Braves winless no more after Homecoming shutout

Published 11:16 pm Friday, September 21, 2018

It wasn’t pretty, but the Baldwin Braves were able to celebrate Homecoming 2018 by getting into the win column with a 14-0 win over the still winless Greenbrier Wolfpack. 

The Braves (1-5) got the plays they needed when they needed them, and won the all-important turnover battle 1-0 on the way to victory. 

“I feel like the Cleveland Browns,” Baldwin head coach Jesse Hicks said with a laugh, referencing the NFL’s Browns who won their first game in 635 days Thursday night. “It’s great to get one. The defense did a hell of a job tonight getting us the shutout and putting up points like they’ve been doing all year. I hope our kids appreciate it.”

Those defensive points came via a familiar figure as it was defensive back Donte Justice who notched his third pick-six of the season late in the second quarter to put the Braves up 7-0. The shifty senior scampered more than 70 yards after taking the ball away from Greenbrier to give his team all the points it would need on the night.

“I saw the wide receiver stop on his route, so right when he stopped I just broke on it and took the ball from him,” Justice said recalling the play after the game.

The Baldwin offense, having struggled through its first five games, showed signs of improvement Friday as the unit leaned more heavily on the ground game. But at times the offense was its own worst enemy as multiple penalties at the least opportune times stalled drives or kept momentum from swinging in the home team’s favor.

“Too many freaking penalties,” Hicks said. “It got to the point I was so frustrated I took my headset off. Whenever we did get a drive going or a big play we’d kill it with penalties, so if we don’t stop that we’re going to have trouble as we go forward.”

Although the penalties will without a doubt need to be cleaned up as the season wears on, there were some positive takeaways as well, namely in the fourth quarter. Baldwin took over on the Wolfpack’s 37-yard line with just under eight minutes to play looking to gain a little extra breathing room. Braves’ quarterback Torez Hicks found wide receiver Shondraus King in the right flat, and King made a nifty move to get away from his defender for a 12-yard gain. After a short break due to a Greenbrier injury, King ran the same route on the very next play from scrimmage — or so the Wolfpack secondary thought. This time instead of stopping in the flat King turned around and streaked toward the end zone on a devastating double move. Hicks found his guy in the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown to give Baldwin a little more cushion late. 

The defense stood tall the rest of the way to seal the 14-0 win. 

Not only was it Braves’ first win of 2018, but Friday also marked the first time the Baldwin seniors were able to get the win on Homecoming night. Justice, being a man of few words who would rather let his play do the talking, said this on getting his first Homecoming victory, “It feels great. It’s a good feeling.”

The Baldwin football team now enters a bye week before beginning Region 3-4A competition in two weeks against Richmond Academy. The stakes are much higher from here on out, and the Oct. 5 game versus Richmond Academy will be the first time the Braves have had to travel since Aug. 24.