HSFT Stop #8: Baldwyn

Baldwyn, Miss. (WCBI)- Baldwyn football enters every season with high expectations. This season is no different, the Bearcats have a state championship on their mind.

“We take a lot of pride in that because there are expectations,” senior wide receiver Hastin Nelson said. “People don’t come out here for nothing and they expect us to win every single year.”

This summer is all about filling the gaps left by last year’s graduating class. The talent is abundant but it’s vital for the new starters to mesh with each other before the season gets rolling.

“We’ve got to replace a lot,” head coach Michael Gray said. “I think we’ve got five returning on both sides so we have six spots on each side of the ball that we have to replace. When you have young, you have inexperience so it’s going to take a little time to see who needs to be where.”

The senior leaders have no doubt that the younger guys will step up and play key roles this season.

“I believe that we got a lot of dogs man,” senior defensive lineman Decorian Warren said. “We’ve got a lot of kids that are coming up, putting in the work, and we’re coming back better than ever.”

Another big change is reclassification. Baldwyn slides down to 1A this year but that doesn’t change the Bearcats mentality at all.

“We really just play whoever is in front of us,” senior running back Drelin Watson said. “We really don’t care who comes in front of us because we are going to dominate every game, we are going to give it our all and going to give them competition so it really doesn’t matter who is in front of us, We’re ready.”

Winning is in Baldwyn’s DNA but it’s been 15 years since it’s last state title, this year’s group is dead set on changing that.

“We’ve been grinding man, I’ve been playing since I was a freshman,” Warren said. “I’ve been waiting on it. We haven’t had one since 2008, it’s time to put another one on.”