The Baldwin football team came into this season hoping to turn things around, but unfortunately the past has repeated itself.
With new Coach Dana Brown Jr. beginning his time at Baldwin, players and fans had high hopes coming into Week 0 vs. Brashear. The boys won the game 56-0, and the Highlanders felt like a new team going into Week 1.
But then in that game, the Highlanders lost to Thomas Jefferson, 49-3. That started a nine-game losing streak that lasted the rest of the season. Against opponents such as Upper Saint Clair, Bethel Park, South Fayette and others, Baldwin just couldn’t get it done.
Senior Keith Mincin was disappointed to end the year in such fashion.
“There’s a losing culture in Baldwin that I hope the underclassmen can break out of with the help of Coach Dana and the rest of the coaches,” Mincin said.
Junior Jaden Duttine said he wants to improve his own game for next year.
“I feel that I could have played better on the defensive side of the ball,” he said. “Being in coverage and tackling was a problem this year.”
One bright spot this year was provided by senior running back Andrew Sharp. In the last game of the year, on Friday against Moon Township, rushed for his 1,000th yard of the season. He is the first Baldwin running back to reach that milestone since Angelo Priore in 2020.
Sharp said he wanted to give credit where it is due for the feat.
“It felt amazing, but I wouldn’t have been able to get there without the help from my linemen and my coaching staff,” Sharp said.
He hopes this milestone can help make an impact on future Baldwin players.
“I hope kids see what I was able to accomplish this year and want to be like me,” he said. “I want to be the reason kids continue playing football through high school.”
Looking toward next year, some players who could make a big impact include freshmen Landon Frantz, Danny Brown, and Marco Del Rosario, as well as sophomore Nico Macurak.
The underclassmen are ready to get to work on fixing Baldwin’s problems. Junior lineman Cenzo Pacella is ready to buy into the process.
“We have trust in Coach Dana and are ready to go to work,” Pacella said. “No one is going to outwork us this offseason.”
Sharp said he trusts that the coaching staff will get Baldwin back on track.
“Coach Brown really brought a new feeling to this team. We were able to keep players committed all year,” he said.
Duttine said that losing the seniors next year is going to hurt, but the team will try to find new players to fill in big shoes.
“These seniors were really the backbone of the team this year,” he said. “Some of us are going to have to step up in big ways next year.”
