The Baldwin Braves bounced back in a big way last Friday night in Macon, where they took down the Westside (Macon) Seminoles 55-21.
What a difference a week can make. The previous Friday, in a game also played in Macon, Baldwin was trailing Howard 35-8 at halftime. This time around, the Braves were beating Westside 42-14 at halftime.
The win gave the Braves their first region win of the season, as well as improving their overall record to 4-1. Baldwin quarterback Kamden Patterson had a record-setting night, completing 26-of-28 passes for 558-yards and six touchdowns. Patterson also had four tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss, and one interception on defense in the Braves win last Friday.
Patterson is now second in the state, regardless of classification, in yards per game and touchdown passes, according to MaxPrep's database.
Now, the Braves turn their attention to their third consecutive region game. Baldwin will host their first game since Aug. 28 this Friday, when Upson-Lee will make the trip from Thomaston to Milledgeville. The Knights are 0-5 and have scored only one touchdown all season, which came against Winder-Barrow on Sep. 4. However, Patterson does not view Upson-Lee as an easy win, but rather a challenging opponent.
“Just like everybody else in this region, they have good players,” Patterson said. “I think they play extremely hard. They are searching for a win so that alone poses a challenge, I think they do some good things defensively, especially with their front seven. Offensively, they make you prepare for a lot: different formations, plays, motions, and shifts.”
A win this Friday would give Baldwin a 2-1 record in region play for the first time since 2024.
Getting back to last Friday, the Braves' receivers continued to rack up the yards, with Jurrick Carswell catching four passes for 101 receiving yards and one touchdown. Jacob Hester had seven receptions for 158 yards and two TDs. Justin Burton also had 98 receiving yards on three receptions and one touchdown. As a team, Baldwin had six sacks and nine tackles for loss.
Baldwin’s head coach Kevin Patterson was proud of his team, as well as his son.
“I am proud of him (Kamden) as his coach and as a father,” Patterson said. “He has been working extremely hard in silence to become a top notch player. I am happy for him that he has finally reached that point.”
As for the team's performance Patterson showed just as much happiness in their performance “That was the expectation,” Patterson said. “Our goal was to start fast and play with energy for four quarters. I thought we did that so I was happy with their efforts.”