Booker High football wins thriller over Braden River High

The Booker High Tornadoes football team has had trouble finishing strong in recent seasons. The team's home game against Braden River High on Sept. 22 seemed like another example of the phenomenon: the Tornadoes took a 10-0 lead on the Pirates before finding themselves in a 20-10 hole at the beginning of the fourth quarter. 

Instead of folding, the Tornadoes roared to life. 

Sparked by the insertion of junior quarterback Jordan Johnson, Booker (3-2) scored two fourth-quarter defense while holding Braden River (2-2) in check and walked off the field with a 24-20 win. 

Both late touchdowns came on throws from Johnson to senior receiver Joshua Burrows. On the first, Johnson scrambled to buy himself time after a play fake, then got rid of the ball before taking a big hit and found Burrows for a red zone score. The second came in a fourth-and-five situation from the Braden River 40 yard line with 6:15 remaining, when the Pirates secondary got caught looking in the backfield and Burrows sneaked behind them; Johnson hit him in stride.

"I just trusted the kids," Booker Head Coach Scottie Littles said. "The coaches didn't want me to call a timeout (before the fourth down play) to save it for defense, but I knew we were going for it and I wanted the right play call. We condensed the formation and we had a guy sneak open. That's another (big) moment. Can we pay attention to detail and execute? In the past, we haven't. Tonight we did and that's encouraging." 

Johnson completed three of four passes for 54 yards, including his scored to Burrows. Junior quarterback Alex Diaz, who played the first three quarters, threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to senior Josiah Booker in the first quarter. The Tornadoes played most of the game without senior running back Ahmad Hunter, who left with an injury. Littles said Hunter should be fine and could have finished the game if it was a postseason game, but was held out as a precaution. 

Braden River Head Coach Curt Bradley was not pleased with his team's effort or energy and blamed himself for not having the team ready to play. For the second-straight week, Bradley said, he felt like the team came out flat and spotted the opposition easy points. And while he liked how the Pirates responded coming out of halftime, they were unable to sustain that momentum into the fourth quarter. 

"I have to push the right buttons to get these guys going," Bradley said. "We can play harder, and we need to." 

The slow start and subpar fourth quarter almost didn't matter. The Pirates had the ball late and were driving for a potential game-winning score, reaching the Booker 23-yard line, but a pass from junior Lucas Despot on fourth and 10 with 49 seconds remaining fell incomplete. Despot completed 13 of 33 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns, the highlight being an 83-yard touchdown to senior Isaac Heaven. 

The Tornadoes will next host Bayshore High (3-1) at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 29, while the Pirates will hit the road to play Port Charlotte High (3-2) at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 29.