Bradford drops ACD from fall football schedule

New opponent, opportunity for Tornadoes

By MELISSA BURNSED

Fans of Tornado football in Bradford County will see a brand new opponent on their teams fall schedule, after Head Coach Steve Hoard and school administrators made a decision to drop  Arlington Country Day (ACD) from their roster of varsity opponents. The decision to seek release from the existing contract came when Coach Hoard became aware of the problems at the once highly regarded private school located in Jacksonville.

"I saw the story on the news and became concerned because I didn’t know what was going to happen. We didn’t want to lose them and not have an opponent for our tenth and final game. After consulting with our Athletic Director Shane McFadden, we decided to formally request release from the contract by both ACD and the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA)," said Hoard.

The coach began an extensive search for another opponent to fill the open game slot on November 14. "When I didn’t find another nearby school, I remembered KSA and contacted them about the possibility of getting into their series at Disney," he said.

KSA is the Kaylee Scholarship Association, a non-profit group dedicated to helping students continue their education by awarding scholarships to those athletes who demonstrate leadership, academic achievement and service to the community. This is the twelfth year that the organization has given high school teams, from across the country, the chance to play one another in interstate match ups. Over the course of the high school varsity season KSA’s Game of the Week showcases different teams which are selected to compete at Disney’s Wide World of Sports, in Orlando.

Bradford County played in the KSA series several years ago against a team from Skyline High School in Utah.

This year the Tornadoes will face off with Houston Christian Academy from Texas.

"Their athletic director told me this will be a great thing for both schools. It should be a balanced game since both our squads are full of young, inexperienced players. I know it will give our players some incentive," said Coach Hoard.

Because of the game being played in Orlando, instead of at home against the Apaches, Coach Hoard confirmed that homecoming will be shifted to the Interlachen game and that a date had yet to be determined for Senior Night.

He added that during conversations with the Head Coach of ACD, the two schools agreed that they plan to continue their ongoing series of games in the future. "We have a long history with them and I hope to add them back to our schedule next season, once the school gets back on firm footing."