4PEAT QUEST CONTINUES! Cocoa Tigers Rally Late in Thriller to Down Bradford, Claim Region 2-2A Title

State Semifinal: Cocoa at Cardinal Mooney or Bolle Next Friday at 7:30 p.m.

ABOVE VIDEO: Cocoa sophomore Zaylan Chapple scored an 8-yard touchdown run with just 51 seconds left, giving the Tigers the go-ahead score and punching their ticket to the State Semifinals. 

STARKE, FLORIDA — The Cocoa Tigers’s championship pedigree showed once again Friday night as the Tigers delivered in the game’s final minute to defeat Bradford 17–10 and capture the Region 2-2A championship on the road.

With the score tied and under a minute remaining, sophomore running back Zaylan Chapple supplied the decisive play, breaking free for an 8-yard touchdown run with 51 seconds left.

The late score lifted Cocoa to its 19th straight regional title and sent the Tigers into the Class 2A state semifinals, scheduled for Friday, Dec. 5.

Cocoa (8-4) struck first and controlled the early tempo. Javeon Scott opened the scoring with a 9-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, and kicker Keelan Gonzalez extended the lead with a 27-yard field goal later in the period to make it 10-0.

Defense dominated the remainder of the first half as both teams traded possessions without adding points.

Bradford (11-2), the top seed in the region, came alive after halftime.

Iyen Addison cut the deficit with a 5-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, igniting the home crowd and setting the stage for a tense finish. The Tornadoes then pulled even when kicker Tyler Sapp drilled a 31-yard field goal with three minutes left in the fourth quarter, tying the game at 10-10.

That’s when Cocoa leaned on its youngest difference-maker. Chapple’s late scoring run turned the tide, and the Tigers’ defense slammed the door on Bradford’s final drive, preserving the victory and keeping the Tigers’ 4-Peat dreams intact.

The win continues a remarkable run for Cocoa, which is seeking a fourth consecutive Class 2A state championship. With another regional crown secured, the Tigers now stand one win away from returning to the title game.

Cocoa will learn its semifinal opponent later this week as it prepares for another high-stakes showdown in its quest to extend one of the most dominant runs in Florida high school football.

Cocoa High School Tigers Football Celebrates 100th Anniversary, See the 1925 Team Picture:

The 2025 Cocoa High School Tigers football program is celebrating its 100th anniversary this season.

According to the 1925 Cocoa High School yearbook, most of the players were new to the game, although three veterans came from the North, including William Showalter, Pickford, and Tom Brophy.

The other boys on the team were Norwood Lockett, Hugh Gingras, Cubic Fortenberry, Morris Weinberg, Rolla Summerlin, W. Gordon Fortenberry, Alfred Robbins, Akridge, Frances Kelly, Whited, Winston Osteen, Leslie Dingman, and Walter Cox. Head Coach J. D. Wells, along with the assistance of George Gingras, an interested citizen and the father of a player, assisted the boys in improving each week.

Cocoa’s line-up consisted of Hugh Gingras at center; W. Gordon Fortenberry, right guard; Morris Weinberg, left guard; Cubic Fortenberry, right tackle; Norwood Lockett, left tackle; Winston Osteen, right end; Jordan Akridge, left end; William Showalter, right half-back; Pickford, left halfback; Tom Brophy, quarterback; and Randell Beardsley, fullback.

The first game was played against New Smyrna Beach at Cocoa, and the visitors came away with a 19-0 victory. The loss opened the eyes of the boys, and for the remainder of the season, they entered each game with a fighting spirit.

The second game was on the road against Titusville, with the Tigers coming away with a 17-0 victory.

Cocoa then lost the next two games, Fort Pierce 19-3, Winter Garden 18-9, and picked up their second victory in the last game against Melbourne 2-0 at Cocoa.

Cocoa High School was constructed in 1917 as a two-story reinforced concrete building on Willard Street, next to Forrest Park Complex. It contained grades 7–12, and in 1925, a new three-story building was built on Forrest Avenue.

On September 2, 1952, Cocoa High School opened its new school building for grades 7–12 on Rockledge Avenue, the present site of Rockledge High.

The building on Forrest Avenue became the Junior High for grades 7-8. In 1959, grades 7-8 were moved to a middle school. The Forrest Avenue building was used by the then-new Brevard Jr. College, founded in 1959, for two years.

In 1970, a school was built at the present site on Rosentine Street, now Tiger Trail. There were 18 separate buildings housing grades 9–12. The part of Rosentine Street bordering the Cocoa High campus was renamed “Tiger Trail” in honor of the school’s mascot.

Cocoa High was the first high school in Brevard County to win an FHSAA State Championship in any sport, winning the Class “A” State Boys Basketball Championship in 1960. The team finished first in the state and had a 29–1 record.

The Tigers were also Brevard’s first high school to win a girls’ FHSAA State Championship in any sport, winning the Class AAA Girls State Basketball Championship in 1978. Coach James Rowe‘s boys basketball team won the Tigers’ second basketball championship in 2009.

In 2010, the football team played three out-of-state games to achieve a national ranking. In September 2010, the school was ranked 12th in the nation. It also set a county record for the number of consecutive football victories at 31.

In October 2008, the Tigers lost the BBQ Bowl to Rockledge –it would be another nine years before the Raiders beat Cocoa in 2017. Cocoa High has maintained possession of the BBQ Bowl trophy since 2020, a four-year streak to date.

Ryan Schneider’s 2024 Cocoa Tigers became champions for the seventh time in school history and achieved a “Threepeat” for the second time after the Tigers did it in 2008, 2009, and 2010. Cocoa has now moved into the top 10 all-time list of most state titles in Florida with seven.

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