Mike Ridaught
Editor’s Note
This is the fourth of five stories unveiling the 2023 Bosshardt Realty All Area Football Teams. Click here to read about the Small School Offense, Small School Defense, Big School Offense and Coach of the Year stories. Go to our 2023 All Area football landing page by clicking here.
Just how dominant was the Bradford (Starke) defense in 2023?
The Class 2S state runner-up Tornadoes, who won a program-record 14 games, held eight of their opponents under 100 total yards of offense.
They allowed an average of just six points per game and also shut out six opponents while giving up seven or fewer points 12 times.
Five of those players lead the 2023 Bosshardt Realty All Area big school defensive football team, which is loaded with Division-I talent.
Buchholz, which lost to eventual state champion Lakeland in the 4S state semifinals, also placed five on the first team.
Leading the way for the Bobcats (13-1) is University of Florida signee Myles Graham, the Class 4S Player of the Year and Mr. Football runner-up.
The senior linebacker finished with 82 tackles, nine tackles for a loss, seven quarterback hurries, an interception, and a fumble recovery.
“Myles embraced our style of defense and flourished as both a Mike linebacker and a Sam linebacker which gave us the ability to move him around based on how offenses tried to attack us,” said Buchholz coach Chuck Bell. “He closed quickly, tackled violently, and clearly caused a lot of fear in opposing running backs and quarterbacks last fall.”
Marshall University signee Chason Clark joins Graham in the middle of the defense. The senior linebacker led the Tornadoes (14-1) with 134 tackles.
“Relentless effort,” said Bradford coach Jamie Rodgers. “He loves his school and has passion for the game. I don’t know if I’ve ever had one that had the total package that way as he did. Tremendous leader.”
Clark was third on the team with 20 tackles for a loss.
“He watched more film than most players that I’ve ever had,” Rodgers said. “He always wanted to be involved in game planning. He is a true student of the game and he’s got a lot of success coming.”
He is joined at linebacker by teammate Duke Lewis.
Lewis, who transferred to Bradford for his senior year, finished with 104 tackles and had 22 TFL.
“I only got to coach Duke for one year, but he was one of the highest motor kids that I’ve ever had and that’s talking about 20 years, and I’ve had a lot of them, but he’s right up there at the top with his motor, relentless effort,” Rodgers said. “If he got blocked you would have to block him all the way to the whistle because he was never going to quit. That showed up so many times on stripped sacks and then him scooping them and taking them to the house. His motor is what I will remember most.”
Buchholz senior Matthew Kade also made the first team, giving both the Bobcats and the Tornadoes a pair of linebackers.
Kade (90 total tackles and 12 TFL) was second on the team with five sacks.
“Matt had a breakout senior campaign in his first full season starting at the varsity level and playing inside linebacker,” Bell said. “He tied for the team lead in tackles with 90 and had a lot of success pressuring the quarterback in blitzing situations. A true student of the game, his leadership and skills were crucial to our success on defense last fall.”
The Bobcats also placed two players on the defensive line.
Texas A&M University signee Kendall Jackson (50 tackles, 4 TFL) was second on the team with 14 QB hurries and finished with three sacks.
“Kendall did a great job this season handling a lot of double teams in both passing downs and in the run game,” Bell said. “Over the last three seasons, Kendall started over 35 games for us on the defensive line and is undeniably one of the best defensive linemen to ever play at Buchholz.”
Teammate Thomas Weinhardt joined him on the first team after the senior recorded 81 tackles, including 13 tackles for a loss.
“Thomas led our team in TFLs and sacks in 2023,” Bell noted. “He mastered the ‘Bandit’ position on our defense and created havoc on the line of scrimmage all season.”
Suwannee (Live Oak) senior defensive lineman Ja’Darius Cherry also made the team after recording 53 tackles and 14 TFL with 13 sacks for the 6-4 Bulldogs, who made the 2S state playoffs.
East Carolina commit Torin Brazell (6’2, 250) rounds out the defensive front.
Of the senior’s 62 tackles, a total of 31 were for a loss.
“He can completely take over a game,” Rodgers said. “What makes him special is that there’s a lot of people with that size but there’s not very many people with his speed. The combination of both, along with his physicality, makes him really, really tough to block.”
Among the leaders in the secondary was Columbia’s Jerome Carter.
The Old Dominion signee had 58 tackles, three interceptions, a forced fumble, two blocked punts and a blocked field goal for the Tigers, who made the 3S state playoffs.
University of Memphis commit Chalil Cummings is one of two Bradford players in the secondary.
Cummings finished with 83 tackles and led the Tornadoes with three interceptions.
“Talent-wise he’s right up there with the best guys that I’ve ever coached,” Rodgers said. “A lot of times he was the best wide receiver on the field and the best DB on the field. His ball skills, the way he attacks the ball…wanting contact and loving contact is what sets Chalil apart. For a skill kid, he’s also the most physical skill kid out there and that’s what separates him.”
The only underclassman on the first team defense is Bradford’s Jeremiah McKenzie.
The junior, who is “kind of a hybrid, outside linebacker/strong safety type of a kid” finished 2023 with 101 tackles and a couple of picks.
“He was our starting quarterback last year as a sophomore and led us to 12-2,” Rodgers said. “This year we moved Dae’jon (Shanks) back to quarterback, so he went full-time defense, and he was stellar for us…he’s so versatile. He’s a difference maker on offense and a difference maker on defense.”
The final member of the defense is senior Amari Sheppard of Buchholz, who finished with 90 tackles and three interceptions.
“Amari made a position change in the offseason moving from linebacker to safety and it worked out tremendously,” Bell said. “He tied for the team lead in tackles, led our team in interceptions, and delivered some bone-jarring hits this fall.”
All Area Big School Defense
DL – Kendall Jackson, Buchholz (Sr.)
DL – Torin Brazell, Bradford (Sr.)
DL – Ja’Darius Cherry, Suwannee (Sr.)
DL – Thomas Weinhardt, Buchholz (Sr.)
LB – Myles Graham, Buchholz (Sr.)
LB – Matthew Kade, Buchholz (Sr.)
LB – Duke Lewis, Bradford (Sr.)
LB – Chason Clark, Bradford (Sr.)
Secondary – Jerome Carter, Columbia (Sr.)
Secondary – Chalil Cummings, Bradford (Sr.)
Secondary – Amari Sheppard, Buchholz (Sr.)
Secondary – Jeremiah McKenzie, Bradford (Jr.)
Honorable mentions
Bradford (Starke) – Devon McBride (LB, Sr.), Jorden Daniels (DL, Sr.), Trente Jenkins (DL, Jr.), Branden Williams (DB, Jr.)
Buchholz – Nick Clayton (DL, Jr.), R.J. Livingston (LB, Jr.), Jorden Moore (DB, Sr.), Aiden Brake (DB, Sr.), Jamaryn Reese (DL, Sr.)
Columbia (Lake City) – Caden Bolstein (DL, Jr.), Wilson Philemon (LB, Sr.), Kani Fulton (DB, Sr.), D’Mari Bruce (DB, Sr.), Au’vontae Smith (DL, Sr.)
Eastside – Victor White (DB, Jr.), D.J. Anderson (DB, Sr.), Jataueris Severance (DL, Sr.), Jayden Manns (LB, Sr.), Travis Curtis (LB, Sr.), Thomas Young (DB, Sr.)
Gainesville – Caleb Young (LB, So.), Jamarien Carnegie (DB, Sr.), Kane Smith (DB, Sr.), Calel Perry (DL, Sr.).
Keystone Heights – Jackson Herman (DL, Jr.), Wyatt Van Zant (DB, Sr.), Bryce Hollingsworth (DB, Sr.)
Santa Fe (Alachua) – Hunter Crevasse (LB, So.), Ethan Thomas (DL, Jr.), Jack Wheeler (LB, So.), Trent McFarland (DL, So.)
Suwannee (Live Oak) – Kodi Lang (DB, Sr.), Kani Fulton (DB, Sr.), Hunter Watson (DL, So.), Christian Socarras (LB, Jr.), Sam Wainwright (LB, Sr.), P.J. Davis (DB, Sr.), Michael Rossin (DB, Jr.)