Baldwin tops Sewanhaka on new turf

Micah Ellerbe Jr. was so amped for Baldwin’s first football game on its brand new turf field Saturday, the senior defensive end/offensive tackle said he didn’t relax until the Bruins built a two-score lead in the third quarter against visiting Sewanhaka.

“I was really nervous because this game was so important to us,” he said. “My stomach was turning before kickoff and my nerves didn’t go away until the second half. There was so much at stake with the new field, new coaching staff and Homecoming.”

Ellerbe Jr. and the Bruins delivered for new head coach Mike Robinson, a 1987 Baldwin graduate, holding off the newly named Ravens, 19-14, before a standing-room-only crowd in the Nassau Conference II opener for both teams.

“This was big for our program and our entire community,” Robinson said. “It was just an incredible atmosphere and what we were hoping for today. Our defense was lights-out and we had three solid scoring drives. We still have some things to clean up, but this is the start we were looking for.”

Seniors Jelani Williams, Prosper Prawl and Amir Hanson had touchdowns for Baldwin, which finished 1-7 in Conference I a year ago. Junior Michael Jordan had a passing score and an interception for a defense that thwarted Sewanhaka on several trips inside the red zone.

“We did some good things we can take into next week,” Sewanhaka head coach George Kasimatis said. “Our best drive of the day came late in the game and we just ran out of time. We had some other drives we couldn’t finish. We made some mistakes we need to correct, but we’ve got the guys who can correct them.”

The Bruins led 13-7 at halftime and opened the third quarter with a long 62-yard scoring drive, highlighted by Williams. He had a 6-yard run off a direct snap on fourth down from around midfield to keep the drive alive and later added an 18-yard reception over the middle on a dart from senior quarterback Vaughdrea Johnson. Two plays later, Hanson scored from 2 yards out to make it 19-7. The drive consumed 7:50.

The score remained that way until the Ravens orchestrated a 70-yard scoring drive late in the fourth quarter, with senior quarterback Anthony Caliendo capping it with a 1-yard touchdown run. He connected with seniors Braylon Mettalus, Joe Gallardo and Joshua Hicks through the air to set up the score, which came with 2:18 remaining.

Baldwin returned the ensuing kickoff to its own 40 and needed just one first down to seal the outcome. The O-line consisting of Matthew Feeney, Jayden Young, Andrew Parchment, Derek Coolbaugh, Ryan Healey and Ellerbe Jr. didn’t allow a sack.

Williams opened the scoring midway through the first quarter on a 27-yard touchdown run, set up by Prawl’s 40-yard catch. Sewanhaka answered with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Caliendo to senior Khai Harris and it was 7-7 after one. Prawl’s 5-yard touchdown grab from Jordan in the second quarter put the Bruins ahead for good.

“We showed up,” Ellerbe Jr. said. “We really wanted this win. We didn’t want to let the school and our fans down.”