#HSFT21 Stop #48 – Baldwyn Bearcats

https://cdn.field59.com/WCBI/1628984106-d4e9fff916c03f09fa4866ed3aa95137a4a0a5f7_fl9-720p.mp4 BALDWYN, Miss. (WCBI) – The Baldwyn Bearcats are back competing in familiar territory. The Bearcats join region one class 2-A featuring opponents like East Union, Myrtle, and Belmont, who drops from Class 3-A. However, Baldwyn’s approach to the season hasn’t changed. “We’ve been in 2A my entire playing career and coaching career,” head coach Michael Gray said. “We’re kind of excited to get back to it. The travel is not as bad. The competition is just as good. I tell people for years. Oh, you’re going down in 1A. It’ll be a cakewalk. You get in the playoffs. Everybody is the same.” Baldwyn went 6-4 last season and graduated only seven seniors. However, after talking with the players in the locker room, this team is confident in the big guys upfront. Rightly so. The Bearcats have four returning starters on the offensive line. “It doesn’t matter what level you play unless it’s peewee and you have one superstar,” Gray said. “If you have a solid offensive and defensive line from high school to the NFL, you have a shot.” “Our line is some dogs,” senior athlete Jamaury Marshall said. “I feel very confident in the pocket and well protected.” The offensive line contributes their improvement to good, ole fashioned training. “Definitely in the weight room a lot more,” senior lineman Cameron Mitchell said. “Being around a lot of football and watching football a lot.” Last season, Baldwyn struggled to find a rhythm early on after dealing with multiple COVID cancellations. However, once the team caught its rhythm, the Bearcats won five straight heading into the postseason. Therefore, this offseason, a point of emphasis was making sure continuity was set entering week one. “This year we did more to get our chemistry right going into the beginning of the season instead of the end of the season,” Marshall said. “We’ve done more work than we did last year. I just feel like we’re more dogs.” “Our turning point was definitely our chemistry in the middle of the season,” Mitchell said. “We started clicking. ” Head coach Michael Gray and his staff are excited to see how chemistry translates to production. “I really like this bunch as a whole,” Gray explained. “I like their work ethic and their intelligence of the game. We’re looking forward to that. There are some things we think we can do cause of it.” “Dream big,” Mitchell said. “Take it one day at a time. When your time is called, be ready.” The Bearcats hit the road to play Kossuth on August 27th.