BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
It was either win the second half or call it a season.
Bradford High School’s football team won it in a big way, scoring three touchdowns on plays of more than 60 yards each and getting a shutout from the defense in defeating visiting Baker County 28-17 to claim the Region 2-2S championship on Nov. 25.
“That’s us,” Bradford Head Coach Jamie Rodgers said of his team’s play in the second half. “That’s what I thought we were going to have the whole time.
“The emotions got to us. Our kids were excited. Maybe I got them too hyped before we came out.”
By overcoming a 17-7 deficit, the Tornadoes (12-1) earned a berth in the state semifinals for the first time since 2017. Bradford will host Cocoa (last season’s Class 4A state runner-up) on Friday, Dec. 2, at 7:30 p.m.
“It feels great,” said Chason Clark, a standout on defense who also scored on a 79-yard pass play. “All the work we put in — it’s paid off. We had a lot of adversity in the first half. I’m happy with how we responded after halftime.”
Rodgers said he talked to his players during halftime about how important the first offensive series of the second half was going to be, but the Tornadoes managed to cut into Baker’s lead before even taking a snap. Jametrius “Jip” Pringle fielded the kickoff to start the third quarter, catching it at his own 2 and taking it back all the way for a touchdown.
“It made it a field-goal deficit with no plays being run in the second half,” Rodgers said. “That was exactly what we needed.”
Pringle said his teammates told him, “Jip, we need one.” His response? “I’ve got you, boys.”
The Tornadoes took their first lead when quarterback Jeremiah McKenzie scored on a 61-yard touchdown run on a fourth-and-1 play on the team’s first offensive series.
“I was just hoping to get the first down,” McKenzie said. “I broke free, and that was it.”
As far as Rodgers was concerned, it was a done deal at that point.
“I knew our defense was going to do what it had to do,” he said, adding that his team gave the Wildcats all of their scores in the first half because of turnovers and penalties.
“Honestly, it should’ve been a shutout,” he said.
It was Bradford that was in position to put the first score on the board. Willie Pollard had five carries for 39 yards to help the Tornadoes drive to the Baker 6-yard line. A fumble, however, was scooped up by the Wildcats’ Hudson Register, who almost took the ball back for a score before being chased down and tackled by Clark at the Tornadoes’ 5-yard line. Baker quarterback Blake Mays scored on a run from there on the first play of the second quarter. Mays added the PAT to put the Wildcats up 7-0.
The next time the Wildcats (9-4) had the ball, they were facing a third-and-1 at their own 29. Bradford’s Trente Jenkins tackled Joshua Holmes for a 1-yard loss, forcing Baker to punt.
Bradford began the ensuing series at its own 41. The Tornadoes moved past midfield on a 14-yard pass play from McKenzie to Chalil Cummings. A penalty and a tackle for a loss had Bradford going in the wrong direction, but Pollard, who finished the night with 132 yards on 21 carries, bounced a run outside for a 48-yard touchdown at the 6:34 mark of the second quarter. Hayden Hughes kicked the extra point to tie the score.
The Wildcats’ Davion Dean, who was the game’s second-leading rusher with 81 yards on 10 carries, ripped off a 48-yard run to the Bradford 22. An unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty later set up first-and-goal at the 8. Cam Smith eventually scored on a 1-yard run on fourth down with 2:58 remaining in the half. Mays kicked the extra point for a 14-7 Baker lead.
Bradford had a promising drive going after a 23-yard pass from Dae’Jon Shanks to Cummings resulted in a first down for Bradford at the Baker 40. Mays, however, intercepted a pass at his own 18-yard line and returned it to the Bradford 35 with 17 seconds left until halftime.
Two incomplete passes and a penalty had the Wildcats facing third-and-15, but a personal-foul penalty on the Tornadoes resulted in a first down at the 25-yard line. That set Mays up for a 42-yard field-goal attempt, which he made on the last play of the half to put Baker up 17-7.
The penalty that set up the field goal was one of five 15-yard penalties assessed on Bradford in the first half.
Clark said he and his teammates were mad at themselves over how they were letting their anger put them at a disadvantage. The key, he said, was to come out and play with more discipline in the second half.
The Tornadoes had only one 15-yard penalty in the second half and cut its penalty yardage in half after having 80 yards marked off against them in the first half.
“I think that’s what changed the game for us,” Clark said.
Of course, it’s nice to be able to have a big play coming out of the locker room. The Tornadoes got that with Pringle’s kickoff return, which, after Hughes added the PAT, pulled Bradford to within 17-14.
“He got everybody going,” McKenzie said.
Clark said, “It was amazing. Jip really stepped up and showed why he’s a senior leader.”
Baker responded by driving past midfield, with a 16-yard run by Smith giving the Wildcats a first down at the Bradford 37. Dean picked up another first down on a 2-yard run to the 25. The drive stalled there, resulting in Mays attempting his second 42-yard field goal of the night. The kick was wide left at the 7:02 mark of the third quarter.
Two 5-yard runs by Pollard gave the Tornadoes a first down on the ensuing series. A tipped pass by Shanks was caught by Gavin Cook, setting up a third-and-1 play at the Bradford 39. McKenzie was then held to no gain, but he got the call again on fourth down and didn’t stop running until he crossed the goal line with 3:54 left in the third quarter. Hughes added the PAT for a 21-17 Bradford lead.
“That was a big relief,” Pringle said. “I’m not even going to lie. We needed (that score).”
Rodgers initially called for Bradford to punt on the fourth-down play, but he said he gave in to players’ pleas to go for it.
“I’m a players’ coach. It did make me look good,” Rodgers said of the decision.
A muffed punt by the Tornadoes to end the third quarter gave the Wildcats the ball at the Bradford 26-yard line. Smith promptly ripped off an 11-yard run to the 15. Two plays later, on third-and-4, Torin Brazell sacked Mays for a 3-yard loss, forcing Baker to settle for a 29-yard field-goal attempt. The Tornadoes’ C.J. Carn got a piece of the ball as the kick was no good with 9:09 left in the game.
The Wildcats had one more scoring threat when they began a drive at the Bradford 43. Mays had runs of 8 and 11 yards to pick up first downs as Baker drove to the 18. Smith had a 5-yard run to set up a second-and-5 play, but he was then tackled for a 2-yard loss by Clark. After an incomplete pass in the end zone, Baker went for it on fourth down, with Brazell coming up with another big sack, dropping Mays for a 12-yard loss.
Two runs for a net loss of 1 yard, along with a 5-yard penalty, had the Bradford offense facing third-and-16 from its own 21. Clark, who was backpedaling behind a defender, caught a short pass from McKenzie and took it the distance for a 79-yard touchdown with 2:56 remaining. Hughes kicked the extra point to cap the scoring.
Bradford’s defense got interceptions by Carn and Cummings on the Wildcats’ final two offensive series.
Bradford finished with 351 total yards. McKenzie rushed for 69 yards on 11 carries, while completing 3 of 4 passes for 115 yards. Cummings caught two passes for 37 yards, while Pollard caught one for 22 yards.
Shanks completed 2 of 5 passes for 31 yards.
The win marked just the second time this season Bradford’s been involved in a game that was decided by less than two touchdowns. The first was its 10-7 loss to Suwannee.
Clark believes the closer-than-usual game will benefit the Tornadoes.
“That first half really showed that we’re able to lose,” he said. “I think that’s the biggest thing we’ve got to get in our minds. We’ve got to remember we’re not invincible and learn to play every play to the best of our ability instead of trying to take some plays off.”
