Rashaud Truss fights off Parker Middleton for extra yards during a first-round playoff game. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Logan Gapen)
Despite enduring injuries to its top two quarterbacks, the Jaguars are heading to the second round of the Division I playoffs after beating the Celtics 20-14 in their playoff opener.
Hilliard, OH – Hilliard Bradley never saw a point in hiding from its limitations this season.
Instead, the Jaguars has navigated a season filled with injuries and young players in key roles by figuring a way through their shortcomings.
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“We’ve had four different quarterbacks win games for us,” coach Mike LoParo said. “We’re smoke and mirrors man — we are smoke and mirrors.”
Bradley, which is the seventh seed for the Division I, Region 2 playoffs, kept its magic act going Friday with a 20-14 win over 10th-seeded Dublin Jerome in a first-round matchup of teams that entered at .500.
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The victory improves the Jaguars to 6-5 overall and sends them into a second-round game next Friday at second-seeded Troy—and with another opportunity to prove its resilience.
Bradley lost its top two quarterbacks to injuries late in the regular season and gave the starting nod to freshman Max Whitmore. Against Jerome, Whitmore played the first half behind center but junior Bralyn Gordin – typically a slot receiver – filled the role in a mostly wildcat formation during the final two quarters.
All that said, the Jaguars have an emerging talent in sophomore running back Rashaun Truss who they hope can keep their season going and set them up for a more successful next couple years.
Jerome quarterback Nolan Peoples gets stopped just short of the end zone.
After rushing for 172 yards in Bradley’s regular-season finale, he rushed for 104 yards and one touchdown and had 86 yards and a receiving score to lead the way.
“As far as we go is on that kid’s back,” LoParo said. “We all know it. The team knows it. He is the key to winning football games going forward.”
Truss’ speed went on display on the game’s opening drive when he had one completion of 12 yards and then broke through for a 74-yard touchdown catch from Whitmore with 8:54 to go in the opening quarter.
“We just thought that if we’re not going to have our starting quarterback and our backup quarterback that we had to take the game over, go out and attack, and do the best we can,” Truss said. “We go out and do what we do. Lose or win, we’re always going to give 100 percent effort.”
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Jerome’s best drive of the game came on its opening possession when it went 66 yards in 18 plays, with senior Joey Slates running in from 1 yard to tie it at 7 with 2:04 left in the first period.
Jordan Reed-Davis celebrates after the Jags get a big fourth down stop against the Celts.
The Celtics got only one other first down in the first half, and both Jordan Reed-Davis and Micah Fisher recovered fumbles in the second period.
“We knew it was going to be a real good game and made sure everybody prepared the same way throughout the week of practice so we’d do the best we could as a unit,” Reed-Davis said. “We’ve got a real big senior class that has a lot of focal leadership in our locker room. Our starting quarterback has been out since week seven, so we’ve been preaching to stay together, fight, and be a team. It’s been helping us, and we want to stay on that right training path.”
Bradley made it 10-7 on a 26-yard field goal by Xavier Love with 5:31 to go in the third quarter after taking over at the Jerome following 14 following a muffed punt that was recovered by Gehrig Hopson.
Then with 11:54 remaining, Truss ran for a 14-yard touchdown to make it 17-7.
“We changed a little bit of our blocking schemes (in the second half),” LoParo said. “They were triggering on our motions, so we made some adjustments. The kids just played a little bit harder in the second half and did a good job.
“We’ve been really solid over there. (Defensive coordinator David) Parrott has been doing a great job with them. He brings a college approach to it since he was a defensive college coordinator (at Davidson College and Capital University). We try to mix up their looks and make sure teams don’t know what’s coming each snap.”
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Jerome senior quarterback Nolan Peoples, who battled injuries during the regular season, completed three of five pass attempts during his team’s final drive. He ran for 21 yards with 53.1 seconds to go, hooked up with Jack Kacherski for a 33-yard reception on the next play and capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run with 25.4 seconds to go.
Bradley recovered the onside kick to seal the win.
Keegan Perkins brings down Ty Haqq in the backfield for a loss.
While the Jaguars improved to 7-4 all-time in the series between the programs, the Celtics finished 5-6 in their first season under coach Mark Crabtree. After ending a 20-year run as Dublin Coffman’s coach in 2021, Crabtree helped Jerome to one more win than a year ago in his return to head coaching.
Like the Jaguars, Jerome dealt with its share of adversity and injuries this fall.
“We had a meltdown in the second half,” Crabtree said. “Counting the turnovers on downs, we had six turnovers. They did a great job in the second half changing their offense, going to the three-back system, pounding us, getting the ball to their best players. We turned the ball over too many times.
:I love our players and I think there’s a lot to be learned and gained from this year, but we’re not ready to make that jump. We’re going to be able to do it at some point, but it’s a learning curve and unfortunately we’ve got to learn some hard lessons. I would have liked to have seen if we’d had a chance to be a little more healthy what our record might have been.”
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After going 13-2 in 2023, Bradley slipped to 3-9 a year ago and lost four of its last six during this year’s regular season.
Still, the Jaguars are feeling optimistic about moving on to play a Troy team that is 8-2 lost to the only Division I program it played this season.
“I’m excited we get to play Troy, and I think we can make a good run,” Fisher said.
“We’re just going to do what we do,” LoParo added. “I’ve looked at their schedule, and the two teams that beat them were good teams. They’re going to be a wing-T type of team. It’s going to be a fast game because that’s who we are, running the football.”
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