"Mr. High School Sports" - Two Top Running Backs Ready For Prime Time
Ask the average Baldwin football booster to sing the school's fight song, and he or she will likely know it by heart. But for the team from "B-A-L-D", the part about "win-win-winning" hasn't come easily for a long time.
The Highlanders (1-1, 1-1), however, have an opportunity to take a step forward in their evolution when they meet Penn Hills (1-1, 1-1), another program on the mend, at Andrew Yuhas Stadium for a Thursday night Class AAAA Southeastern Conference matchup that can be seen live on ROOT Sports.
Baldwin recovered nicely from an embarrassing effort against Peters Township in Week 1 with a decisive 35-7 win over visiting Plum last Friday. Senior tailback Dorian Brown rumbled for 167 yards on only 14 carries, and scored three touchdowns, including a 64-yard romp before halftime.
Entering Week 3 Brown (5"10, 172 lbs.) leads Quad-A with 375 yards rushing on 35 carries--an average of well over ten per try--and ranks second only to Gateway's Andre Martin with five TD's through two games.
Brown talked with me recently about righting the wrongs in his team's season opener, and about the importance of fundamentally sound play up front against the Penn Hills defense:
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The Indians have also made one of their own senior running backs the spear head of their attack. Aaron Bailey, who was limited to 73 yards on 15 carries last Friday, is as anxious as any to put on a better show for the home fans after his team was upset, 14-0, by Peters Township.
Bailey (5'7", 175 lbs.) scored his lone touchdown in a Week 1 defeat of Canon-McMillan and now has 183 yards on 33 attempts, ranking seventh in Quad-A.
With the Highlanders boasting a deep backfield that includes Brown and x-factor Stephon Harris, Bailey agrees play along the line of scrimmage will tell this particular tale, and he also told me why he believes Penn Hills can return to its glory days under new head coach/current athletic director John Peterman:
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Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 P.M. Thursday on ROOT Sports. Be sure to revisit 937thefan.com Friday as "Mr. High School Sports" previews more great games from Week 3 of the WPIAL football season, including NewsRadio 1020 KDKA's Game of the Week between North Allegheny and Seneca Valley.
(Follow me on Twitter @mpopchock.)
