent City drove from its own 21 into the red zone on the ensuing series. After a 14-yard run by Jenkins resulted in a first down at the Bradford 35, the Tornadoes were flagged twice for being offsides and once for roughing the passer, helping the Raiders advance to the 11-yard line. Jamar Walker had a 6-yard run before Davis found the end zone on a 5-yard run. A holding penalty negated the score and pushed the Raiders back to the 18-yard line, where they faced third-and-17. After an incomplete pass, Jenkins was sacked by Cole Crosby for a 9-yard loss on fourth down.
The second half was played with a running clock, which resulted in each team having just two offensive possessions.
Bradford added the game’s final score on a six-play, 41-yard drive that was capped by an 18-yard touchdown run by Damarian Hankerson. Hankerson, who also had a 14-yard run on the drive, finished with 29 yards on three carries.
It was a night where every player had the chance to contribute.
“We got everybody in the game tonight,” Rodgers said. “Everybody got playoff experience. That’s awesome.”
