Danny Federico
The Branford High School Buccaneers opened their regular season under less-than-ideal conditions on Friday, Aug. 14, battling through rain, a lengthy weather delay, and a turnover-filled contest before falling 12-7 to Aucilla Christian Academy in Monticello.
Originally scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff, the game was pushed back more than two hours as thunderstorms, lightning and steady rain moved through Jefferson County. By the time the Bucs finally took the field, conditions were soaked, and the wet football proved difficult to handle throughout the night.
Despite the conditions, Branford’s defense kept the Warriors off the scoreboard throughout the opening quarter.
The Bucs also created opportunities of their own on defense. Early in the second quarter, Branford recovered an Aucilla fumble, with junior Cole Poindexter eventually securing the loose ball after it slipped through several players’ hands.
The game remained scoreless until the closing seconds of the first half. After Aucilla intercepted a Branford pass, the Warriors worked their way into the red zone. The Bucs’ defense initially held firm near the goal line, but a pair of encroachment penalties moved Aucilla closer. Warriors quarterback Cooper Wiles eventually scored on a fourth-down keeper with 31 seconds remaining in the second quarter.
Aucilla was unable to convert the ensuing extra point, sending Branford into halftime trailing 6-0.
The Bucs came out of the break moving the football and drove deep into Aucilla territory during the third quarter. However, the wet conditions continued to interfere with their offense.
One of the Bucs’ best opportunities came when quarterback Trent Land, a junior, recovered a mishandled snap and launched a deep pass toward sophomore Chrishon Franklin. Franklin had beaten the coverage and was open near the goal line, but the wet football slipped through his hands, preventing what could have been a game-tying touchdown.
Branford remained within one score throughout the third quarter, which ended with Aucilla still holding its 6-0 advantage.
The Warriors added their second touchdown early in the fourth quarter to stretch their lead to 12-0 with 10:28 remaining. Branford senior David Lopez immediately answered on the ensuing two-point attempt, breaking into the backfield and sacking Wiles to prevent Aucilla from adding to its lead.
The Bucs refused to go quietly.
With time running down, Land connected with sophomore Ollie James on a 32-yard completion down the sideline to move Branford into scoring position. Freshman Cameron Anderson then found the end zone for the Bucs’ first touchdown of the season.
Junior J.C. Cerrato followed with the extra point, trimming Aucilla’s lead to 12-7 with 3:44 remaining.
Branford’s defense took the field needing one final stop to allow the offense to complete the comeback. The Bucs forced Aucilla to keep working for a first down and used their remaining timeouts, but the Warriors ultimately maintained possession and ran out the clock for the 12-7 final.
Land finished the night completing eight of 15 passes for 83 yards while also carrying the ball 11 times. James led Branford’s rushing attack with 35 yards on 11 carries and added a 32-yard reception. Anderson rushed four times for 18 yards and scored the Bucs’ lone touchdown.
Senior Colby Beard led Branford with three receptions for 32 yards, while junior Micah Bussey recorded a 10-yard reception and junior Braden Strait caught two passes for six yards.
The Branford defense turned in a strong performance despite spending much of the night protecting a narrow margin. Junior Keaton Brown led the Bucs with nine total tackles, including seven solo stops and a tackle for loss. Junior Masyn Humphries recorded eight tackles and a tackle for loss, while junior Luke White finished with seven tackles and a tackle for loss.
Brown, White and Lopez each recorded a sack, while Poindexter finished with five tackles and an interception.
The loss puts Branford at 0-1 to start the regular season, but the Bucs showed late life in a difficult season opener.
The Bucs returned home on Friday, Aug. 21, to host the Eagle’s View Academy Warriors, with the evening also serving as Senior Night for Branford High School’s football, cheer, majorette, dance and cross country teams.
Be sure to pick up the Wednesday, Sept. 2, edition of the Riverbend News for full coverage of the game and festivities.
To watch the action from the comfort of your living room, follow River Country Sports on YouTube.
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