The Baldwin football team did not win a game for the second straight season, running its losing streak to 0-29. Despite the losses and the small number of players on the roster, however, they stayed united through the entirety of the season.
“This season has probably been my favorite for team bonding, and we have actually felt like a family,” sophomore Jack Zugates said.
Senior Caleb Scheller expressed the same feelings.
“We had that bond to just go out there and play together as a family,” Scheller said.
The team has had many bonding activities throughout the season, ranging from a dinner together to just spending time at a teammate’s house.
“One of my favorites was when we went to a Chinese restaurant buffet, and after that, we went in the seniors’ cars and drove over to Max’s house,” Zugates said, referring to sophomore quarterback Max Galentine.
Despite the team bonding, the games were difficult.
“This year was a lot worse than the previous seasons, especially not having enough guys as we did in the past years,” Scheller said.
The lack of players meant that many Highlanders had to play on both sides of the ball, as well as special teams.
“At our level, it is important to be deep and give players an opportunity for breaks and to be coached on the sideline during games. We lack that at this time because our kids barely come off the field,” Athletic Director Anthony Cherico said.
On offense, many of the play selections were geared towards run plays, players said.
“We were just constantly running the same plays and expecting a different outcome,” Scheller said.
Galentine agreed that the offense needs work for next year.
“There were holes in our offense that we will have to come together to fix as a team next year,” Galentine said.
The defense also struggled, allowing big plays by opposing teams. Baldwin is working on strengthening the defensive line to pressure the opposing team’s quarterback more.
“Teams were able to find blind spots in our defense. We should be able to fix them with a little more work,” sophomore Dylan Kluczkowski said.
Still, some Highlanders had strong moments during the season.
Senior Noah Saccani showed out in his final game as a Highlander, with 152 yards on four receptions against Upper St. Clair. Saccani, a team captain, was also named a Trib High School Sports Network Top Performer for the week.
Saccani finishes the season with 1,000 yards and six touchdowns. He has accumulated an impressive stat line of over 2,000 yards and 10 touchdowns over the course of his high school football career.
A fellow wide receiver, sophomore Carter Racan, said Saccani’s leadership skills are among his best qualities.
“He coordinates with the people in his position groups to make sure everyone knows what they’re doing, gives us speeches, and sets a great example for the rest of the team of the effort you need to put in,” Racan said.
The seniors went into that final game against the Panthers with the mindset of having fun. The coaches placed every senior wherever they wanted to be in the second half, including Nick Huschak and Joshua Staudt at running back, Michael Schoeb as quarterback, and Michael Coates at defensive line. Huschak even scored a two-point conversion.
“It was my favorite part from this season,” Huschak said.
After quarterback Noah Mickolay transferred from Baldwin, Galentine stepped in as quarterback in Week 5 against Elizabeth Forward. Galentine started last year at linebacker and played linebacker and tight end this year before switching to quarterback mid-season. He also kicks for the Highlanders on kickoffs.
“Playing quarterback was harder than I expected it to be, but over the season my teammates helped me grow as a player and adapt in difficult situations,” Galentine said.
Looking toward next year, seven seniors will be graduating this spring, and their spots will need to be filled. The current eighth-grade class has been strong for Baldwin, and those players will be freshmen next year.
Despite the difficult seasons over the past few years, the seniors said they would miss playing for Baldwin.
“I made lasting relationships with many of the players and coaches on the team,” Huschak said.
Cherico commended all the players on the team for their efforts.
“I am proud of what they did each and every time they stepped on the field for both games and practice,” Cherico said. “Each of them should hold their heads up high and use this experience to build momentum into next year.”
