- Bradford defeated Eastside, 53-13, at Citizens Field, marking their sixth consecutive win in the series since 2022.
- Bradford quarterback Cy Cubbedge tied the school record by throwing five touchdown passes during the game.
- Bradford will face Newberry for the Class 2A-District 4 title after beating Eastside, while Eastside prepares to host Santa Fe in a 3A-District 5 game.
Bradford (Starke) set the tone early against Eastside on Friday night at Citizens Field.
After winning the coin toss, the visiting Tornadoes overcame two offensive penalties and drove 90 yards in eight plays to take a 7-0 lead with 9:24 remaining in the first quarter.
Bradford scored again on its second possession, then returned an interception for a touchdown after the ensuing score en route to a 53-13 road win.
It was their sixth straight win in the series, which they have dominated since 2022. In the six games, Bradford has outscored Eastside, 208-34.
“We always kind of try and start fast and do what we do,” said first-year Bradford coach Ross Baker. “We’re going to take the ball and we’re going to ramp it up and get after it, and just kind of see what we see on film, confirm it, the first drive or so, and then you know we’re off and running after that.”
It was a record-tying night for Bradford quarterback Cy Cubbedge, who threw five touchdown passes.
“I was just excited out there having fun,” said Cubbedge, who tied his uncle Jimmy Prevatt for the school record. “I didn’t even realize that. I was just out there having fun with my guys. We worked hard all week in practice for this.”
His first toss was a 27-yard scoring pass to junior wide receiver Kaidrin Jackson. The duo hooked up again on their next possession for a 42-yard touchdown and a 14-0 lead with 5:56 remaining in the opening quarter.
“We played 7-on-7 together over the summer, so it’s pretty much automatic with us,” said Cubbedge, who holds offers from Wake Forest, Tulane and FIU.
With Eastside trailing 14-0, junior quarterback Andrew Sutherland threw an interception that Bradford’s Caiden Carn returned 33 yards for a touchdown. Although the extra-point attempt failed, the Tornadoes (7-0) led 20-0 with 4:59 left in the first quarter.
“We threw a costly interception that we really didn’t need to throw,” said fifth-year Eastside coach Harold “Gator” Hoskins. “We’ve got to get more physical. But we’re gonna go back to the drawing board and keep working to try and dial something up and get ready for this next district game.”
Cubbedge threw his third touchdown with 4:24 to play in the half, a 19-yard pass to senior wide receiver Koy Hartley for a 27-0 lead.
Bradford, which is ranked No. 8 in Class 2A and 69th overall in Florida, entered the game with three shutouts. However, the Rams (1-6) ensured they wouldn’t become the fourth victim when senior Braeden Brockington returned the kickoff 90 yards down the Eastside sideline just 15 seconds later.
It was the second straight week that Brockington scored two touchdowns.
“He continues to put some good tape on there,” Hoskins said. “A good tape is coming along for him to get an opportunity to play at the next level. That’s a big thing that I talk to all the guys about. When we press play, what does the tape say about you? So that’s been my message for the last two weeks.”
It only took Bradford three plays to answer as senior Iyen Addison ripped off a 56-yard scoring run. Eastside sophomore Demari Wilson blocked the extra point, but the Tornadoes carried a 33-6 lead into the locker room at the half.
Three plays into Bradford’s first possession of the second half, Cubbedge connected with Northwestern University commit Jordan Cason for a 52-yard touchdown. Cason also had a 69-yard touchdown on a fake punt, but a holding penalty nullified it.
Brockington’s second score came on a 12-yard touchdown pass from backup junior quarterback K.J. Woodard, capping a 65-yard drive with 5:07 to play in the third quarter as Eastside answered and made it 39-13.
“I just tell him (Woodard), you always want an opportunity and when it comes, you’ve got to be ready for it,” Hoskins said. “He did a pretty good job on a couple drives for us, moved the ball pretty well, a couple missed throws, but he played pretty good tonight.”
Cubbedge’s final touchdown pass was a 15-yard strike to Jackson, completing the trifecta. It capped a 96-yard scoring drive with 10 minutes remaining in the game.
“He’s a dude,” Baker said of Cubbedge. “There’s nothing he can’t do…There’s a couple that I wish he would have thrown instead of scrambling and taking some hits and things like that, but that’s why you play the games in practice, and we’ll correct it and get it fixed.”
The Tornadoes ensured a running clock with a little over six minutes remaining when a pass by Woodard was thrown incomplete but behind the line of scrimmage for a lateral. Senior P.J. Lee scooped it up at midfield and took it to the house for a 53-13 lead.
Bradford will travel to Newberry on Friday for the Class 2A-District 4 title. Two years ago, the Panthers upset the Tornadoes to win the district title, followed by a win against Bradford in the playoffs.
However, last October, Bradford defeated Newberry, 28-7, in Starke as Cubbedge threw three touchdown passes.
“I think we’re gonna come out, dominate, and execute for sure,” Cubbedge said. “As it gets later in the season, we’ve been more locked in in practice. We’ve been executing every day, like just going rep for rep. If we mess up a rep on a drive, we’ll restart the whole drive. Everything’s got to be perfect in practice, so we can execute on Friday night.”
Eastside, which lost its third straight, will host Santa Fe (Alachua) on Thursday for a 3A-District 5 game. The game will be broadcast (audio only) on Mainstreet Daily News.
“They’re a good football team,” Hoskins said of Santa Fe, which lost at home to Buchholz on Thursday night. “They’ve got a great running back (Jasiah Powell). I know they’re gonna try to give him the ball a lot, so we’ve got to come ready to tackle the guy, get him down. We’ve got to make some plays, and then we’ve got to score some points on offense.”
High School Football
Thursday, Oct. 1
Buchholz 35, Santa Fe (Alachua) 10
Friday, Oct. 2
Bradford (Starke) 53, Eastside 13
Branford 42, St. Joseph Academy (St. Augustine) 20
Central Florida Christian Academy (Ocoee) 54, Bronson 0
Chiefland 21, Dixie County (Cross City) 11
Christ’s Church Academy (Jacksonville) 41, Oak Hall School 0
Columbia (Lake City) 51, Manatee (Bradenton) 28
Crescent City 14, Keystone Heights 0
Eastland Christian (Orlando) xx, Cornerstone Academy xx
Fort White 29, Lafayette (Mayo) 22
Hawthorne 28, Wakulla (Crawfordville) 14
Munroe (Quincy) 74, Countryside Christian 52
P.K. Yonge 68, First Coast Christian (Jacksonville) 0
Suwannee (Live Oak) 21, Zarephath Academy (Jacksonville) 0
Trenton 42, Bell 14
Union County (Lake Butler) 35, Atlantic Coast (Jacksonville) 6
Williston 35, Trinity Catholic (Ocala) 0
OFF – Gainesville, Newberry, Saint Francis Catholic Academy
