The Baldwin Braves came one play short of upsetting Northside last Friday, falling 13-12 to the visiting Class 5A Eagles from Warner Robbins.
Trailing 10-0 to Northside as the final quarter began, then 13-0 after an Eagles field goal, Baldwin rallied with a pair of touchdowns. However, missing two-point conversions after both scores meant first-year head coach Kevin Patterson is still looking for his first win with the Braves.
Following a 7-yard touchdown run by Baldwin’s Sadur Salahuddin in the final minute, Braves senior quarterback LJ Pounds scrambled and attempted a pass to the right side of the endzone for the extra points. However, it landed at the feet of receiver Kielan Walker to end the game as time ran out.
The first half of the game was filled with penalties and mistakes by both teams and by halftime the score was just 3-0 for Northside after the Eagles drove in a 29-yard field goal about four minutes into the game.
A highlight for the Braves came when freshman Bryston Davis made an interception that ended the first half.
The third quarter had a slow start, as both teams continued to exchange possessions until Northside capitalized with a 77-yard drive late in the third quarter that led to the first touchdown of the night. Quarterback Jayden Wright tossed a 4-yard pass to Briston Blasingame, with the extra point giving a 10-0 lead to the Eagles.
The Braves’ second possession of the fourth quarter saw punt return man Salahuddin go 81 yards to cut the Eagles lead to four points. However, a two-point conversion attempt failed, leaving the score at 10-6 favoring Northside.
The Eagles looked to put the Braves away on their next scoring drive, but the Braves’ defense held, and Northside had to settle for a field goal to go up 13-6 lead with only a minute to go in the game.
Baldwin received the ball on its own 35-yard line and went to work on offense. The Braves drove nearly to the Eagles’ goal line before Salahuddin scored again to put the game in reach.
It all came down to Peterson and his coaching staff making the decision to go for the win or overtime with an extra-point kick.
The final decision was a two-point conversion attempt and after both teams used all their remaining timeouts to discuss strategy, the game came down to one final play – and for Baldwin, it failed.
Regardless, though defeated, the Braves appeared disappointed but not distraught at the game’s end. Both players and coaches were aware a sloppy first half showed the team still has a lot of work to do, but the second half with noticeable adjustments was equally encouraging.
Now, the Braves still have eight games ahead of them to show how much improvement is possible.
Baldwin has this Friday off but will resume play at home in Milledgeville Sept. 6 in its region opener against the Cross Creek Razorbacks, out of Augusta.