MILLEDGEVILLE — The Baldwin High defense has already come together this season, and now it’s time for the offense to start clicking, start blocking and start putting numbers on the board.
These sentiments are certainly shared by Baldwin High head coach Dexter Copeland, who is 1-0 already this season after the Braves edged Burke County last Friday.
The Baldwin High offense is full of fantastic receiver options, running backs who can go the distance and a quarterback group led by DeAndre Thomas, a smart an effective signal-caller who manages the game very well.
Now it’s up to the offensive front to protect Thomas, and to create necessary scampering lanes. The tall receivers will also have opportunities in the upcoming weeks to make big plays and perhaps push the team to victory.
The Braves worked on offensive line play, blocking, pass protection, making reads, and several other areas Wednesday afternoon as they prepared for Central Macon, a team coming off a tough loss Friday night.
Without being too obvious, Copeland pointed out that the team was having to fill some holes in the lineup after some players recently got banged up in the Burke County game.
“We’ve got a couple of injuries and we’ve had to substitute some people in,” said Copeland. “We are also trying to fine-tune the offense. We did well in spurts last week, but that’s only because we’re still installing our offense.”
Baldwin’s defense continues to lead their charge, and a lot can be said about the discipline and focus instilled by defensive coordinator Ronnie Baker.
“The defense played lights out Friday night. We are going to need them to do that for a while to carry us,” said Copeland. “Burke County was a big, physical football team, and you can see that from the injuries we had. We’ve got guys with bummed up ankles, bummed up shoulders — they beat us up pretty physically.”
Baldwin’s success versus Burke County Friday probably came from their outstanding conditioning program, which allowed them to stand tall and fight strong deep into the fourth quarter.
“Our conditioning carried us late in the fourth — and that’s what won the game,” said Copeland.
Despite a few minor limps, the Braves should have their core skill position players ready for Friday night’s home game.
Copeland is wise about not disclosing his team’s secrets and didn’t want to mention any changes on the offensive or defensive front. Their could be some new faces starting at a few positions, but those positions will remain a mystery until Friday night.
A preview and prediction for Baldwin High’s matchup with Central (Macon) will be in the Friday edition of The Union-Recorder.
Kickoff for Friday’s game is set for 7:30 p.m.
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