BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Head Coach Jamie Rodgers said the goals for the Bradford High School football team entering its game against Baldwin were to be aggressive in all three phases of the game and to have fun.
Mission accomplished.
The Tornadoes scored on offense, defense and special teams in defeating the host Indians 40-6 on Sept. 2 and improving to 2-0.
Rodgers admitted it was a different feeling after the game compared to the aftermath of the week-one win over Baker County.
“Last week, I don’t think our kids had a lot of fun,” Rodgers said of the 12-0 season-opening win. “I think they had a lot of pressure on them. They felt it all week. They were worried about making mistakes.
“Tonight, we weren’t worried about making mistakes. They were going out there and playing football. Did we make mistakes? Yes, but we made them at full speed, and it’s stuff we can correct.”
Bradford, which travels to play Middleburg on Friday, Sept. 8, at 7 p.m., was its usual stingy self on defense, making 11 tackles behind the line of scrimmage and limiting the Indians (1-1) to 64 total yards. Plus, the defense prevented Baldwin from scoring, with the Indians’ lone score coming on special teams.
The offense struggled in the first half, going three-and-out on five of its six possessions, but eventually got things rolling. The Tornadoes had three touchdowns and 202 yards in the second half and finished with 263 yards for the game.
Even when the offense was struggling, Rodgers was still encouraged by what he saw as opposed to the Baker County game. Most first-half tackles made by Baldwin involved only one player. Rodgers said all his team had to do was to make some adjustments, and success would follow.
“When you get that, you can plan for that, and you can make sure somebody gets there,” Rodgers said. “We started getting people to him in the second half. Number one (Octavious Barnes) was making a lot of plays. We started getting people on him in the second half.”
Also, the offense simply played with more fire.
“We saw a lot of aggression,” Rodgers said. “We saw a lot of what we were looking for in practice this week.”
The first score came on a special-teams play when Baldwin muffed a punt inside its own 10-yard line. Brandon Williams recovered the loose ball for a Bradford touchdown, putting the Tornadoes up 6-0 with 3:51 to play in the first quarter. A fumble on the two-point conversion prevented Bradford from adding to its lead.
Bradford’s offense managed a total of 18 yards on its first five possessions, but the Tornadoes were able to march 52 yards on their sixth to go up 12-0. The drive began with a 9-yard run by Willie Pollard and a personal-foul penalty against Baldwin. Dae’Jon Shanks broke free for a 23-yard run to set up first-and-goal at the 5. Jeremiah McKenzie, after a 3-yard run by Shanks, found the end zone on a 2-yard plunge at the 8:05 mark of the second quarter. Shanks’ pass on the two-point conversion was incomplete.
Baldwin muffed the ensuing kickoff, but was able to recover at its own 12-yard line. A sack recorded by Chason Clark and Trente Jenkins helped force the Indians to go three-and-out for the sixth time in six possessions.
At that point, Baldwin had 21 yards of offense.
As good as Bradford’s defense had been, it was about to get even better. Baldwin began its seventh drive at its own 7-yard line following a 34-yard punt by McKenzie. After Jenkins made a tackle to hold a run play to 2 yards, defensive lineman Torin Brazell tipped a pass high into the air. Fellow lineman Jordan Daniels was there in the end zone to catch the ball when it came down for Bradford’s third touchdown. Clark’s reception on the two-point conversion put Bradford ahead 20-0.
Rodgers said the play and the score on the muffed punt were examples of players hustling 100 percent of the time.
“If you play hard, good things happen,” Rodgers said.
The Indians received the second-half kickoff and picked up their initial first down. However, a tackle for loss by Williams and two incomplete passes had Baldwin punting yet again.
Bradford played multiple players at quarterback in the first half, but in the second half, it was all Shanks. He completed a 50-yard pass to Chalil Cummings for a first down at the Baldwin 18 on the Tornadoes’ first possession of the second half. Two consecutive runs by Shanks for gains of 7 and 11 yards resulted in another touchdown at the 8:26 mark of the third quarter. Williams’ run on the two-point conversion made it a 28-0 game.
Baldwin’s lone score came when Bradford was forced to punt following its second possession of the half. The low punt hit an offensive lineman. The Indians’ Leon Kirkland scooped up the ball and returned it approximately 20 yards for a touchdown and a 28-6 score. The extra point was no good.
The Indians attempted an onside kick, which Bradford recovered. Pollard ripped off a 16-yard run to the Baldwin 35 on the drive’s first play. Runs of 6 yards by Pollard and 10 yards by Shanks moved the Tornadoes to the 19. After a 1-yard run by Pollard, Shanks threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Cummings to make the score 34-6 with 3:07 to play in the third quarter. The extra point was no good.
Cummings finished with two catches for 68 yards.
Bradford’s final score came on a 60-yard drive on which Pollard and Shanks rushed for 29 and 26 yards, respectively. Shanks rushed 20 yards for a touchdown with 5:38 to play.
Shanks, who was 2 of 3 passing for 68 yards, finished with 88 rushing yards on just nine carries.
“He’s an unbelievable playmaker,” Rodgers said. “When he’s got the ball in his hands, you never know what’s going to happen. Most of the time, it’s positive. If he can get a crease, if he can get one on one with somebody, he’s really hard to bring down.”
Pollard had a solid first half, with multiple runs of more than 5 yards each. In the second half, he was able to get free for bigger gains and finish with 90 yards on 17 carries.
“Willie hits it hard every time,” Rodgers said. “It’s only a matter of time before he starts busting them.”
Bradford now prepares for its second straight road game to play a Class 3S Middleburg team that is 0-1. The Broncos, who didn’t play last week, opened the season with a 26-7 loss to defending Class 1R state champion Hawthorne.
The Tornadoes defeated Middleburg 21-0 last year.
