STARKE, Fla. — The last time Bradford High School captured a football state title, Lyndon B. Johnson was the president of the United States. But now, the Tornadoes have a chance to bring home some hardware for the first time in 57 years.
This time last year, Bradford had already wrapped up their season after falling in the state semifinals. A year later, the Tornadoes are up and running as they prepare to play in the state championship.
"This is their ninth playoff game. So, they've almost played a full season of playoff games over the last two years. So, it won't mean anything different for them," said Bradford head coach Jamie Rodgers. "It'll be a Friday, time to go. And we're going to try to keep it as normal as possible."
"We've been with each other since we were six. So, we all grew up together, scored in the same end zone, celebrated the same celebrations all the way since we were six. It's definitely special to do it together," said senior linebacker Chason Clark.
Of course, a big part of the success at Bradford are the student-athletes, but since taking over the program in 2022, coach Rodgers has wasted no time making a big impact.
"He definitely brought in a disciplinary vibe. He came in and changed the culture of everything. We used to not really want discipline, but then, we go through practice and we're looking to get better. I think that's a big thing that he shows is that we trust him and he's a great leader," said Clark.
Regardless of what happens in the state championship, the Tornadoes are taking nothing for granted.
"They're hard to come by, for one thing. Some of the best coaches, some of the best players to ever play this game don't ever even get a chance to play in this game," said Rodgers. "So, we're going to take it all in. We're going to seize the moment, all those cliches that one could throw out there, we're going to do all that and we're going to play as hard as we can."
Bradford is set to take on defending state champion Cocoa in the 2S title game at Bragg Memorial Stadium on Friday, Dec. 8th at 8 p.m.
