High School Football Tour: Baldwyn

[bitsontherun J61HjJvm]

BALDWYN, Miss. (WCBI) — Five years removed from the school’s first and only State Championship, Baldwyn has slowly built towards what many believe to be the year to knock on the door for the Gold Ball.

2013 is certainly a great time to begin beating down that barrier. The basketball team has already notched yet another State Championship, why can’t the football team make a run at the 2A crown?

The Bearcats will have the talent to do so going into 2013.

“Defensively, we have Marbrecio Crump. He was second team All-State at outside linebacker last year. We’re looking for big things from our seniors,” said head coach Michael Gray. “Hopefully we can count on them and they can drag these underclassmen along.

“We have a lot of talent. I feel like we will have a good core of young players if our older kids can pull them along till they get used to the game.”

While the talent is there for Baldwyn, the inexperience once again remains for head coach Michael Gray.

The Bearcats continue to rely on young talent which includes one of the rising sophomores in the state in Duke Upshaw.

“We still have a LOT of young kids,” Gray said. “I say young but I mean inexperience. Kids are getting older but now it’s their time to get on the field and perform. That’s the inexperience part that’s scary. We’re excited and hopefully we can stay injury free and put a lot of wins on the board.

With a new division and new competition on the schedule for 2013, the Bearcats believe this truly can be the year where 2008 isn’t the only Gold Ball in the Baldwyn HS trophy case.

“Yes, it’s always our top goal without even talking about it,” coach Gray said. “If you don’t set that goal, you defeat the purpose of being out here in the summer and everything getting ready for it.

“2A plays a really high level of football. It’s gonna be tough. Hopefully we can take our shot and play week to week and you never know what will happen.”