>> BALDWIN HIGH SCHOOL
The final game of the regular season ended on a high note for Baldwin Friday night. The Braves defeated Griffin 47-14 at Braves Field for their first home victory of 2022. A pair of players - running back Micah Welch and linebacker Nasir Robinson had special nights. Both contributed huge to the Braves’ playoff- clinching win over the Bears. Robinson shined and had two defensive TDs for Baldwin. Welch then rushed for over 300 yards and four TDs, plus forced a fumble on defense in the crucial region win.
Baldwin improves to 4-6 overall but has a 3-3 record in Region 2-AAAA play. The Braves were in a three-way tie for third and fourth place with Westside (Macon) and Griffin. However, a tiebreaker allowed the Braves and the Seminoles to secure to No. 3 seed and No. 4 seed, respectively. The Bears will miss the Class AAAA playoffs this year.
No. 4 seed Baldwin will face No. 1 seed Bainbridge Friday on the road. The Bearcats finished the season 6-4 overall but a had 4-0 record in Region 1-AAA play. Bainbridge shouldn’t be overlooked, though, because of its 6-4 overall record. The Bearcats played on the state’s toughest non-region schedules. They faced two defending state champions in Cedar Grove (Class AAA) and Brooks County (Class A-Public). They’ve also squared off against Thomasville, Thomas County Central, Coffee, and Ware County, all of which are in the playoffs in their respective classifications.
Bainbridge has a balanced offense, which averages 31.3 points per game. The Bearcats have a ton of offensive weapons, including running back Keenan Phillps (129 attempts, 909 yards, 14 TDs) and wide receiver Antavious Murphy (53 catches, 883 yards, 13 TDs). Defensively, Bainbridge is pretty stout, giving up 18. 1 point per game. A pair of seniors in Tevin Moore and Dontavious Broadnax are the leaders of the Bearcats’ defensive unit. They have combined for 119 total tackles and 25 tackles for loss in 2022.
The Braves will have to bring their A-game to pull off the upset, especially because Bainbridge is riding a four-game winning streak heading into the postseason. Baldwin will have a chance if it can avoid making mental mistakes. The Braves will need to avoid turning the ball over and avoid committing senseless penalties. The Bearcats and Baldwin will kickoff at 7:30 p.m. in Bainbridge Friday night.