STARKE, Fla. – Seeing many prognostications of a close game, Jamie Rodgers let his Bradford football team know about it. And he let them know it again and again throughout the week, driving home the point.
By the end of Friday night’s Region 2-2S final, the question wasn’t which team would advance, it was which of Rodgers’ players would play the following week in the state semifinals.
In a game that charitably could be described as edgy, with the Tornadoes and rival Baker County combining for 13 unsportsmanlike conduct or personal foul penalties and Bradford star quarterback Dae’Jon Shanks and receiver/cornerback Chalil Cummings both ejected, the Tornadoes yet again claimed another blowout victim. This time, it was a 43-0 rout of the Wildcats at Tornado Alley in a contest that went to a running clock in the third quarter.
Now, it’s a matter of waiting to see how the penalties are written up by the officials to the Florida High School Athletic Association. Shanks, who has rushed and passed for almost 2,000 total yards this season, was ejected with his second unsportsmanlike call of the game with just under nine minutes remaining in the second quarter after his touchdown run made it 20-0. Cummings was tossed five minutes later after a personal foul on a kick return that was away from the ball.
Rodgers is hopeful the FHSAA will rule in his team’s favor and allow Shanks and Cummings to play as Bradford (13-0), the second seed in Class 2S, hosts Pensacola Catholic next week after Catholic beat Tallahassee Florida High 17-10.
“There’s a lot of it to do with how it’s written up,” Rodgers said. “It’s very unfortunate. Some of it was brought on by their play. I was trying to explain it to the officials, and they weren’t listening to it. We just have to go to work and do without them, if so. But maybe the FHSAA will do what’s right.”
It was the only pall cast over the Tornadoes. In earning its sixth shutout of the year, Bradford also set the school records for victories in a season.
“My first year, having 13 wins, breaking the school record, it feels great,” said running back Jy’Quez Cason, who rushed for a pair of touchdowns and caught another. “We’re going to keep on working to get (the state title).”
Rodgers, however, did not think the game should be close, despite a 12-0 victory over Baker County (8-4) early in the season and an 11-point triumph in last season’s regional final. Not that his team needed motivation, but he supplied it.
“We heard this week that a lot of people picked a really close game, picked them to win some,” Rodgers said. “I made that point in pregame, I made it all week in practice. If we played our game, this would be the outcome. Really proud of our kids. Back-to-back region champions. Super happy for them.”
It was the sixth shutout of the season for the Tornadoes and the fourth shutout victory by 40 points or more.
The tone was set on the fourth play of the game. The Wildcats went for it on fourth down, and the team fumbled an exchange between the quarterback and running back. Duke Lewis scooped it up and raced 49 yards for a touchdown.
“I’m just doing whatever I can to help my teammates,” said Lewis, a senior who added two sacks. “Me and my boys got it done. It means everything to see my brothers happy and my coaches happy.”
Despite managing 27 total yards of offense in the first half, Baker County had its chances — mostly courtesy of special teams play and Bradford penalties. Three of the Wildcats’ five first-half first downs came off penalties, with two 15-yard flags, including a pass interference, setting Baker County up at the Bradford 29 with a first down on its second drive of the game. But a Torin Brazell sack threw the Wildcats out of field goal range, and they punted.
When Baker County, which had its seven-game winning streak snapped, reached the Tornadoes 26 on its fourth drive, Brazell struck again, with consecutive sacks on third and fourth downs.
The Wildcats’ first four drives reached Bradford territory, but Baker County came away with no points. That’s something it could not afford against a Tornadoes defense that surrendered 49 points all season and allowed only one team — Miami True North Classical — to even hit double-figures on the scoreboard, and that occurred only against a dinged up Tornadoes team.
“It feels great,” said Brazell, a senior who had two tackles for loss to go with his three sacks. “This was a rivalry since I was kid. We just knew we had to stop them. This time, we’re going for it all.”
Even after Shanks’ ejection, there was little drama to which team was moving on to the next round. Baker County managed only 42 total yards throughout the entire game. The possession after Shanks was tossed resulted in a snap that rocketed past quarterback Hudson Register and into the end zone. Register fell on it for a safety.
For good measure, Jeremiah McKenzie, Shanks’ understudy, led touchdown drives on all three second-half possessions, showing the team can function even when shorthanded.
“We’re not just a one- or two-person (team),” Rodgers said. “This is a football team. They’ve done that all year. Somebody goes down, we had a lot of injuries in the middle of the year. Week Seven, we went down to Miami, and we were riddled with injuries. That’s where I thought we really started clicking. Somebody else will step up and play, that’s all.”
Bradford 43, Baker County 0
Baker Co., 0, 0, 0, 0 — 0
Bradford, 14, 8, 14, 7 — 43
B – Duke Lewis 49 fumble return (kick good)
B – Jy’Quez Cason 37 run (kick good)
B – Dae’Jon Shanks 2 run (pass failed)
B – Safety, Hudson Register fell on bad snap in end zone
B – Cason 8 run (kick good)
B – Jeremiah McKenzie 12 run (kick good)
B – Cason 26 pass from McKenzie (kick good)
Category: BC — B
First downs: 6 — 19
Rushes-yards: 32-21 — 34-253
Passing: 21 — 94
Comp-Att-Int: 5-11-1 — 5-8-0
Fumbles-lost: 3-1 — 0-0
Penalties-Yards: 13-128 — 10-124
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — BC: Tucker Thirft 2-24, Register 17-7, Chase Phillips 2-6, Benny Lewis 9-5, Team 2-(-21). B: Cason 6-93, McKenzie 11-68, Trey Cliffin 9-45, Shanks 7-34, Chalil Cummings 1-13.
PASSING — BC: Register 5-11-1-21. B: Shanks 2-3-0-61, McKenzie 3-5-0-33.
RECEIVING — BC: Hudson Hodges 1-9, Phillips 1-4, Miles Capers 1-4, Conner Bearden 1-3, Kale Crews 1-1. B: Cason 3-56, Michael Oliver 1-29, Cummings 1-9.