BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Bradford High School’s Tornadoes looked nothing like a team that hadn’t played since Oct. 24, defeating visiting Avon Park 55-6 in a Nov. 14 Region 2-2A quarterfinal football game.
“We did a lot of good things tonight,” Head Coach Jamie Rodgers said.
Did they ever. If the Tornadoes — the number-one seed in Region 2 — had any rust from their time off, they shook it all off in a hurry, scoring on their first offensive play, putting up 42 points in the first half, getting touchdowns from the defense and special teams, creating three turnovers and setting two new school records. The 55 points scored surpassed the previous record of 54 in a 54-12 win over Bishop Moore in 2004, while the 49-point margin broke the record of 48 in a 48-0 win over Crescent City in 2022.
In Rodgers’ four years as head coach, the Tornadoes have won four first-round playoff games by a combined score of 180-6.
“It’s going to get harder from here,” Rodgers said.
Bradford (10-1) will now host Tampa’s Berkeley Prep — the region’s fifth seed — in a semifinal game on Friday, Nov. 21, at 7:30 p.m. Berkeley (5-4) advanced by defeating fourth seed The Villages 35-28.
“We’ve got a really talented team coming,” Rodgers said. “A team that’s used to being in the playoffs. A team that’s used to winning big. They won a state championship in the last few years.
“It’ll be a great test for us. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Eighth seed Avon Park (6-5) gained two first downs on the game’s opening drive, completing a 13-yard pass on the first play from scrimmage and later getting a first down 3 yards shy of midfield when Bradford was penalized for a horsecollar tackle. The Tornadoes’ Kingston Booker made a tackle for a loss of 4 years in between two incomplete passes as the Red Devils were forced to punt.
The Tornadoes’ first offensive play saw wide receiver Chase Phillips get the ball on a jet sweep and take it 58 yards for a touchdown at the 8:44 mark of the opening quarter. Tyler Sapp kicked the extra point to make it 7-0.
Avon Park went three-and-out on its next series, with a shanked punt setting the Bradford offense up at the Devils’ 21-yard line. A 7-yard run by Jarell Harris and a penalty moved the Tornadoes to the 9. Harris scored the first of his three touchdowns on a run from there. Sapp added the PAT, putting Bradford up 14-0 with 5:51 to play in the first quarter.
The Devils picked up a first down at their own 47 on a 19-yard pass from Jabhari Payne to Chris Kelly. Tayon Jones’ 5-yard reception moved Avon Park past midfield, but an incomplete pass and a tackle for a 1-yard loss by Bradford’s J.J. Hall had the Devils facing fourth-and-6. They went for it, turning the ball over on downs on an incomplete pass.
A 10-yard pass from Cy Cubbedge to Phillips and a 9-yard run by Harris helped the Tornadoes drive to the Avon Park 27. The offense failed to pick up any additional yardage on three straight plays, but on fourth-and-10, a penalty gave the Tornadoes a first down at the 13. Harris eventually scored on a 10-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter, putting Bradford up 21-0 after Sapp’s PAT.
The Bradford defense got the first of its turnovers on the Devils’ ensuing series, with Maliki Cobarris intercepting a pass at the Avon Park 36. That set up Bradford’s fourth scoring drive, with Harris gaining all 36 yards on four carries and capping the series with a 6-yard touchdown at the 8:20 mark of the second quarter. Sapp kicked the extra point to put the Tornadoes up 28-0.
Harris finished the night with 70 yards on nine carries.
Avon Park benefitted from penalties on its next possession, but on first-and-10 from the Bradford 40, the Devils were flagged for ineligible receiver downfield. Bradford’s Nate Raymond then made a tackle for a 4-yard loss, with a personal-foul
penalty backing Avon Park up an additional 15 yards. After an incomplete pass on second-and-39, Raymond sacked Payne for a 7-yard loss, forcing a punt on fourth-and-46. The Tornadoes’ Jy’Quez Cason returned the punt 55 yards for a touchdown with 5:18 to play in the first half. Sapp added the PAT to make the score 35-0.
Penalties hurt the Devils on their next series, resulting in them punting on fourth-and-32.
The Bradford offense had almost four minutes to work with before halftime. That was more than enough time to put another score on the board. Cubbedge completed passes of 13 yards to Jordan Cason, 4 yards to Elijah Lawrence and 8 yards to Phillips before hooking up with Cason again on a 7-yard gain that set up first down at the Avon Park 19-yard line. After receptions of 4 yards by Kemontae Nixon and 9 yards by Phillips, Jordan Cason caught a 6-yard touchdown pass with 1:49 on the clock. Bradford, after Sapp’s extra point, led 42-0.
Cubbedge completed 11 of 17 passes for the game, finishing with 66 yards.
Jordan Cason led the receivers with five catches for 32 yards, while Phillips had three catches for 27 yards.
Caiden Carn intercepted an Avon Park pass that put the Bradford offense back on the field at the Avon Park 29 with 7.7 seconds on the clock. Cubbedge took a knee to end the half, which saw The Tornadoes compile 203 yards to Avon Park’s 35.
The first series of the second half was all about Bradford running back Jaden Mosley. He scored on a 50-yard run on his first touch, but a penalty nullified the touchdown. Still, he got credit for a 15-yard gain to the Avon Park 35. He carried the ball on five straight plays from there, gaining 15, 7, 10 and 2 yards before bulling into the end zone from 1 yard out. Sapp kicked the extra point to make the score 49-0.
Mosley finished as the game’s leading rusher with 75 yards on eight carries.
Avon Park avoided the shutout when Kelly caught a pass and eluded a couple of tackle attempts on his way to a 69-yard touchdown.
The Tornadoes put the final score on the board when Grayson McClellan intercepted a pass and returned it 39 yards for a touchdown, resulting in the 55-6 final. The extra point was no good — Sapp’s first miss of the season.
Bradford finished with 294 total yards to Avon Park’s 113. The Devils were held to minus-6 yards rushing.
