Live Oak Fl- In the past three weeks, Coach Hall and the Suwannee Bulldogs have defeated Madison County for the first time since 1995, secured a win against Wakulla for a district title, and tonight they knocked off previously unbeaten Bradford County to end their regular season .
Last week, Bradford took down an upstart Palatka team and looked to finish the season undefeated. All indications pointed to that coming true, seeing that the Tornadoes had achieved impressive stats all year. In nine games, no team had come within 14-points of the Torandoes. Also, they’ve only yielded 21-points to opposing offenses all year. However, Bradford had an achillies heal, and it was predicted in the Duval Sports Week #11 Power Rankings this week. “Primarily a running team, if Bradford is challenged to pass the ball by an elite offense, they could be in for a long night”. This proved true, as Bradford played from behind all game.
Suwannee’s defense held the Bradford running game in check in the first half, and the Tornadoes were forced to play catchup for the first time this year. The Bulldogs went up 10-0 in the third quarter when running back Marquavious Owens scored on a short touchdown run.
Bradford would tie the game when Jeremiah Mckenzie scored on a touchdown run to pull the Tornadoes within 3-points, 10-7 in the third quarter. The Tornadoes missed key opportunities in the second half, including missed field goals and a decisive time of possession by their running game which would prove costly.
Suwannee’s defense stood tall all night, and was a major reason for the lask of execution by Bradford. MJ Rossin intercepted a pass near mid-field off a deflection by Brandon Robinson in the secodn quarter. The biggest play came in the second half when the Suwannee defense held on a fourth down to stop a potential go ahead score. The score remained 10-7 in the fourth quarter as Suwannee held on for the win 10-7.
Both teams will head to the playoffs as district champions. BRadford ends their season 9-1 and Suwannee ends their season 8-2.
