“Them boys are dogs.” Bradford defense holds another opponent to single digits

In the case of Dae’Jon Shanks, he has wholeheartedly embraced the change. The senior quarterback for Bradford High School has shared offensive duties with running back Willie Pollard for the Tornadoes’ first six games. However, when Pollard broke his finger on October 6 against Oakleaf, it became the Shanks show.

“I really prefer to be versatile,” Shanks commented.

On Friday night, Shanks thrived in his new role, delivering an impressive performance with over 275 yards and three total touchdowns in the Tornadoes’ 42-0 victory over Lecanto in Starke.

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The Tornadoes (8-0), who have now won 10 straight regular season games at home, anticipated a routine victory, and they maintained that sentiment throughout the game.

Shanks orchestrated a seven-play drive to start, culminating in a 21-yard acrobatic touchdown pass to Chalil Cummings. Bradford scored on four of their five drives in the first half.

Notable highlights included Shanks’ 89-yard touchdown run across the field and a 19-yard throw and catch to Marshall commit Chason Clark on the final play of the first half.

“They executed a fantastic play with him streaking down the middle of the field,” acknowledged Rodgers. “It was a great throw, placed where only he could reach it, and he made the play.”

On the defensive end, the Tornadoes’ defense continued to make exceptional plays seem routine. For the seventh time in 2023, they held their opponents to fewer than seven points. Lecanto (4-4) managed to reach the BHS 2-yard line in the second quarter, but three consecutive stops and a blocked field goal maintained the Tornadoes’ shutout.

“Our defense takes a lot of pride in keeping opponents out of the end zone,” Rodgers said. “We love shutouts.”

Shanks attested that the defense he practices against is actually tougher than most he faces in games.

“Those boys are like relentless dogs, all 11 of them,” Shanks praised. “When things aren’t going well, we know we can rely on our defense to have our backs.”

Even though Bradford received valuable contributions from running backs Brian Cliffin and Elijah Lawrence, they eagerly await Pollard’s return. Rodgers expects the senior to be back for the playoffs.

Heading into critical home games against Palatka and Suwannee in the next two weeks, Rodgers has complete confidence in his current offensive unit.

“I’ve

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