Lyn Gets A Visit From The Scouts Chuck and Mary at McDonalds in 2009 Chuck at the Matthews Museum Cub Scouts Visit the Station Chuck, Matt, B.J. Warwick, and Miss Mary at a Dinner at the Starke Golf and Country Club Chuck, Lyn, Miss Mary, and Maryann at the Fair in 2010 Chuck and Miss Mary's Wedding Day, Dec. 17, 1984 Chuck and His Children, Matt, Michelle, Danielle, and Lyn Chuck's First Station

2017 SEASON OPENER...TORNADOES VS. TAYLOR COUNTY

August 27, 2017
David A. Rodgers

HELLO TORNADO NATION AND TORNADO FANS FROM ALL OVER OUR COUNTY AND SURROUNDING AREAS AND ALL OVER OUR GREAT STATE; THIS IS DAVID RODGERS, VOICE AND PLAY BY PLAY ANNOUNCER FOR YOUR 2017 BRADFORD HIGH TORNADOES AND ALONG WITH BIG KEVIN HOWE AND THE STATE’S BEST PRODUCING MR. CHUCK KRAMER, MRS. MARY KRAMER AND THE LOVELY MRS. LYN VELIZ. WE ARE BACK WITH FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS AT ITS BEST, SOUTHERN STYLE, AS YOUR BRADFORD TORNADOES HAS BEGAN THE 2017 FHSAA FOOTBALL SEASON. THIS YEAR’S TORNADO TEAM IS LOADED WITH 20 SENIORS AND SOME GOOD RETURNING PLAYERS FROM LAST YEAR’S TEAM THAT BOASTED A 7-2 RECORD AND IN WINNING THE 2016 CLASS 4A DISTRICT 3 CHAMPIONSHIP AND A HOME STATE PLAYOFF BERTH AGAINIST THE DUNNELON TIGERS WHICH THE TORNADOES LOST TO IN THE FIRST ROUND. GREAT THINGS HAPPENED LAST YEAR AND THOUGHT MOMENTUM WOULD CARRY OVER INTO THIS YEAR BUT WITH THE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR BOBBY JOHNS LEAVING TO TAKE THE SAME POSITION AS THE AD AND HEAD FOOTBALL COACH AT WEWATCHAKA AND COACH COREY GREEN LEAVING FOR A NEW HEAD COACHING JOB IN GEORGIA AND WITH 4 OF OUR RETURNING STARTERS LEAVING FOR OTHER AREA SCHOOLS. IT LEFT US SCRAMBLING TO GET A NEW AD AND HEAD COACH RIGHT BEFORE SPRING PRACTICE WAS TO BEGAN AND OUR SPRING PRACTICE WAS CUT SHORT DUE TO THE HIRING OF THESE NEW POSITIONS RIGHT ALONG WITH A COACHING STAFF THE TORNADOES THIS YEAR DID NOT GET TO PLAY A SPRING GAME SO WE WERE BEHIND THE CURVE FROM THE OTHER AREA SCHOOLS. HOWEVER, ALL WAS NOT LOST AS OUR COUNTY OFFICE STAFF AND NEW SUPERINTENDENT STACY CREIGHTON WENT ON A FRANTIC SEARCH TO FIND A NEW AD AND NEW HEAD COACH AND AFTER ALL THE INTERVIEWS WE WERE ABLE TO FIND A NEW AD COACH LAMAR WATERS FROM UNION COUNTY AND NEW HEAD COACH BRIAN TOMLINSON ALSO FROM UNION COUNTY OR SHOULD I SAY THE SCHOOL DOWN THE ROAD. SO, THE TORNADOES WENT TO WORK AND OVER THE SUMMER HAD ALL THE CONDITIONING AND WEIGHTLIFTING SESSIONS AND IT HAS PAID OFF EVEN THOUGH RIGHT NOW IT DOES NOT SHOW IN WINS. COACH TOMLINSON AND HIS NEW COACHING STAFF HAS BROUGHT IN A NEW OFFENSE, THE SPREAD AND YOU WILL SEE THAT BRADFORD WILL BE THROWING THE BALL A LOT MORE THIS YEAR INSTEAD OF RELYING ON THE RUN AS THEY HAVE IN THE PAST YEARS. IT IS AN OFFENSE THAT TAKES A LOT TO KNOW THESE NEW PLAYS AND TIMING BETWEEN OUR QB AND WR’S TO MAKE THIS WORK. RIGHT NOW, THIS OFFENSE IS STILL WORK IN PROGRESS LEARNING AND GETTING THE TIMING RIGHT SO THIS OFFENSE CAN MOVE THE BALL DOWN FIELD AND GET SOME EARLY SCORES AND PUT PRESSURE ON THE OPPONENT’S DEFENSE. OUR DEFENSE HAS KEPT US IN THE FIRST 2 BALLS GAMES AND PLAYED WELL AT TIMES BUT THE HAVE BEEN OUT ON THE FIELD FOR A LONG TIME DURING THESE FIRST 2 GAMES DUE TO THE OFFENSE RIGHT NOW WITH NOT BEING IN SYNC AND RYTHYM FORCING THE DEFENSE TO HOLD US IN BALL GAMES. LAST FRIDAY NIGHT A GOOD TAYLOR COUNTY FOOTBALL TEAM CAME TO DAVID HURSE STADIUM AND BEAT THE TORNADOES 24-7. THIS IS ONLY ONE LOSS AND IT DOES NOT DEFINE A SEASON. LAST YEAR WE WENTTO TAYLOR COUNTY AND LOST THAT BALL GAME 35-14 AND THE TORNADOES AFTER THAT WENT ON A ROLL LOSINGNO MORE GAME UNTIL THE STATE PLAYOFF GAME AGAINST DUNNELLON, SO THIS CAN BE DONE AND WE WILL HAVE TO FORGET ABOUT THIS GAME AND HAVE A GREAT WEEK OF PRACTICE AND FOCUS ON THIS WEEK’S GAME AGAINIST THE BALDWIN INDIANS AT EARL FOURACRE FIELD IN BALDWIN. THE FIRST ROAD TEST OF THE SEASON. THE INDIANS PUT A BEAT DOWN ON THE HAMILTON COUNTY TROJANS 48-8 LAST WEEK AND IF YOU GUYS REMEMBER AND IT SEEMS LIKE DÉJÀ VU AGAIN IN THE KICKOFF CLASSIC LAST YEAR WITH BAD WEATHER AND ALL THE TORNADOES GOT OUT OF BALDWIN WITH A 14-14 TIE AND THIS TEAM IS MUCH IMPROVED SINCE THAT TIME AS THEY MADE THE STATE PLAYOFFS LAST YEAR AS WELL BEFORE FALLING TO POWERHOUSE MADISON COUNTY. FOR THE TORNADOES TO WIN THIS GAME I FEEL THEY NEED TO DO SEVERAL THINGS AND HOPEFULLY THEY CLEAN THIS UP DURING THIS WEEK’S PRACTICE. FIRST, THEY MUST ELIMINATE THE COSTLY PENALTIES. LAST WEEK THE TORNADOES WERE DRIVING FOR EITHER A TYING OR GO- AHEAD SCORE AND LOST THEIR COMPOSURE AT TIMES WITH PERSONAL FOUL OR UNSPORTSMANLIKE PENALTIES. SECOND, THE TORNADO OFFENSE MUST SUSTAIN DRIVES AND GET SOME TD’S TO PUT PRESSURE ON THE INDIANS DEFENSE AND KEEP OUR DEFENSE FRESH AND NOT ON THE FIELD MOST OF THE GAME. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, THE INDIANS HAVE A PROVEN QB THAT CAN THROW THE BALL AND HE IS ABLE TO THROW THE DEEP PASS SO THE DEFENSIVE LINE WILL NEED TO GET PRESSURE ON HIM AND THE DB’S MUST NOT ALLOW LONG EASY TD PASSES TO THEIR WR’S. IF THE TORNADOES CAN DO THIS I THINK THE SEASON TURNS AROUND AND WITH A BIG ROAD WIN. WITH THE NEW FHSAA PLAYOFF POINTS SYSTEM, AS WE HAVE NO MORE DISTRICT PLAY IN CLASS 1 THRU 4A POINTS ARE AT A MUST AND KEVIN AND I WILL GET INTO THE EXPLANATION OF THIS POINT SYSTEM AS THE SEASON GOES. SO, STAY TUNED IF YOU CANNOT LISTEN IN ON THE LIVE BROADCAST, CHECK THIS BLOG WEEKLY AND WE WILL EXPLAIN IN MORE DETAIL.  IN CLOSING WE URGE TORNADO NATION AND FANS ALIKE TO MAKE THE TRIP TO BALDWIN, FLORIDA AND CHEER ON THOSE TORNADOES BUT IF YOU CANNOT MAKE IT YOU CAN CATCH ALL THE LIVE PLAY BY PLAY AND COLOR COMMENTARY WITH DAVID RODGERS AND BIG KEVIN HOWE THIS FRIDAY NIGHT WITH THE PREGAME SHOW AT 715 AND KICKOFF AT 730 RIGHT HERE ON EAGLE COUNTRY 106.3