JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — It was a hard fought game from both sides all the way until the final buzzer. The Baldwin Indians (4-0) defeated the University Christian Christians (1-3) 18-14 on Friday night.
Throughout the first quarter the ball went back and forth but it was UC that scored first with 6:53 left in the quarter. Sophomore running back Orel Gray broke free and ran into the end zone to put the Christians up 7-0.
Baldwin struggled to get into the end zone during the first quarter. But UC found their way back into it with 33 seconds left in the quarter. Sophomore quarterback Desirrio Riles completed a 10 yard pass to junior wide receiver Ja’won Grey to help put UC up 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.
Baldwin found their rhythm at the beginning of the second quarter. Senior Ty Petty caught a 40 yard pass leading him in for a touchdown. Baldwin couldn’t complete the 2 point conversion so the score remained 14-6 with 10:41 to play in the half.
Baldwin and UC went back and forth trying to be the next team to score before the half ended. Senior running back Kevin Davis made sure the Indians were that team. With 36 seconds left in the half, Davis rushed for 1 yard for the Indians to put the them down by 2 at the end of the half. The 2 point conversion was no good. The score at the half was UC 14, Baldwin 12.
The third quarter saw both teams fighting tooth and nail to get into their respective end zones. But behind senior quarterback Bryce Tompkins will to have a much better performance against UC than he did last year, he floated the ball right over a UC defender and found junior wide receiver Larry Worth for a touchdown.
This would be the game winning touchdown to make the final score of the game 18-14. A very excited Baldwin team came out with something to prove and celebrated right after the game.
Baldwin (4-0) will now prepare to welcome Andrew Jackson (3-1) next Friday night. Kick off is at 6 pm. University Christian (1-3) will continue their road trip and travel about 2 1/2 hours south on I-95 to face Foundation Academy (4-0). This game’s kick off is at 7 pm.