STARKE – Less than two minutes into the game, Tyler Gentry didn’t know what hit him.
Literally.
The Santa Fe QB scrambled and, out of his blind side, the Bradford football defense arrived. Gentry fumbled. BHS picked it up.
The next play, the Tornadoes were on the board after a phenomenal touchdown catch from Kemontae Nixon.
Later in the first quarter, Bradford scored again off an interception from Jordan Cason.
“It changed the momentum. The crowd gets hyped, especially when it’s an interception from a leader like me,” Cason said. “And then we get the touchdown four plays later from Iyen (Addison).”
The names have changed over the last four seasons, but the core tenant of scoring points off turnovers remains for the Tornadoes.
Bradford regained its district title Friday night with a 21-7 win over Santa Fe on Friday, Oct. 24, in Starke. The victory completes a 9-1 regular season for the Tornadoes. BHS is now a combined 36-3 in the regular season under coach Jamie Rodgers. BHS hasn’t lost more than one regular season game in each of Rodgers four seasons.
“It really speaks to the continuity we’ve had here,” Rodgers said. “I’ve had the same coaching staff over the years. It speaks to that, and a bunch of players who really like to get after it.”
The first quarter takeaways prevented the game from ever being “in doubt,” but Santa Fe entered with a solid game plan. Jasiah Powell chewed up a ton of clock in the first half and led a long drive that resulted in SF’s only points.
“Our offensive line did a phenomenal job. It’s easy to draw that up but harder to actually execute it,” Santa Fe coach Earnest Graham said. “Jasiah is a heck of a runner, and I’m proud.”
The Raiders had the ball late in the first half down 14-7, but the Tornado defense held down the fort. At halftime, Rodgers adjusted to stop Powell, and the Raiders couldn’t get going in the second half.
“We went with a different defensive front, some things we hadn’t shown them yet this year,” Rodgers said.
The Tornadoes haven’t allowed more than 14 points in a game all season. Seven of nine wins saw single-digit points. Four wins have been shutouts.
We take it for granted now since Rodgers has done this every year since 2022, but it is truly remarkable. The Tornadoes don’t have Division I talent this season like Chalil Cummings, Chason Clark or Jeremiah McKenzie. Yet, their defense continues to be one of the best in Florida.
Rodgers dug into Tornadoes history to explain the phenomenon. Defense was the hallmark in 1965 and 1966 – BHS’ two state title seasons.
“There’s six to seven zeroes per season there, so it’s just something they’re known for,” Rodgers said. “Our guys believe in the system – Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.”
Cason views this season as a chance to rewrite the history, especially after last season’s “disappointment” with Newberry winning the district championship and their matchup in the region semifinals.
“A lot of new players came onto the team this season, and even they felt upset,” Cason said. “The whole team wanted to prevent that from happening again.”
The Tornadoes’ lone second-half touchdown came on a fade to Kemontae Nixon, He caught an identical TD in the first quarter.
Rodgers called Nixon a huge “shot in the arm” for the Tornado offense with seven touchdowns in the last four games.
“He’s a Saturday type football player,” Rodgers said.
Graham knows a loss is tough, but he wants his team to hold its heads high. Even though Santa Fe has lost three of five after a 4-0 start, the coach thinks his team has gotten better.
That’s why Graham believes Santa Fe deserves a playoff spot. The Raiders, Astronaut and Newberry entered the week Nos. 7, 8 and 9 in Class 2A-Region 1 and separated by nine spots. All lost to teams ranked higher than them.
“We’re going toe-to-toe with playoff teams,” Graham said. “We’ll get some points for tonight, and hopefully that’s enough.”
Santa Fe plays Weeki Wachee next week (236), Newberry plays Trinity Catholic (225) and Astronaut faces Titusville (180).
Bradford’s fate is more certain. The Tornadoes will be the top seed in the region and can reach the state semifinals for the third time in four seasons without leaving Starke.
“No one wants to come into Tornado Alley,” Cason said. “The crowd gets loud, and we have a great advantage.”
Noah Ram covers Florida Gators athletics and Gainesville-area high school sports for The Gainesville Sun, GatorSports.com and the USA TODAY Network. Contact him at nram@gannett.com. Follow him on X @Noah_ram1 and on Instagram @ramreporter. Read his coverage of the Gators’ national championship basketball season in “CHOMP-IONS!” — a hardcover coffee-table collector’s book from The Sun. Details at Florida.ChampsBook.com
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: New names, same results for Bradford football defense in district title win over Santa Fe
Reporting by Noah Ram, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
