6 TDs, too much King leads to Baldwin Homecoming rout

Published 8:19 am Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Ironically, with all the catches tight end Jaylen “Boom” King was grabbing on Homecoming Night at Braves Stadium, he did not make one in the end zone for six points.

Six Baldwin High Braves, however, did cross the goal line toting the football – two in the old-fashion T formation – as Kevin Patterson’s club demolished the Westside High Patriots of Augusta 42-21 Friday. That raised Baldwin to 4-3 overall and 4-1 in Region 4-AAA, which has a virtual three-way tie for first place involving the Braves.

Among those touchdown scorers, in the T, was the reigning Union-Recorder Defensive Player of the Year Jonquavious ‘Q’ Russell.

King, a junior, was catching all kinds of flips, dips and dunks from quarterback Lamar Pounds. He rarely took a snap off, playing defense as well and making at least two tackles for a loss.

Pounds, when not connecting with King, was scoring a touchdown and completing two deep passes each one on the 2-yard-line that set up rushing touchdowns.

As much as the Braves were rolling, it wasn’t always fun and frolic against a Westside club that won its first six games of the season only to fall the previous Friday for the first time to Harlem. Baldwin had two special teams miscues in the opening quarter, including a bad snap in punt formation. That gave the visiting Patriots its first drive near midfield.

Nakarreon Walls, outside linebacker, had Westside going the other way, ending that first series on three-and-out. Or so the home side thought. Westside punted, Baldwin fumbled the return, and the Patriots recovered on the Braves’ 28-yard-line.

The Braves jumping offsides on third down kept the new series alive with first down on the 7. Big Jean Kamga scored on the next snap at 4:04 of the first period.

Patterson then saw his troops respond by dominating the remainder of the first half, even if it meant driving 88 yards to get the leveling touchdown. The Braves went to the ground game with linemen like Jeremiah Thomas creating walls for Sadur Salahuddin and his backfield mates. Pounds completed passes to Salahuddin and Kielan Walker for first downs up to the Patriot 24, then executed a play-fake run to the 10.

Johnathan Butts, on his first rush, carried in the first touchdown from there at 1:54. Arguably Baldwin’s most improved player in his respective role, PAT kicker Josh Rhodes, made his first of six PATs to tie the score.

Q’ Russell and Ahmad Reeves stopped Westside’s next series three-and-out, and Baldwin proceeded to drive 72 yards to go ahead for good. Pounds got a pass on just in time to King, who added much after his catch to Westside’s 48. That ended the first quarter, and in the second Pounds fired away deep 46 yards to Jaquan Hill.

First-and-goal quickly became 4th-and-goal inside the 1, and the Braves got creative with an end around run. Appropriately, Hill completed the drive scoring at 9:59, and Rhodes kicked Baldwin to a 14-7 lead.

Spearing the Baldwin defense to stop Westside next were King and Devarious Russell on a screen pass for 3rd-and-21 on the 35. Corey Myrick Jr. broke up a deep pass, and the Patriots punted to the BHS 23.

On first down from the 46, Pounds ran side to side and found Walker deep down field, another catch made on the 2. It was Pounds cleaning up this drive, but he had to go 17 yards to reach paydirt. That’s because officials spotted an offensive interference on 1st-and-goal, but the quarterback still added points at 5:41 until halftime.

King’s defense continued to shine as he made consecutive stops on a quarterback keeper and jet sweep, all bringing out the Patriot punting unit. This kick only went to the 50, and in just three plays Kaiden Gibson scored on the run at 2:42.

The Braves tried to take 28-7 lead into halftime, but Westside used penalties to move inside the ‘red zone.’ Even though ‘Q’ Russell and Reeves set up 4th-and-7 at the 19, the Braves were charged with pass interference. Jaylen Stone threw a 10-yard touchdown pass with 13 seconds on the clock, so at the half Baldwin’s lead was 28-14.

King, Gavin Jarrett and the two Russells held down the Patriots on the first two drives off the third quarter. The Baldwin offense didn’t arrive from the fieldhouse until it executed a 68-yard drive in 12 plays. It ended with 24 seconds left. There were two first-down catches by King for 30 total yards, and ‘Q’ Russell scored from three out in the T set-up for a 35-14 lead.

In the fourth quarter, Westside maintained possession and was on the Braves 18 when Stone took a shot deep on 3rd-and-10. Coming out of a scrum for the football was Homecoming King Labraydon Burden, a touchback interception with 8:36 to play.

The one Brave yet to score in the game was the top scorer all season, Salahuddin. That was taken care of in an 80-yard drive with two more first-down receptions for King (24 yards) and chain-moving runs by Pounds and Butts. In the T, Salahuddin got the call to plunge in from the 1 at 3:58.

The Braves defense got one more interception, the second from Landon Blash. Against substitutes, Westside scored the game’s last TD with 33 seconds to play.

Halloween Night will be about Braves football in Macon, Baldwin going to Thompson Stadium to meet Howard High with a 7 p.m. kickoff. The Huskies are coming off a loss at Harlem.