Braves come back to win region matchup in OT

Published 12:10 am Saturday, October 6, 2018

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Maybe that grueling first half of the schedule is starting to pay off.

The Baldwin Braves (2-5 overall, 1-0 region) entered Friday night’s contest at the Academy of Richmond County needing to get Region 3-4A play started on the right foot. The team overcame a 21-7 deficit and some questionable officiating to earn a 28-21 win in overtime against the Musketeers.

“It really felt good to get this win,” BHS head coach Jesse Hicks told The Union-Recorder via phone interview Friday night. “I think it brought us together as a team. Adversity can be a good thing, but it’s also good to be on the other side, too. I’m really proud of what the kids did tonight.”

Baldwin got on the board first when senior defensive back Trey Trawick picked off a screen pass attempt and took it the other way for the score. Some miscues and more than a few head-scratching calls, according to Hicks, allowed ARC to take a 21-7 lead going into the half. 

“Everything they got we kind of gave it to them in the first half, but in the second half we played shutout football,” said Hicks. 

The second half boiled down to the fact that the Musketeer defense could not stop one of the simplest plays you’ll find in any playbook — the unbalanced iso. The Baldwin offense lined up in an overload formation by bringing an offensive tackle over to the other side to block alongside his fellow tackle, and ARC just did not adjust to it in anyway Hicks said. The Baldwin head coach estimated that his team ran the play 25 to 30 times throughout the night and got good results pretty much every time. 

The Braves tied the ballgame up in the fourth to force overtime where they got the ball first. The iso struck again as running back Noah Hill took the ball in from about 15 yards out to put his team on top. The Musketeers got their turn on offense, but were unable to match. 

“Noah had a masterful performance especially considering he’s not getting much of a break with Zaahir (Salahuddin) being hurt,” Hicks said of his junior running back. “He really stepped his game up. I was really proud of what he and the offensive line did.”

The Braves are on the road again next week for another region matchup. They’ll take on the Thomson High School Bulldogs for the right to move to 2-0 in the region.