BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Visiting Eastside gained 49 yards on its opening drive, but managed 5 the rest of the game as the Bradford High School football team turned in another stellar defensively in defeating the Rams 37-0 in a Region 2-2S semifinal game on Nov. 18.
The Tornadoes, who are the number-one seed in Region 2 and the second-ranked team in all of Class 2S, have now won two playoff games by a combined score of 85-0 and defeated Eastside twice this season by a combined score of 65-0.
“It was a really good performance overall,” Bradford Head Coach Jamie Rodgers said. “It’s always good to win 37-0.”
The Tornadoes (11-1) led 14-0 at halftime, but came out on their first drive of the second half and scored a touchdown. The defense then came away with interceptions on two straight Eastside possessions.
“You come out and get a score, and it’s 21-0,” Rodgers said. “You give us a 21-0 lead, we’re going to be pretty good against anybody probably. It was good to get that. Then, you start compounding things with the turnovers on top of that. It kind of got away from (Eastside) a little bit.
“That’s what’s supposed to happen when you’re at home. You have the homefield advantage, and those things kind of start snowballing. That’s what it’s supposed to look like.”
Bradford gets homefield advantage again on Friday, Nov. 25, at 7:30 p.m. when it hosts Baker County for the Region 2-2S championship (see related story).
The Tornadoes’ defense has been dominant this year, but the offense has done its part as well, averaging 28 points per game. Willie Pollard rushed for two touchdowns against Eastside, while Dae’Jon Shanks rushed for one score and caught one of two touchdown passes thrown by Jeremiah McKenzie.
Eastside (8-3) moved from its 33-yard line to inside Bradford’s 15 on the first drive of the game, with quarterback Holden Johnson completing 5 of 8 passes for 44 yards. His 11-yard pass to Jemall Dix gave the Rams a first down at the Tornadoes’ 14-yard line. After a 2-yard run by Micah Hudson, Bradford’s Chason Clark sacked Johnson for a 1-yard loss. Johnson’s third-down pass was incomplete, forcing the Rams to try for a 30-yard field goal, which was no good at the 6:17 mark of the opening quarter.
Rodgers said Eastside’s offensive success to start the game wasn’t surprising. He said in watching video from the Sept. 16 regular-season game between the two teams, Bradford was playing off of the Rams’ slot receivers “who can really run.”
“They didn’t exploit it last time, but I knew coming into this, they would try to exploit that,” Rodgers said. “They did. They got the ball out quick.”
Bradford certainly made the adjustments it needed to. Johnson completed 7 of 14 passes for just 30 yards the rest of the way. He was sacked four times and intercepted three times after Eastside’s first possession.
Like Eastside, Bradford’s offense put together a lengthy drive on its first possession. Most of the yards the Tornadoes gained came on runs by Pollard and Shanks. Pollard had seven carries for more than 30 yards, with his seventh attempt setting up first-and-goal. Shanks, who gained approximately 20 yards on three carries, capped the 80-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown run approximately two minutes into the second quarter. Hayden Hughes kicked the extra point to make the score 7-0.
The Rams did cross midfield on their second drive, with Daijon Johnson’s 9-yard reception giving them a first down at the Bradford 38. Devon McBride then sacked Holden Johnson for an 8-yard loss. After Jarrin Alexander broke up a pass, the Bradford defense tackled Joshua Benjamin for a 2-yard loss on third down. Dejon McBride then blocked the Rams’ punt, giving the Tornadoes the ball at the Eastside 44.
Two plays later, Bradford increased its lead, with Pollard getting out ahead of the defense for a 41-yard touchdown run with 5:38 to play in the first half. Hughes added the PAT for a 14-0 lead.
C.J. Carn came up with the first of four turnovers Bradford’s defense created on the night when he intercepted Johnson on the Rams’ third series. The Tornadoes’ offense, however, were unable to capitalize.
The second half began with an electrifying play as Bradford’s Jametrius “Jip” Pringle returned the kickoff approximately 40 yards, which had the offense starting at its own 45. One play was all Bradford needed, with Pollard getting loose for a 60-yard touchdown run. After Hughes’ PAT, the Tornadoes led 21-0 just 20 seconds into the second half.
Pollard finished with more than 140 yards on 17 carries.
On Eastside’s second offensive play of the half, Pringle intercepted a pass tipped by teammate Chalil Cummings, returning the ball more than 30 yards to the Eastside 23. Bradford’s offense lost 5 yards on three plays, which resulted in Hughes attempting a 45-yard field goal. The kick was just inches short, hitting the crossbar with 10:05 to play in the third quarter.
Three plays later, the Bradford defense was at it again. Cummings intercepted a pass and took it back for a touchdown, but the score was nullified by a blindside block.
Eastside was able to prevent Bradford from turning the turnover in points, but its offense still struggled against the Tornadoes’ defense. Dejon McBride recorded a sack for an 11-yard loss on the Rams’ third series of the half, which also featured Bryson Bowen batting a pass down at the line of scrimmage and Devon McBride making a tackle on a pass play for a 2-yard gain on third-and-21.
The Tornadoes’ final offensive series of the third quarter began with two consecutive runs by McKenzie for a total gain of 23 yards. Shanks then had a carry for 21 yards to give Bradford a first down at the Eastside 27. McKenzie, who rushed for 52 yards on 13 carries, picked up an additional 18 yards on runs to help put the Tornadoes in scoring position. Hughes kicked a 26-yard field goal with 2:05 left in the third quarter to put Bradford ahead 24-0.
Eastside attempted a fake punt on its next possession, but the pass attempt was incomplete, thanks to a vicious hit by Carn. Two plays later, Pringle caught a pass from McKenzie and made some nifty moves in avoiding a couple of defensive players as he made his way downfield for a 53-yard touchdown to put the Tornadoes up 30-0 at the 9:23 mark of the fourth quarter. A bad snap resulted in a failed conversion attempt.
The Rams tried a trick play on their first offense play following the ensuing kickoff. Antonio Hubbert took a handoff on a reverse and threw a pass, only to see it get picked off by Ahman Covington.
Bradford’s fourth interception had its offense starting a drive at the Eastside 26. Pollard and McKenzie had runs of 6 and 5 yards, respectively. After McKenzie was then dropped for a 1-yard loss, he threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Shanks with 6:52 to play. Hughes kicked the extra point to complete the scoring.
Shanks, who has missed most of the season due to injuries, rushed for more than 35 yards on five carries and finished with the one reception for the game’s final touchdown.
McKenzie completed 4 of 7 passes for 87 yards as Bradford amassed more than 300 yards in total offense.
Eastside had minus-20 yards rushing and finished with 54 total yards.
