Baker County Fl- It was a great way to start off the season in a week 1 rivalry game featuring Bradford County versus Baker County. These two teams have a storied history from regular season games to playoff games. Bradford has had Baker County’s number of late.
Last year the Tornadoes defeated the Wildcats twice. In 2022, Bradford would best Baker County twice again. Not since 2021-2022 had Baker County won against their County neighbors. Both fan bases as passionate as they are about their teams, packed the house for this punishing battle of perennial playoff foes. Eager to see if the streak would continue.
It was a back and forth defensive matchup all night long for both teams. Michael Oliver caught a pass for a touchdown right before halftime to give the Tornadoes a 7-0 lead. Quarterback Zack Paulk found Oliver on the right side and the senior 6 foot receiver did the rest, racing down the sideline for the score.
With 9:38 left to play in the 4th quarter, senior wide receiver Neo Addison added more points to the board with a rushing touchdown making it 13-0. It was a defensive slug fest, but Bradford’s defense was clearly the better.
Baker County wasn’t finished, as the Wildcats scored a touchdown late when Hudson Register tossed a pass which was caught by Davion Dean for the score. The points made it 13-7 with 1:53 left to play in the game. All the Tornadoes had to do was finish out the clock, and that’s what they did as Bradford County got the win over rival Baker County 13-7.
It was a great defensive game for a week 1 rival matchup for both teams. Baker County will face Palm Bay (0-1) on 8/30, while Bradford will take on power house Dunnellon(1-0) at home.
